Your wedding cake will be a focal point at your reception, and the cutting of your cake will be the first task you will undertake as a newly married couple.
For many couples, the size of the wedding cake is a balance of what you need and what you want, and somewhere in between will be your budget!
So how do you decide on the size of your designer wedding cake? On a practical front, the size of your cake should match the number of guests attending your reception, plus any additional tier(s) that you want kept for a future event.
The first decision to make is how you plan to serve your wedding cake. Will it be served with coffee, as an addition to other desserts, or as a plated dessert?
How does this relate to your wedding cake? Let’s look at an average three-tiered round cake measuring 15cm, 20cm and 25cm. Depending on how it is cut, the same cake can be served in different ways: 200 finger serves, 150 small coffee serves, 100 standard coffee or small dessert serves, or 50 full size dessert serves.
Your wedding cake specialist will be able to guide you to the most suitable size for your reception. There are many options available when catering for larger weddings, including having kitchen cutting cakes that are iced but not decorated and that are not displayed. This lowers the cost overall.
The grooms often think that these serving suggestions are much too small! Do remember that your wedding cake will be served after a full wedding meal, often including several courses, and your guests will likely be very well fed! Unless you are happy to have cake left over, there is no need to over-cater when it comes to your wedding cake.
For small weddings, a single tiered wedding cake placed on a cake stand is just as beautiful.