Wedding cakes and desserts

The feta is on us $6.75 while the cake decoration costs 1500

Bradley Jones9 said:Does anyone know what the going rates are for wedding cakes and those little bite-sized pastries for the reception hall?
I have my eye on this gorgeous five-tier cake meant for about 200 guests, and I’m estimating the cost would be around $1833
. As for the mini desserts, they seem to be $1.25 per piece
. It doesn't strike me as being particularly expensive, but I suppose I might be mistaken—what has everyone else experienced?

That’s almost $9.00 per piece... which is honestly pretty steep.... if that cake is decorated that heavily, it better be on par with Magnolia Bakery 🤷. Plus, you won't be getting basic flavors like mousse or Black Forest at that price point...

For $1.25 a piece, you should expect something like:
macaroons

Or maybe petit fours:


Or mini cakes or cupcakes... but even then, $1.25 feels a bit 🙂

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I don't have any other photos available... this one is just from a three-story build, but I'm actually looking for something with five floors. Basically, $6.75 based on the fetish + $500 decor, I can choose whatever components I want to use... (by the way, the forum seems to be glitching a bit, so if I end up double-posting, please know it isn't intentional)

Honestly, those little Delta cookies are just unbeatable.

Bradley Jones9 said:

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I don't have any other photos available... this one is just from a three-story build, but I'm actually looking for something with five floors. Basically, $6.75 based on the fetish + $500 decor, I can choose whatever components I want to use... (by the way, the forum seems to be glitching a bit, so if I end up double-posting, please know it isn't intentional)

Not sure where you're working, but that's a massive order...

That's just a standard buttercream swirl decoration that any decent baker could pull off... I don't get what all the $500 is about???

I’ve gotta say, I’m feeling the exact same way about this—it just seems like a massive amount, and honestly... a really significant amount at that...

Me too, honestly way too much. If it wasn't 150 instead of $500?

The cake is truly crème de la crème—honestly, I highly doubt your average baker or even a standard local pastry chef could replicate this. They might manage a decent imitation, but to achieve this level of perfection without any visible flaws or sloppy strokes? Definitely not.

I mean, if the price isn't breaking the bank and you can actually swing the cost—then just go ahead and pay for it...
What's there even to ask about? 🤷

feralmoose32 said:I mean, if the price isn't breaking the bank and you can actually swing the cost—then just go ahead and pay for it...
What's there even to ask about? 🤷

Actually, I wasn't even asking for recommendations on where to go; I was simply seeking an opinion on whether the price seems reasonable.☕

That’s way over the top—just our two cents. ☕ Ours was under $667 for a group of 150, and honestly, it was classy. We had people sample all four flavors, and everyone loved it... plus, we got to pick any decoration we wanted at no extra charge. People say you can't just DIY this kind of thing; you need actual wedding cake pros.

Nathan Cox25 said:That’s way over the top—just our two cents. ☕ Ours was under $667 for a group of 150, and honestly, it was classy. We had people sample all four flavors, and everyone loved it... plus, we got to pick any decoration we wanted at no extra charge. People say you can't just DIY this kind of thing; you need actual wedding cake pros.

I suppose there isn't much point in requesting a different flavor for every single tier if everyone is only getting one slice anyway, right?

Bradley Jones9 said:Actually, I wasn't even asking for recommendations on where to go; I was simply seeking an opinion on whether the price seems reasonable.☕

Well, we actually did give you our take on the price...

And as for where it came from—you were the one who bragged about it yourself 🙂

feralmoose32 said:Well, we actually did give you our take on the price...

And as for where it came from—you were the one who bragged about it yourself 🙂

No, dear, that was actually Linda Johnson15's response.

Bradley Jones9 said:I suppose there isn't much point in requesting a different flavor for every single tier if everyone is only getting one slice anyway, right?

Not really... you could totally just do two layers of the same flavor... honestly, we just told the servers to list out all the available flavors so guests can pick what they actually want....

If you really want to, you can go with all layers being the same flavor...

But trust me, these decorations are pretty basic... so that $500 price tag feels way too high...

Bradley Jones9 said:No, dear, that was actually Linda Johnson15's response.

🤷 Well, you were quoting me...

Linda Johnson15 said:Not really... you could totally just do two layers of the same flavor... honestly, we just told the servers to list out all the available flavors so guests can pick what they actually want....

If you really want to, you can go with all layers being the same flavor...

But trust me, these decorations are pretty basic... so that $500 price tag feels way too high...

well, I've been to a few bakeries where the cakes were from places like Magnolia Bakery or Levain, and you could actually see the knife marks where they had spread the frosting or whatever it is they do. The glaze wasn't perfectly smooth, and since I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I tend to notice when things aren't millimeter-perfect. To be fair, nothing from Cheesecake Factory has ever let me down; their cakes are great, I've tried everything in the shop, and they're my most reliable bet. As for the pricing at other spots, I asked around because I wasn't entirely sure how they usually structure things. I realize the cost might not be the most pleasant part of the conversation, but what can I say? That's just how I am—I notice every little flaw.
and that idea about the flavors, having the server ask what everyone wants, sounds like a wonderful notion to me!

Bradley Jones9 said:well, I've been to a few bakeries where the cakes were from places like Magnolia Bakery or Levain, and you could actually see the knife marks where they had spread the frosting or whatever it is they do. The glaze wasn't perfectly smooth, and since I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I tend to notice when things aren't millimeter-perfect. To be fair, nothing from Cheesecake Factory has ever let me down; their cakes are great, I've tried everything in the shop, and they're my most reliable bet. As for the pricing at other spots, I asked around because I wasn't entirely sure how they usually structure things. I realize the cost might not be the most pleasant part of the conversation, but what can I say? That's just how I am—I notice every little flaw.
and that idea about the flavors, having the server ask what everyone wants, sounds like a wonderful notion to me!

The photo you posted shows fondant with buttercream swirls... there aren't any knife strokes in the frosting because there isn't any frosting used there. The only thing a "lesser" baker might mess up is leaving too many air bubbles in the filling... but if they know what they're doing, that won't happen.

From what I've seen online, their pastries are on par with something like Magnolia Bakery in NYC... but that doesn't make them wedding cake experts. There's a huge difference between a standard dessert and a wedding cake. Especially since they don't seem to know the technique for stacking tiered cakes. If they don't use separators, you run the risk of them stacking layers directly on top of each other, which means the bottom layer ends up full of margarine or, even worse, starts bulging out.

Ask them to show you photos of their actual wedding cakes and ask how they construct them. Especially if they aren't delivering it right at midnight, but rather having it sit in the restaurant until late.

Linda Johnson15 said:The photo you posted shows fondant with buttercream swirls... there aren't any knife strokes in the frosting because there isn't any frosting used there. The only thing a "lesser" baker might mess up is leaving too many air bubbles in the filling... but if they know what they're doing, that won't happen.

From what I've seen online, their pastries are on par with something like Magnolia Bakery in NYC... but that doesn't make them wedding cake experts. There's a huge difference between a standard dessert and a wedding cake. Especially since they don't seem to know the technique for stacking tiered cakes. If they don't use separators, you run the risk of them stacking layers directly on top of each other, which means the bottom layer ends up full of margarine or, even worse, starts bulging out.

Ask them to show you photos of their actual wedding cakes and ask how they construct them. Especially if they aren't delivering it right at midnight, but rather having it sit in the restaurant until late.

Their representative explained all of that to me... including the dimensions for every single tier, and she sounded quite professional... I'm not sure if you've ever sampled anything from their shop or visited their facility, but if you have, then you know exactly what I mean. It’s essentially a small-scale production facility; they have their own training program and such... but regardless of all that, I noticed the white icing underneath that cream, and it was so perfectly smooth that it really sold me on them.🙂

Bradley Jones9 said:Their representative explained all of that to me... including the dimensions for every single tier, and she sounded quite professional... I'm not sure if you've ever sampled anything from their shop or visited their facility, but if you have, then you know exactly what I mean. It’s essentially a small-scale production facility; they have their own training program and such... but regardless of all that, I noticed the white icing underneath that cream, and it was so perfectly smooth that it really sold me on them.🙂

I’ve had the exact opposite experience with them. Total lack of professionalism, to say the least. But hey, everyone's different...