First of all, let’s clear the air! You know you can always count on me to be candidly honest so here it is…
I am Italian so the cake, like any kind of food, has to look great but taste even better since the ultimate goal is for your guests to enjoy it and eat it.
With all the respect for amazing bakers that can make out of this world editable sculptures, I have to say that it is not so easy to find a pro baker that can deliver on both, artistry and deliciousness.
Of course, everybody has different tastes but, did you ever hear anybody saying: “ the fondant on that cake was delicious”?. Honestly, the fondant is a great product to create an elaborated design and stylish looks. However, you can still find it at the end of the wedding celebration on 85% of the guests’ plates untouched.
I admit it! More than once I suggested my clients cheat: have a beautifully decorated dummy cake to take pictures with that can stand any kind of temperature indoor or outdoor and have a delicious sheet cake in the back to serve to their guests. There! I said it!
Somebody is ok on cake chandeliers hanging from a tree to be fed to guests. Me? Not so much. I prefer to ” make-believe” and do not treat guests as guinea pigs or risk thousand of $ cake being eaten by ants or falling from the sky.
And now let’s talk about size.
The size of your wedding cake should not depend only on the number of guests you have attending your event. You should considering also if you plan to serve other desserts at the end of your dinner and if you will have a groom cake as well. Do you want to conserve and freeze the top tier of your wedding cake to eat on your first anniversary? ( I do not know who invented this but hey…. No judging here!)
Typically, you can estimate the number of servings needed by approximating that 75 to 85 percent of your guest list will eat cake.
Determine if you’d like to have enough cake to feed every guest, whether you’d like to have cake leftover, as well as consider what size of cake slice you plan to serve.
The standard wedding cake servings are 1-inch by 2-inch slices, A larger party size slice is 1.5-inches by 2-inches and some cakes have tiers that are 4-inches or 5-inches tall, which should be factored into sizing calculations as well.
The next thing you should consider is who is cutting the cake. If a banquet manager at your venue is cutting the cake he knows what is expected. If your Auntie is cutting the cake for your guests her idea of portions can be quite different…
Here is a guide to help you decide which size cake will do for your wedding day:
Round Wedding Cake Sizing
- Round 6-inch Cake: 12 servings
- Round 8-inch Cake: 24 servings
- Round 10-inch cake: 38 servings
- Round 12-inch cake: 56 servings
- Round 14-inch cake: 78 servings
- Round 16-inch cake: 100 servings
Square Wedding Cake Sizing
- Square 6-inch Cake: 18 servings
- Square 8-inch Cake: 32 servings
- Square 10-inch cake: 50 servings
- Square 12-inch cake: 72 servings
- Square 14-inch cake: 98 servings
- Square 16-inch cake: 128 servings
Hope this will be helpful and if you need help and support in creating a beautiful celebration that is totally you, I invite you to be part of LUSH BUSY BRIDE.
Take advantage of our 30 minute complimentary wedding planning session HERE and start creating your special day like a pro.
