How much does a wedding cake cost?

Your wedding cake isn’t just something delicious to eat on the day, but more and more it’s becoming part of your wedding aesthetic as well. From tiramisu towers to cheese platters, how much does a wedding cake cost?

From MasterChef to The Great British Bakeoff all the way through to our favourite foodie influencers, we’ve all become couch critics of food. We know our croquembouche from our cheesecake, our gâteau from our genoise. So, as a party full of food experts, the cake is the crescendo of the menu. How much should you be budgeting for the dessert?

Follow us on Instagram to find out what’s hot in the wedding industry.

What’s the average cost of a wedding cake?

Wedding cakes can vary in price depending on cake size, serving sizes, and what decorations are included in the design. Will you be serving coffee sized portions or serving your cake for dessert? How many guests do you need to serve? Are you having a topper or do you want fresh flowers in your decorations as well? Before deciding how much to spend on your cake consider what is included in that cost.

The average wedding cake around Australia costs $650. Couples in Queensland and Victoria can expect to pay a bit above average for a cake.

Victoria – $649

New South Wales – $639

Queensland – $714

South Australia – $606

Western Australia – $627

Australian Capital Territory – $461624

Tasmania – $566

Don’t forget to factor delivery in with your cake cost as well. It may be tempting to save costs by having someone pick it up yourself but many suppliers don’t actually allow this. Don’t run the risk and pay the extra for delivery, you won’t regret it!

How many tiers should my cake have?

The number of tiers your cake should have comes down to how many serves of cake you want as well as your wedding aesthetic.

Double barrelled cakes have become extremely popular and may appear as though there is only one tier due to the stacked cake effect. Tiered cakes on top of these double barrels are also very popular. With a double barrelled cake you have more cake involved and are therefore able to serve more couples, but bear in mind that a taller tier may cost you a bit extra.

To give you an idea of what you might want, 48% of all couples choose to have a 3-tiered wedding cake. 31% then opt for 2-tiers, 12% for 4-tiers, and just 9% of couples have a single tiered cake.

Wedding cakes can also be served with different size portions in mind. Consider whether you are serving your cake as dessert or as a side to coffee. Coffee cake portions are smaller so could leave your guests wanting more if you are serving these as dessert. But it could also be a really good way to make a smaller cake get around to more guests.

What is a ‘sheet’ cake?

If you need more cake but don’t want to ruin the aesthetic of your cake design you may opt for a sheet cake. A sheet cake is a single layered rectangular cake that your baker can create for you in the same flavour or flavours as your decorative cake.

This can be hidden away in the kitchen and cut up only when cake is served. It means that you can have more cake for your day while saving on the size and decorations of what you actually want on show.

This is a great option for weddings with a lot of guests and could be an option to help you save on your budget by having a smaller decorative cake. Chat with your cake supplier about what is more suitable for your wedding as well as your venue about what facilities they have for cake storage in the kitchen.

What type of cake is on trend at the moment?

Right now, vintage-inspired wedding cakes are having a serious moment. Think delicate piping, frilly borders, pastel palettes, and ornate details that channel major Marie Antoinette-meets–Y2K vibes. These cakes are all about nostalgia with a twist — retro designs like Lambeth piping and shell borders are back, often paired with modern flavours like earl grey, lemon-thyme, or brown butter vanilla. Couples are loving the romantic, old-world aesthetic, whether it’s a tiered showstopper with cascading rosettes or a single-tier sweetheart cake perched on a vintage stand. It’s maximalist, playful, and totally camera-ready.

What to look for in a cake supplier

70% of couples will book a cake supplier for their wedding day. These couples are impressed when a baker can work with the stylist or decorator to coordinate the cake decorations with other areas of the wedding.

Couples in the past have also favoured having a variety of flavours to choose from as well as having different flavours for different tiers.

Check reviews for cake suppliers to look out for whether couples have had any issues in the past. Not providing a cake tasting before purchase is one flag to look out for. Having a different flavour or different decorations without consulting the couple are also things to look out for.

Find your cake supplier! Start the search today, it’s the most delicious part of the planning!