How much does a wedding cake cost?
Most couples pay $500-$1,000. Here is what moves that number, what you get at each level, and where to spend less without regretting it.
Wedding cakes are priced by the slice - commonly $4 to $9 - so a cake serving 120 guests usually lands between $500 and $1,000. Detailed sugar work, hand-painting and metallic finishes push the per-slice price up quickly. A common and sensible move is a smaller decorated cake for cutting and photographs, with plain sheet cakes in the kitchen to actually serve the room.
What you get at each price
Simple
$3-$5 per slice
Buttercream, clean finishes, minimal decoration. A 100-guest wedding around $300-$500.
What most couples pay most couples
$5-$9 per slice
Three tiers, fondant or textured buttercream, fresh florals or moderate sugar work. A 120-guest wedding around $600-$1,000.
Premium
$9-$20+ per slice
Hand-painted detail, sculpted sugar flowers, metallic leaf, unusual structures. A showpiece cake can exceed $2,000 on its own.
These are what couples actually pay, not quotes we can make on a vendor's behalf. Every wedding cake baker sets their own prices, and the ones on Lazo publish theirs where they choose to.
What wedding cakes & desserts say they start at, by city
Separately from the ranges above, Lazo reads the "starting at" price each vendor publishes on their own website or Lazo profile. Across the US, 271 wedding cakes & desserts publish one; the middle half start between $120 and $500, median $200. A starting price is the smallest package, which is why it sits below what most couples end up paying.
| City | Middle half start at | Median | Priced vendors |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City NY | $120–$1,000 | $500 | 13 |
| Boston MA | $110–$150 | $150 | 12 |
| Nashville TN | $130–$1,000 | $550 | 10 |
| Tampa FL | $130–$925 | $300 | 8 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth TX | $170–$240 | $220 | 7 |
| Portland OR | $110–$270 | $120 | 7 |
| San Francisco Bay CA | $160–$350 | $200 | 7 |
| Washington DC DC | $100–$250 | $120 | 7 |
| Asheville NC | $120–$1,875 | $825 | 6 |
| Atlanta GA | $100–$150 | $130 | 6 |
| Kansas City MO | $500–$500 | $500 | 6 |
| Baltimore MD | $100–$150 | $100 | 5 |
| Chicago IL | $150–$250 | $200 | 5 |
| Cleveland OH | $150–$150 | $150 | 5 |
| Detroit MI | $100–$200 | $100 | 5 |
| Houston TX | $120–$350 | $200 | 5 |
| Inland Empire CA | $150–$500 | $170 | 5 |
| Knoxville TN | $200–$300 | $250 | 5 |
| Richmond VA | $150–$480 | $200 | 5 |
| Salt Lake City UT | $300–$900 | $400 | 5 |
Cities with five or more priced vendors, biggest sample first; a linked city has its own page with the vendors behind the number. Read 2026-11-11.
What actually drives the price
- Guest count and tiers
- You are buying servings. A dramatic-looking cake for 80 people costs less than a plain one for 250.
- Decoration technique
- Sugar flowers are made by hand, one petal at a time. This is where the price lives, not in the cake.
- Fondant versus buttercream
- Fondant holds sharp edges and costs more; textured buttercream is fashionable and cheaper.
- Fillings and flavours
- Multiple flavours across tiers add cost. Specialty fillings more.
- Delivery and setup
- Typically $50-$150, and worth paying - a tiered cake is not something to transport yourself.
- Cutting fee
- Some venues charge $1-$4 per slice to cut and serve a cake they did not supply. Ask before you order.
How to spend less without regretting it
- Display cake plus kitchen sheet cakes
- A two-tier decorated cake for the photographs and cutting, with sheet cakes of the same flavour served from the kitchen. Saves 40-60% and no guest ever knows.
- Choose texture over sugar flowers
- Textured buttercream with fresh flowers from your florist looks expensive and is not.
- Go smaller, not plainer
- A beautiful small cake photographs better than a large dull one.
- Check the cutting fee first
- At $3 a slice for 150 guests, the venue's cutting fee can exceed the cake.
When to book
Four to six months out, with tastings around three months. Cakes are among the last vendors you need to book and one of the easiest to arrange late.
What to ask before you book
- What is the price per serving, and how many servings am I actually buying?
- Is delivery and setup included, and when will you arrive?
- Does my venue charge a cutting fee?
- Can we taste the exact flavours and fillings we are ordering?
- How will the cake hold up in the temperature at my venue?
More questions to ask a wedding cake baker — and what a good answer sounds like →
Common questions
How much does a wedding cake cost?
Wedding cakes are usually priced per slice at $4 to $9, so a cake for 120 guests commonly costs $500 to $1,000. Elaborate sugar work and hand-painted detail can push the per-slice price to $20 or more.
How do we save money on a wedding cake?
Order a smaller decorated cake for cutting and photographs, with plain sheet cakes of the same flavour served from the kitchen. This typically saves 40-60% and guests cannot tell the difference on the plate.
What is a cake cutting fee?
Some venues charge $1 to $4 per slice to cut and serve a cake they did not supply. On a 150-guest wedding that can cost more than the cake itself, so confirm it before you order.
Why our prices aren't sponsored
Most wedding sites earn money from the vendors they list, which is why their "recommended" wedding cakes & desserts and their cost advice tend to point the same direction. Lazo takes nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor. So the ranges above are what we believe couples pay — not what anyone paid us to say.
Wedding Cakes & Desserts near you
We index 12,900+ wedding cakes & desserts across 363 markets — every review verified, rankings never sold.