Let Them Eat Cake

A common question I get asked and love to answer is how much dessert do we need?

Disclaimer, I’m a bad person to ask … I love dessert!

Cake 

A traditional wedding cake will typically be designed in tiers. The chart below is approximately how much each tiered round will feed. Depending of the design and style, you can calculate how many/what size tiers you’ll need to feed your expected number of wedding guests.

Example: If you’re opting for a low-profile, single-tier cake, and have 90 guests, go for a simple 16-inch round. If you’re going for a more traditional tiered cake, for 75 guests, you’d want to use a 3-tiered cake using 6”, 8”, and 10” tiers. For 125 guests, you’d want to go with a 4-tiered cake using 6”, 8”, 10”, and 12-inch tiers. For 200 guests, you can opt for a 4-tiered cake using 8”, 10”, 12”, and 14” tiers; or opt for a 3-tiered cake using 12”, 14”, and 16” tiers. Another budget friendly option is to select a tiering that fits your wedding image, but purchase a sheet cake for the serving a large number of guests.

Cake Size - Feeds

4” round - serves 8 guests
6” round - serves 12 guests
8” round - serves 24 guests
9” round - serves 32 guests
10” round - serves 38 guests
12” round - serves 56 guests
14” round - serves 78 guests
16” round - serves 100 guests

Dessert Stations 

Dessert stations are also popular, and another personal favorite. Make sure you have enough sweet treats for every guest. A simple trick: if you’re working with small, individual desserts (cookies, cupcakes, petit fours, donuts, etc.) is to multiply the amount of guests expected by 2.5 to determine the number of desserts you’ll need.

If your budget allows, up that formula to 3.5 desserts per person which allows your guests to indulge in more than one dessert and facilitates an option for a cute take-home box (stamped with your initials or other fun wedding design) as an added thank you gift.

Late-Night Sweet Treats

Some couples opt to have another round of sweets brought out for late-night guests, and this can be a huge hit with partygoers. If you’re having a typical cake or dessert bar and then, later in the evening are bringing out, say, a s’mores-around-firepits (yes, please), I recommend serving 1/2 of the amount of total wedding guests. By the time a late-night donut cart or s’mores bar rolls around, at least 25% of your guests will have already departed (if not more), and 25% are full from the other treats. By planning to serve to 50% of your guests, you should have enough for all your late-night friends and family.

Overall, it’s better to have more dessert than not enough. Be sure to check with your baker, caterer, or planner to ensure your calculations are right!

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