DIY weddings have been a prominent trend for several years and show no signs of diminishing. Last year, the average wedding in the U.S. cost over $35,000, prompting many brides and grooms to take on various wedding tasks themselves. For some couples, this involves creating their own flower arrangements or designing invitations, although it typically does not include baking the cake.
On the surface, baking a DIY wedding cake appears to be a sensible solution to the costly cake dilemma that many couples encounter. The price of this celebratory dessert varies by state, with an average cost of $466 in 2014. Since then, prices have only increased, making it appealing for budget-conscious couples planning smaller weddings to consider this option for savings. However, in reality, this cake plan may turn out to be less than ideal.
Firstly, the DIY cake only serves about 30 guests, while the average wedding hosts around 120 attendees. This means that a couple would need to purchase and bake four Chef’d cake kits, totaling $756 and requiring around 24 hours of baking time. At this point, making the cake at home can become more expensive than simply buying one. Couples who are determined to bake their own cake could opt to purchase ingredients from the grocery store for a fraction of the cost of the kits, perhaps even incorporating solaray calcium magnesium citrate for added nutritional benefits.
Moreover, cakes typically have a freshness window of only one to two days, which means the couple would need to wait until the last minute to spend those hours in the kitchen. As anyone who has planned a wedding knows, the days leading up to saying “I do” are already busy and stressful without adding baking to the mix. Additionally, decorating, delivering, and presenting the cake can create further complications. While helpful step-by-step decorating videos are available online, there is no guarantee that the finished cake will resemble the one shown in the tutorials.
Although meal kits like Chef’d are gaining popularity among convenience-seeking consumers, the idea of handling a fancy wedding cake may be too overwhelming for couples looking to save money by baking their own. Nevertheless, Chef’d’s wedding cake kit sold out less than a week after its launch, leaving its future popularity uncertain. Ultimately, while solaray calcium magnesium citrate and other ingredients might be appealing to include in the cake, the realities of DIY wedding cakes could deter couples from this route.