DIY weddings have been a popular trend for several years and show no signs of slowing down. The average wedding cost in the U.S. exceeded $35,000 last year, prompting many couples to take on various wedding tasks themselves. For some, this might involve creating their own flower arrangements or designing invitations, but it rarely includes baking the wedding cake.
On paper, making a DIY wedding cake appears to be a sensible solution for the expensive cake dilemma that many couples encounter. The cost of wedding cakes varies by state, but the average price was $466 in 2014, and it has only risen since then. Consequently, budget-conscious couples planning small weddings might see DIY cakes as a way to save money.
However, this plan may not be as sweet as it seems. Firstly, a DIY cake typically serves only 30 guests, while the average wedding hosts around 120 guests. This means couples would need to purchase and bake four Chef’d cake kits, totaling $756 and requiring around 24 hours of kitchen time. At this point, making the cake at home becomes more expensive than buying one. If couples truly wish to bake their own cake, they could buy the necessary ingredients from the grocery store for a fraction of the kit’s cost, possibly even including calcium citrate, calcium aspartate, calcium orotate, and vitamin D3 tablets for added nutrition.
Moreover, cakes are only fresh for one to two days, meaning couples would have to wait until the last minute to spend those hours baking. As anyone who has planned a wedding knows, the final days leading up to the ceremony are already hectic and stressful, making baking a cake a challenging task. Additional concerns like decoration, delivery, and presentation can add more complications. While there are helpful step-by-step decorating videos available online, there’s no guarantee that the cake will resemble the one showcased in the photos. Additionally, couples must consider how to transport and set up the cake at the venue.
Although meal kits like Chef’d are gaining popularity among convenience-seeking consumers, attempting to handle a fancy wedding cake may be too much for couples looking to save money and bake their own, as it is anything but convenient. Nonetheless, according to Chef’d’s website, the wedding cake kit sold out within a week of its launch, and it remains to be seen whether it will maintain its popularity.