Wedding Cake Cutting Fees

When most LDS brides set out to procure their wedding cakes, they don’t know they’ll most likely be paying a separate cake cutting fee in addition to the cost of making and decorating the cake. Surprised? Learn who charges the fee and why, what it covers, and how much a typical wedding cake cutting fee runs.

What is a Cake Cutting Fee?

wedding cake cutting fees — Photo Courtesy of DeLane Robinson Photography

When you bring in a cake from an outside bakery (or one that you’ve made yourself,) your reception venue may charge a cake cutting fee. If you have your cake made by their in-house baker, however, they will waive the fee.

How Much are Cake Cutting Fees?

Depending on the venue, a typical cake cutting fee runs between $1 and $2 per slice. Cake cutting fees can add up to several hundred dollars, so make sure to factor that into your decision when choosing a reception hall. And if you are choosing between two venues and one has a lower fee than another, use it as a bargaining chip!

Cake Cutting Fees for an LDS wedding cake — Photo Courtesy of Ravenberg Photography

If you feel up to it, you can try getting the cutting fee waived or lowered by haggling. If the reception hall manager gets the sense that you will be taking your wedding reception elsewhere if the cake fee isn’t lowered, he or she may be willing to compromise.

What Does a Cutting Fee Cover?

By paying a cutting fee, you’re paying for the staff to cut the cake, put it on plates, and serve it to the guests. The fee is also used to cover the cost of washing the dishes and dessert forks afterward.

After paying hundreds of dollars for a wedding cake, the last thing you want to be surprised by is a wedding cake cutting fee of several hundred more. Know ahead of time if you’ll be charged a cutting fee, how much it will be, and whether you have the option of getting the fee waived by using the in-house baker for your wedding cake.