Grocery Store Cakes Become a Wedding Budget Fix

Anna Holleran, who married this year in California’s Bay Area, ordered her wedding cake from Costco. “We love Costco, first of all,” she said. “Their cakes are so good. How can you go wrong?” Weddings cost about $36,000 on average, according to the wedding-planning website Zola. The Bank of America Institute reported that wedding spending among its customers was up 8.5% in May from a year earlier. Inflation has raised prices for suits and catering, while tariffs have increased costs for imported flowers and bridal gowns, according to NPR News.

Zola’s Emily Forrest, head of communications, said couples are willing to trim cake costs. About a third of couples surveyed by Zola said they would consider spending less on cake and dessert. “When it comes to a wedding, every couple always has to sit down and say, ‘Where are we going to save, and where are we going to splurge?’” Forrest said. “And cakes just don’t seem to rise to the splurge occasion for a lot of couples.”

Couples are not abandoning cake. “You can’t skip the cake!” said Lily Alana Stewart, who married last year in central Alabama. “Everybody looks forward to a cake at a wedding.” Stewart ordered her cake from Publix, a Southern grocery chain. She used baby’s breath to decorate the venue, and Publix incorporated the flower into the cake design. Co-workers who attended were surprised. “They said, ‘Wait, wait, wait. Your wedding cake was from Publix?’” Stewart said. “And they were still mind blown.”

According to Zola, the average wedding cake costs about $5.50 a slice. A slice of Publix cake is about $1.50 cheaper, the report said, while still producing a classic three-tiered, white-frosted wedding cake. Publix also offers couples a tasting flight of four flavors, including red velvet and carrot, before they order.

The wedding cake business has grown at Publix. Jeff Brancato, a Publix retail improvement specialist, said stores around Birmingham, Ala., sell about 50% more than they did before 2020. A chocolate cake with fondant that serves 94 people costs $388, according to the Birmingham-area price guide. “There is definitely big savings when it comes to it,” Brancato said.

Grocery store cakes come with trade-offs. They offer fewer options than specialty bakers, such as more flavors or more customized decorations, according to NPR News. Publix promotes its wedding cake business, but Costco does not list its half sheet cake as a wedding cake. It works out to about 70 cents a slice. Costco did not return NPR’s request for an interview.

Holleran said she prioritized saving money. Her wedding was near her home in California wine country, a destination spot for other couples where venues are expensive. The culinary details of her cake were not what mattered. “The real point is that you’re sharing a dessert for the first time with somebody that you love,” she said. “It’s kind of symbolic of all the sweet moments that you’re supposed to share in a marriage.”