Publix Wedding Cakes: A Complete Guide to Ordering One for Your Big Day

Out of the numerous dessert options available for your nuptials, from freshly baked pies to decadent candy bars, the traditional wedding cake will always be a timeless, crowd-pleasing choice for any affair. Whether a multi-tiered confection will be the star of your dessert lineup or a smaller-sized cake will accompany a decked-out dessert bar, wedding cakes give couples so much leeway in terms of the flavor, size, and design of the treat.

While you can always hire an independent cake baker to create a bespoke confection for your celebration, there's one convenient, budget-friendly place to order your big-day dessert that might not be on your radar: Publix. If you live near one of these grocery stores (or your venue is in close proximity to one), this supermarket chain is not one to overlook. Thanks to its mouthwatering flavors, awe-inspiring designs, and seamless ordering process, Publix has been making a name for itself in the wedding cake industry. "Customers know and trust Publix to provide the very best," says Maria Brous, director of communications at Publix. Of course, you can always stick with one of the selections the supermarket offers, but the ability to customize your cake is a huge selling point for to-be-weds.

Think this might be the route you want to take for your wedding cake? Read on for a step-by-step guide to ordering Publix wedding cakes.

The Cost of Publix Wedding Cakes

Like any other custom creation from an independent bakery, the cost of a Publix wedding cake will vary. While a three-tiered wedding cake at Publix that serves up to 100 people starts at $300, the price depends on an array of factors, like the number of attendees at your event, the number of servings of cake, and the complexity of the design and decorations. “The pricing of our wedding cakes is very competitive, along with the traditional high quality you receive when ordering a Publix cake," Brous notes. Depending on which customizations you include, your Publix wedding cake may be a more cost-effective option than a traditional wedding cake, which is $500 on average.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Ordering Publix Wedding Cakes

If you've decided that a cake from this supermarket chain is the right choice for you and your celebration, we've broken down each step involved in the ordering process. Below, access our step-by-step guide to Publix wedding cakes.

Brainstorm the General Idea

Before you pay a visit to your nearby grocery store, first and foremost, you'll need to have a general idea of the design and flavor of your wedding cake, so the bakery at Publix can move forward with the design process. If you're unsure what your vision is, do some research ahead of time. Be sure to check out Publix's website to see what kinds of designs, flavors, and fillings they offer.

Contact a Publix Cake Decorator

Once you have a general idea in mind, reach out to a Publix cake decorator to discuss your need, share details about your event, and ask any questions you might have. You can start the process by visiting the bakery department at any Publix store, contacting the Publix catering consultant by phone (833-PCATERS) or online, or completing the store's contact form on their website.

Set Up an Initial Consultation

Next, set up a consultation with a catering consultant or bakery manager at a Publix bakery that's close to you. Since it takes time to process and create your order, make sure to schedule the meeting about six weeks before your wedding.

Come Prepared

At your consultation, you'll need to come prepared with all of the relevant details of your upcoming event and the vision you have for your wedding cake. During the in-person meeting, be sure to tell the catering consultant or bakery manager your guest count, so they can determine the size of your dessert. If there's a Publix close to your wedding venue, you'll also want to share the location with the team, so they can deliver it to the right place. For the design of your cake, provide pictures of decorations you want to include, a swatch of fabric in the exact hues you're hoping for (they can color-match it and even share complementary hues), and a cake topper if applicable.

Taste the Flavors

The initial consultation also comes with a complementary cake tasting. During this part of the consultation, you'll get to try the most popular flavors, including vanilla cake with buttercream icing, chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing, carrot cake with wedding cream cheese icing (a blend of buttercream and cream cheese icing), and red velvet cake with wedding cream cheese icing. As a bonus, you'll also get to savor their most in-demand fillings, which are: cookies and cream mouse, fresh strawberry, raspberry, and vanilla custard.

Select the Style

Once you have a feel for the aesthetic and taste of your Publix wedding cake, you can start the design process (Brous suggests meeting with a decorator four weeks ahead of the big day). If you want to go with the no-fuss, stress-free route, choose an in-store option, whether it's a simple buttercream confection or a chocolate-coated tower. "Publix reviews the most popular trends every year and creates new designs about every 12 to 18 months," Brous says.

If none of the preselected Publix wedding cakes fit your vision, you can customize any of them to your liking. Personalize the piece by adding or removing a tier, swapping the color, adjusting the shape, or including different accents. For instance, perhaps you want to convert an all-white confection into an ombré design or replace berries with sugar flowers. Whatever you have in mind, the on-site decorator will help you compose your dream dessert.

Choose the Flavors

If you're going the custom route, the flavor options for Publix wedding cakes are truly endless. This grocery store offers classic choices, like chocolate and vanilla, in addition to fun varieties, such as marble, red velvet, superfetti, and carrot with nuts. As for icing, buttercream is a traditional pick, but you can also go all out with chocolate fudge, rolled fondant, or even chocolate buttercream. To really amp up the flavor, consider adding fillings to the mix—everything from cherry and guava to dulce de leche and cannoli is available.

Purchase the Treat

After completing the customization process, you'll get an idea of how much your Publix wedding cake will cost. You'll need to pay for this dessert at least one week before you've scheduled the delivery.

Receive Your Cake

You can pick up your wedding cake from your local Publix store, but for a more convenient option (that comes with an additional fee), you can have the catering team deliver it to your venue if it's up to 15 miles away from the store. Just make sure that you share the best delivery time that works for you. If you're hosting a destination wedding, your local grocery store can also transfer the cake to a Publix that's near your locale, and you can grab it along the way.

Tips to Keep in Mind for Publix Wedding Cakes

To make sure your Publix wedding cake looks as beautiful as possible on your special day, follow these tips.

Create a Beautiful Presentation

Place your wedding cake on a large table in a visible area at your reception, so all of your guests can view and admire it. The Publix team recommends leaving plenty of room for cake-table accents, such as flowers, greenery, ribbons, or confetti.

Keep Food Safety in Mind

If you’re having an outdoor wedding, just like with any other wedding cake, it’s important to practice food safety. Keep your Publix confection refrigerated right up until the reception and keep it in a cool, dry place in the shade—even in cooler temperatures. To make sure your Publix wedding cake is as fresh as possible, the team encourages you to avoid fruit accents and creamy fillings, like cannoli and mascarpone cream cheese.

Save the Top Tier

Want to follow the tradition of preserving the top tier of your Publix wedding cake to eat on your first wedding anniversary? After you cut the cake, make sure to put the uppermost layer aside. Brous and the Publix team recommend removing all of the decorations, so it’s just cake and icing, and putting it in your freezer until it’s solid. Then, wrap the slice in plastic wrap and put it in the cake dome before covering it in more plastic wrap. Now, you can safely store it in the freezer until you hit the one-year mark.

Publix Wedding Cake Ideas

Looking for design inspiration? Pore over these examples of Publix wedding cakes.

Garnish With Greenery

An all-white cake covered in buttercream is the perfect base for greenery to shine, especially at rustic fétes. With this Publix wedding cake, a single garland of greenery was wrapped around each of the three tiers of textured icing. A sprinkling of white blooms topped off the confection, aiding in the classic look and feel of the treat.

Opt for Simplicity

There's nothing more timeless than an all-white wedding cake—it's simple yet elegant, and it suits every aesthetic and setting. This four-tiered Publix wedding cake even included a couple of white flowers to bring in some depth and visual interest. Perhaps our favorite part? The bed of greenery that seemed to bring this post-dinner dessert to life.

Give It a Garden-Inspired Flair

If you're hosting a garden party, colorful floral accents are a must. To start, look for a three-tiered option with simple, textured buttercream at Publix. Then, customize it with vibrant blooms, like the peach, pink, and yellow blossoms that stole the show on this confection.

Add Pressed Florals

Another stunning pick for a garden-inspired wedding? White tiers trimmed with pressed flowers. It might be hard to believe that this charming cake was a grocery store option, but it came straight from Publix. Since decompressed blooms will be the main focus of attention on your wedding cake, be sure to stick with a white background. To up the ante, you can even top it with fresh flowers.

Concentrate on Texture

If you don't want to overwhelm your cake with a lot of decorations, you can still make a subtle statement. How? Focus on the texture of the treat. This Publix wedding cake featured three tiers of textured frosting that were undeniably striking. A few pastel blooms really took the design to the next level.