So I just got my first wedding gig! The bride (who is very nice) just gave me the basic rundown of what she wanted, not anything really detailed but a start.

She wants cupcakes to serve 100 or so people, and a some sort of cake to serve the wedding party, I don't know if she wants fondant or if the cake is 2-tier or 3-tier.

The bride wants the cupcakes to look like the cascading floral design in the Wilton Cupcake fun book... very pretty

So I was just wondering what you all charge, I don't really have any idea of what exactly the cake is going to look like, we discussed 3-tier with a dummy middle tier.

By the way, I've neever done a dummy and is there anything I should be aware of when dealing with them?

Will provide more details later

I also haven't found a satisfactory frosting to use, any reccomendations?
Thank you

Pricing is most definitely all over the board here and depends on geographical location more often than not. In SoCal, the pricing is usually higher. Most bakers charge a price per serving and usually keep it the same for decorated cupcakes. You would have to check with bakeries in your area for competitive pricing.

Dummies are very easy to work with. The only thing I am careful of, is to make sure my own cake is the same height as the dummy. I normally buy the 4" dummies, but my cakes have a tendency to be closer to 5". You cannot stick a sharpened dowel through the entire cake if the dummy is the middle tier-keep that in mind as well. If the cake is just for the wedding party, it wouldn't have to be very big, so I would consider making the bottom tier the dummy cake.

Good luck on your first!!

Hi! I haven't done any wedding cakes yet but here is the icing recipe I like to use. I get lot's of compliments! Good luck and enjoy!

2 pound bag confectioners sugar
2/3 -1 cup of Crisco (I use store brand shortening)
1/2 cup milk - use more or less for thinner or stiffer icing
1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (I use almond

I thin it down a lot for the crumb coat using 1 cup of shortening. The thickness of the icing also depends on how warm the shortening is and how humid it is outside.

Hope this helps you!

I guess I'll have to try the icing after the fire has died down, because it usually isn't this dry where I live.
Thank you though, I will definitely try it.

mgdqueen: There is only one bakery in town that does wedding cakes
and the church where she is having it is 9-10 minutes away. also if you want 16 servings from a cake, what size would that be?

8" cake yields 15 servings per Earlene's chart.

Also, if you aren't crazy about regular buttercream, try an Italian Meringue. WAY different-no greasy mouth feel, but doesn't crust so in my opinion, way harder to smooth.

Here is my crusting buttercream .To died for!

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 crisco
1 tsp vaillan flavor
1 tsp butter flavor

2 lb powder sugar
1/4 cup water

Its to died for!