I have been contracted to do my very first wedding cake. But I have a problem with the bride. She originally contracted me to do a cake for 100 people. She sent me the picture below and stated that was the cake she wanted. No problems there.....

Well, I just received an email from her wanting to do the SAME wedding cake.... but she only wants it to feed 50 people. I don't see how I can make this cake for only 50 people. The only thing I can come up with is to do two layers fake and make the bottom layer a 14 inch.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Other than making the cake A LOT smaller.... I can't think of anything else.

TIA!!!

even if you do dummies...that's NOT going to cut the cost all that much..

there's the cost of the dummies (same or more as cake)
the cost of icing (same as real cake)
cost of your time (same again)

point out to her that cutting the servings to 50 and insisting on same cake design using dummies will cost the same (if not more!)

if you did a real 10/8/6 and she kept the top tier for anniversary (yuck) it be 62 servings according to Wilton

or if you go by Earlene's chart it would take all three to make 53 servings

Make the cake a 3, 6, and 9. It serves approximately 48 people. I make this configuration all the time...mostly as shower cakes but once as a wedding cake and I will be making it as a groom's cake soon. It has the proper proportions of a wedding cake but is small!!



You can check them out on my website. They are on the bridal page....a little white cake with black accents and a "B" on top. There are several on the celebration page and on the baby shower page. Hope this helps.

sorry ... the one on my bridal page is not on there any more. Here is a link to it on CC

There are 7 of them on the celebration page - the little 3" is often a mushroom shaped cake, a cupcake or even a graduation cap!


http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1159608

Good luck to you. This is a beautiful cake and i think it won't do justice if yo make it too small. Agree with the cost won't be cheaper if you do dummies, but seems like the brid is a bit stinchy.

Hope you can work out something.

First, you tell her that the price won't be able to change because of the time involved with the design so you're properly compensated for your time here... This is why sometimes it pays to get away from the "per slice" rates when it comes to smaller weddings because there is the value of your time. It is going to take just as much time to put that design on a cake to serve 100 as it will a cake to serve 25. That's something to make sure of in your pricing for future orders.

It doesn't sound like the bride is being a "Bridezilla" to me here compared to a lot of the other horror stories we've all dealt with from time to time. Just sounds like her RSVP count isn't nearly what she anticipated it was going to be. Most brides don't plan for this, so when you get that initial count, plan that it's going to be on the high end of the spectrum and flat out ask "is this the number invited or is this the number expected to attend?" Then if it's a small wedding you can go over things like a minimum order amount (what it costs you for your time to turn on the ovens and fill them)..

O.k. what I'd do... is... Mind you my slice sizes are "realistic slices" (I don't use wedding or party slices).. I would do a 12", 8", 4" or 12", 9", 6"... That way it's scaled down but you still get enough servings without worry (I err on the high side because I've been that guest at not one, but FOUR weddings that they ran out of cake JUST before our table got served GRRRR! ). Just think, this cake can be done with a 4,3,2 and achieve the same proportions as the larger cake can.

Also, cake dummies are going to cost you just as much if not more than doing the cake real, so save them strictly for situations that THEY are paying the extra but don't want extra cake to the extent that they want a big cake in their photographs. By the time you've paid for the shipping, icing, decorating time, etc. that dummy is going to cost just as much if not more than the real cake would have cost you to make. Time is money!!!

This cake can easily be done in a different size, just tell the bride "No Problem with serving 50 for $$$ in this design" and don't fret. This is an easy request compared to "The cake to serve 100 has now become 500, and the bride only wants to pay the original price for the 100 servings" that some others have had to deal with!!

I've learned a lot from this reply. It makes a lot of sense.

Would any of you be worried she's ordering a sheet cake somewhere else?

I had a bride call me wanting a cake for 50 when the wedding was going to have 150 people at it. I couldn't understand why she wanted so little. She mentioned she didn't think everyone would eat it, I said, ok, but I wouldn't go less than half. It seemed like she was hiding something. Well, it came out in the end when she said, "We're going to have a sheet cake anyway. We're just going to buy a sheet cake from Costco and cut it up in the back. Who will know the frickin difference?" So I told her I could make her a sheet cake. She didn't want me to, so I didn't take the order. I didn't want my name on a piece of crap sheet cake I didn't even make.

people do funny things to "cut" on the cost. I had a bride wanting 40 mini cakes with a topper cake. But there will only be 30 guests, but when she got the quote, she said it is too much for her buget. So it is cut down to 30, which i don't really mind as mini cakes is a lot of work. But yes i hate it if they come cheap.
My friend is really rediculously cheap with her prices and when a client say they will come back and when they do, she don't take the order. I mean how cheap can you get if you still want it cheaper as she does it.

I also agree with Doug 10/8/6 would be great for this. Just make sure it's clear how big the pieces should be cut.

Good luck it's a lovely cake. Make sure you post the pictures for us all to see.

Thank you ALL for your replies. This is the fourth change to this cake. She has changed everything from colors to flavors to sizes.

I failed to mention in the original post that she does NOT want to sacrifice the size of the cake. And she is wanting to use a Silver Cake Stand that is 14 inches.

This is her second wedding, and she has stated on numerous occasions that if it were not for the groom she wouldn't be having a wedding to begin with. She wants the wedding cake to serve 50 and the grooms cake to serve 25. As she only invited 75 guests.

I just got another email stating that she is now wanting to change the flavors AGAIN. I'm not sure that weddings are going to be my forte.

Girl, she is turning into a Bridezilla. It does not make sense to keep the size but it must be for less people, so it is simply because of the money, my opnion.

I deal with these ladies everyday. They are the bane of our existance. I love thier cost cutting ideas. I had one lady throw a book at me because my wedding cupcakes cost the same as my wedding cakes. Hey a serving of cake is a serving of cake. I usually convince them to serve the top of their cake and come back in a year and I'll make you new one for 25 bucks. I love my job, but sometimes people are very unrealistic. It's a spatula not a magic wand!!!!!

If she wants that size fine, but I'd still be charging her for the number of servings that size will feed. They can cut it in huge chunks for 50 people for all I care but they'll pay for all the servings no matter what. It's laughable when a person looks at a cake that costs more than they want to pay and then thinks "well if I only want to feed half that many guests it should cost half as much, right?" WRONG! I haven't used dummies but the ones I've priced sure cost more than a cake I'd make of the same size.

With one wedding I finally had to let the bride know there would be no more changes. I was planning long distance and her super simple cake was changing almost daily. It was my niece and I had to say "one more change and I'll quote you my per serving charge". It was such a headache. Weddings aren't my favorite.

Well, if she doesn't want to change the size of the cake that is her choice but cake is cake and I don't work for cheap or for free. I don't mind making a smaller cake - but the price is the same per slice and I do have a minimum order amount for weddings too.

This cake would look great in a 6, 9, 12 or a 5, 8, 11. If she wants it to stay that size she needs to pony up the $$. As for dummies, it actually cost about the same or more to do little dummies as it does to do little cakes so there is NO cost difference for me. If they truly wanted the dummy it will cost the same as the decorating is the exact same cake.

Good luck - it is a beautiful cake!

I can't believe the nerve people have. I can honestly say that I haven't been such a bride or bridezilla. I chose to have Sweetiepies and did all myself. LOL.

You guys make me think if i want to enter the wedding cake market. But I have given a lot of quotes and nobody wants to pay my price and i am not expensive as far as I'm conserned. I always Meassure my prices to the professional name places.

Hey Ellistwins...Don't let a few bad apples frighten you away from doing weddings. The vast majority of the brides I've worked with have been really nice and respectful of my time and professionalism. I truly enjoy meeting most of them and have even developed friendships with a few.

I think there will always be brides out there trying to get more for less, that's okay. They'll just have to get it from someone else.

The funny thing is, I almost always do more than the client asks for, especially when they have been nice and seem to really appreciate my work. When a client pushes for a champagne cake at a beer price, I only give them what they've paid for. I resent giving them extras when they don't seem to value my time.