How Can I Tell This Bride Her Budget Is Way Off?
Decorating By ShopGrl1128 Updated 14 Apr 2008 , 11:07pm by funcakes
I tried to help this bride, but delivery fee alone is $45.00 (the place is 45 miles from my home, so I'm underpricing here already).
So that leaves my with only $155.00 to make a cake for 135 people...not possible, not even if I make all sheet cakes.
I'm tellin' ya ... sometimes you just have to lay it out for them.
"Honey for $1.15 a person (135 servings for $155), that's barely enough money to buy each of your guests a Twinkie."
Put it in an image they can understand. If they pull the "it's just cake" deal .... send 'em to Walmart, Aisle 8, and have 'em knock themselves out.
cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle cakemuggle!
I love that...
ahem, ok, I've composed myself.
It seems to me that as a business person, you tell the bride that you charge x amount per slice. (period) Her $200 budget would give her x slices. (period) When she suggests the wal-mart sheet cake, tell her about your "no other cakes" rule in your contract. If she agrees to everything and you deliver a cake and find walmart cakes- turn around with your cake and leave. She broke the contract, so you do not have to fulfill your end of the contract.
You have to remember that this is a business. I can't walk into a Ferrarri dealer and say "well, I only have $50, but I still want a really nice car..." Or go in there saying I want to buy a $50 Ferrarri logo to put on my Dodge- nobody will know the difference anyway... 
LOL I think there is and you just did in Cake Muggle. I love the term. Cake muggle cake muggle cake muggle.
Think it will catch on??
I think it already has for some of us 
Indydebi's term is good too (especially for non-HP fans).
Anyway, I hope this bride comes to her senses or she's going to end up with a Wal-mart cake on one of the biggest days of her life. 
Cakemuggle Cakemuggle Cakemuggle Cakemuggle Cakemuggle Cakemuggle!!! heheheheeeeee! I like that one too!!
I hope it does catch on!!!
You have to remember that this is a business. I can't walk into a Ferrarri dealer and say "well, I only have $50, but I still want a really nice car..." Or go in there saying I want to buy a $50 Ferrarri logo to put on my Dodge- nobody will know the difference anyway...
THAT is freakin hilarious! The reality is that this is exactly what she is asking you to do. Excellent comparison. I couldn't have said it better myself!
As a person who has just started decorating the first time I saw prices of $3 and up per slice from some of the bakers around here I thought that was super expensive but reading this thread has really put it in perspective for me.
I never really thought about the fact that you pay $4-$5 for desserts at really nice restaurants and essentially these beautifully decorated cakes are just that, a dessert from a really good chef. Or the analogy of buying all her guests a happy meal for $1.15... not going to happen.
Tell her if she wants quality she will have to pay for it and that may mean she has to adjust her budget. If she wants a cake from you it will be X amount for 135 people. But also tell her for the $200 she has in her budget for a cake she can buy a cake that after the delivery fee will feed X number of people. Otherwise you can't help her. Lay it out for her. It worked for me to relate it to buying desserts at a restaurant. Maybe that is what she needs to hear.
Let her deliver the cake herself or have a family member come pick it up. That is, if you do that. That would save her $45. That would get her a few extra slices... Hopefully she doesn't ruin it.
I hope it works out. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down. If she doesn't want to pay for quality, let her go to the grocery store... I hear they make nice cakes... HAHA! 
Wow, I guess I must have got a major deal for my wedding cake then. Two years ago, I paid $150 for a 3 tier wedding cake to feed between 200-300 people (at first the estimate was 300 but we cut it down to 200 after the RSVP counts came back), a grooms cake, and delivery to our reception area 45 miles away.
I was a bride who had a small budget for the wedding. I wanted a nice wedding for the amount of people we invited but we couldn't afford to spend $1000s for a cake and all of the other expenses involved. That didn't mean I had a "happy meal" or "twinkie" budget. We had a DJ, but he was the cheapest in town as he did it on the side.
I just think it all depends on your location. Where we lived, it was low COL and therefore we were able to get a cake in that range. Now that I'm on the cake decorating side I can see how it is time consuming and expensive to bake a cake, but I also see the other side of it too.
I have to admit that I'm a sucker too...but I also have to admit that I can afford to be a sucker because I don't make cakes all the time. So I'm willing to take less money so that I can gain practice on a decorating technique that I haven't done lately. Of course I have vowed not to do wedding cakes! Pun intended!!! heheheee
I had wedding cake sticker shock when I got married and I thought about doing cupcakes (thinking it might be cheaper) and a small cake to save for the anniversary. Well, the "cupcake-in-place-of-a-traditional-wedding-cake" was still a very new idea and not well practiced in my neck of the woods at the time and one baker actually thought I meant like the Hostess Chocolate cupcakes with the American cheese-like slice of chocolate and the white curly-Q swirls on the top!! You know, the kind that comes two to a pack!!! Despite sticker shock, I was the bride that designed her own simple (and I do mean simple in decoration...I believe in the less-is-more, simple elegance philosophy LOL!) cake and asked bakers to provide a cost to feed 100; if they were more than I wanted to spend, I said so (can't sprout money in my backyard!) Most ended up being around my budget. But I thought if I could save a few bucks doing cupcakes AND be unique...well, all the better!! Most bakers seemed kinda reluctant to even sign up to do the cupcakes...I got a quote from one and then the one who thought I was joking and wanted Hostess'!! Obviously I went with a traditional cake to save myself the headache...besides everyone wasn't enthralled with the novelty of the idea like me!!! LOL!!!
So maybe you really should suggest Hostess' cupcakes to the bride instead of Twinkies...it's classier, and now it seems the cupcake-instead-of-cake idea has gained popularity! LMAO!!!
Yup, me too. We had a very good and talented member of our congregation make our cake. she charged us $300.00 for it and we gave her a $200.00 tip. That was 11 years ago. We had it pot luck style and had another friend DJ it for us. We didn't even have a pro photographer! All candids. Here's a picture: Hopefully it loads ok! All hand made gum paste flowers. I wish I could remember what it tasted like! We took the top tier home to "freeze", but my new hubby decided to eat it that night! LOL ...the only bite I had was the one he fed me at the reception! 
As a person who has just started decorating the first time I saw prices of $3 and up per slice from some of the bakers around here I thought that was super expensive but reading this thread has really put it in perspective for me.
I went thru the same thing, when I joined this site about 1.5 years ago. I saw what CC'ers were getting for cakes and my jaw dropped to the floor. Fortunately, I took the attitude of "If THEY can do it, *I* can do it!" 
Then she emails back...asking me to make a 'fake cake' that looks like would fee 135 people and listen to this...she would get sheet cakes from the supermarket to serve, because she realized 'guesses were not that wise'...
Yeah...I will have people judge MY cakes by eating supermarket cakes.... no f#$% way!!!
C'mon, CakeGrlPA, you know 'guesses were not that wise'!!! They'll never notice that the dummy cake is totally intact, but yet they're eating cake!!!
Besides, as long as you have the "Inebriation Clause" in your contract, you're covered!!! Oh....don't know about the "Inebriation Clause"??
Here's the wording from my contract:
"Cakes by other bakers will not be permitted unless bride is offering an open bar and can guarantee the guests will be drunk off their a$$es when consuming cakes, therefore rendering flavor or quality indistinguishable."
I suggest y'all get right on adding that clause to your contracts!!! Especially if you're looking to break into the untapped market share of cheap brides who want to fool their guests with a dummy wedding cake while feeding them store-bought dry cake crap!! See, with the "Inebriation Clause", it covers your behind should one of the guests consume some of the dummy cake thinking it was real cake....considering the styrofoam and store-bought dry cake crap will probably taste about the same!!!! LMAO!!!!!!!!!
HA HA HA!! Sorry...I'm just in *that* kind of mood tonight!!!
I would just tell her there is no way & that you're delivery prices may go up (since gas is going out the roof!). I would recommend 1) a local grocery store 2) walmart 3) sam's/costco 4) doing it herself or asking a family member to do it 5) ask them if they've asked the caterer, dj, florist, site rental, etc to come down on their cost? 6) Tell her you could charge by hour if that would be better.... you're going rate $20/hr (this includes prep, baking time, cleanup, icing, decorating, more cleanup, stacking, delivering & returning & you could throw in utilities)
I'm not selling until I'm licensed, but I swear I'll be bull headed & if that doesn't work. I'll refer them to my boss---my dh. Then they'd really feel dumb. Ooooh I get so pissed that people don't get it
5) ask them if they've asked the caterer, dj, florist, site rental, etc to come down on their cost?
A tactic I learned a long time ago. Don't ask 'Did you ask the other vendors to come down?'
DO ask, "How much did the (other vendors) come down?"
Never ask yes or no questions. Always ask open ended questions. You get more info that way.
Ask the question in a way that assumes she is asking EVERYONE. If she has to confess that she didn't ask them or that they didn't come down, then I get to look "shocked and surprised" that (a) how come you're asking me and you're not asking everyone else? (b) how come no one else came down but you expect ME to come down?
I gave away a wedding cake this weekend. To my friends. I missed the wedding in vegas so it was my pleasure to give them a cake. And they mad appreciated it. But they were told to not say how much they paid or no Anniversary cake!!!!! I just don't think people understand how hard it is to make a cake. Or the time it takes to learn to do all of this. Our expereince is worth a lot too, don't ya'll think? I mean if it was so easy everyone would be able to do it!!! Some people!! LOL!!!!
I know what I am about to say might sound blasphemous but... A WEDDING CAKE IS NOT A NECESSITY!
If I were selling milk to a mother who could not afford groceries for her family I would have sympathy but almost everything at a wedding (except for the loving commitment and family support) is a self centered expression of pride and gluttony.
I do not feel sorry for a bride that can't afford an extravagant wedding cake.
There are plenty of alternatives for wedding cakes to suit every budget, you may not be her option of choice if she can't afford you and that is A-OK!
By the way I really do love cake, but letâs keep it real, itâs just cake.
I thought I should add this thought... there are things in the consumer world that are priced high so that we will perceive them as valuable. Most people will perceive a cheap cake as just that, cheap. If your cake is worth what you sell it for then there is no reason to offer her a discount.
Rolex wouldn't give you a discount just because you asked for one.
i actually agree with you. all your points. 
I have to say that I've been lucky to this point, having brides-to-be (and customers in general) that didn't bat an eye at my prices.
Until this week....it finally happened <sigh>.
A coworker of mine approached me about doing a small, elegant wedding cake for her reception in September. I asked her how many guests are invited, and she said it, "well..150. But the cake's only for the bridal party. We're getting those YUMMY Costco cakes to feed everyone else, because we're on a tight budget."
Hmmm....funny, that happens to be my birthday month, and I've made travel plans, and won't be able to do her cake. Darn the bad luck!
(Is that awful??)
I'm not going to budge on not sharing credit w/ another bakery for the sake of her budget woes.
Neither should you!!
so its actually a little more than getting a freshly baked, nicely decorated cake. hmmm.... I know what I am about to say might sound blasphemous but... A WEDDING CAKE IS NOT A NECESSITY!
If I were selling milk to a mother who could not afford groceries for her family I would have sympathy
Yes...Yes...Yes!!! A wedding cake, especially a custom-made high-end cake, is a privilege, not a right. If you can't afford it, then either invite less people or have a picnic in your back yard.
I LOVE CAKE MUGGLE, CAKE MUGGLE, CAKE MUGGLE! Ok I am done now.
To share my own little story, I had a friend of a friend ask me to make a wedding cake for 250 people. She wanted it covered in fondant, with ribbon, and fresh flowers, that she would be bringing to me. She wanted me to make a modest 3 tiered cake, and have me also make 2 or 3 sheet cakes to go along with, to make up the rest of the servings.
I quoted her $600 for the whole shebang, including delivery which was about an hour away. $600 is NOTHING to feed 250 people cake! When I sent her the quote, I didnt hear anything from her for about 2 weeks. I guess in that time she was pricing other people. She emailed me back this week and asked why my quote was so high, that she actually just wanted a 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch stack, and the just 2 or 3 sheet cakes to fill in the rest, so by her calculation that should be $20-$25 apiece for the sheet cakes. The tiered cake would only be about 55 servings, and that at my $2.25 per serving would only be about $125, so really the whole wedding cake thing should cost less than $300.
I about died laughing! I mean who the the heck haggles about their wedding? My price sheet doesnt come with a 'prices negoitable' stamp on it! I am not a car dealership! You CANNOT haggle with me once I have made a quote! Plus where does she get off telling me how much I should charge?!?!? 
I 'lost' her email address.
I read this situation here, and on other forums, almost every day.
I think that all of you pros should post the following message on your websites:
"We do not take orders for cakes over (you choose the number of servings or dollar amount) via telephone or e-mail. Cakes over that amount require a consultation and deposit paid at the time of booking the order, with no exceptions. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
If they still try to order those ways, refer them to where the message is disclosed on your homepage.
Theresa
I am not a professional decorator and only do it for friends but you are a professional and should be treated as such.
Sure when I got married I had grand dreams of the cake, reception, dress, etc but then I looked at my budget. So I dropped who I was inviting to a small amount of select people and had the wedding I wanted but for a smaller amount. I found that reducing the amount of guests saved more money than anything else as it also dropped the catering fee. I agree that it is her special day and she has dreams of how it should be done but at the same time if her budget won't support it then she needs to take a hard look at her wedding but to expect you to come down in price is horrible.
By the way bakeries here go for 3.50 to 4 dollars a slice MINIMUM and there is NO negotiation.
Bunniefluf is my favorite! LOL I must use this please?
Then she emails back...asking me to make a 'fake cake' that looks like would fee 135 people and listen to this...she would get sheet cakes from the supermarket to serve, because she realized 'guesses were not that wise'...
Yeah...I will have people judge MY cakes by eating supermarket cakes.... no f#$% way!!!
C'mon, CakeGrlPA, you know 'guesses were not that wise'!!!
They'll never notice that the dummy cake is totally intact, but yet they're eating cake!!! Besides, as long as you have the "Inebriation Clause" in your contract, you're covered!!! Oh....don't know about the "Inebriation Clause"??
Here's the wording from my contract:
"Cakes by other bakers will not be permitted unless bride is offering an open bar and can guarantee the guests will be drunk off their a$$es when consuming cakes, therefore rendering flavor or quality indistinguishable."
I suggest y'all get right on adding that clause to your contracts!!! Especially if you're looking to break into the untapped market share of cheap brides who want to fool their guests with a dummy wedding cake while feeding them store-bought dry cake crap!! See, with the "Inebriation Clause", it covers your behind should one of the guests consume some of the dummy cake thinking it was real cake....considering the styrofoam and store-bought dry cake crap will probably taste about the same!!!!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!HA HA HA!! Sorry...I'm just in *that* kind of mood tonight!!!
Bunniefluf is my favorite! LOL I must use this please?
Then she emails back...asking me to make a 'fake cake' that looks like would fee 135 people and listen to this...she would get sheet cakes from the supermarket to serve, because she realized 'guesses were not that wise'...
Yeah...I will have people judge MY cakes by eating supermarket cakes.... no f#$% way!!!
C'mon, CakeGrlPA, you know 'guesses were not that wise'!!!
They'll never notice that the dummy cake is totally intact, but yet they're eating cake!!! Besides, as long as you have the "Inebriation Clause" in your contract, you're covered!!! Oh....don't know about the "Inebriation Clause"??
Here's the wording from my contract:
"Cakes by other bakers will not be permitted unless bride is offering an open bar and can guarantee the guests will be drunk off their a$$es when consuming cakes, therefore rendering flavor or quality indistinguishable."
I suggest y'all get right on adding that clause to your contracts!!! Especially if you're looking to break into the untapped market share of cheap brides who want to fool their guests with a dummy wedding cake while feeding them store-bought dry cake crap!! See, with the "Inebriation Clause", it covers your behind should one of the guests consume some of the dummy cake thinking it was real cake....considering the styrofoam and store-bought dry cake crap will probably taste about the same!!!!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!HA HA HA!! Sorry...I'm just in *that* kind of mood tonight!!!
I would love to be able to add that clause.
When I was telling my b/f I couldn't do this cake with that amount of money, he said "well...tell her to go to Walmart, they sell cupcakes for $4.88/dozen".
This topic never ever ceases to amaze me. I made my first wedding cake for pay this past October. I was kind of liberal with the price since it was my first wedding cake. I saw it as an opportunity to gain experience and to broaden my supply base so didnt really set a high profit margin for myself. The cake was to feed 125 people round, with edible pearls. I priced the cake at 1.85 per serving and the grooms cake was a sheet cake
with an Atlanta Falcons logo on it for $50. The total was 286.80. After I looked at my work and all the time I put in I realized that I cheated myself MAJORLY even if it was my first wedding cake for pay!!! I told myself that I would never ever undercut my work again. Shortly after a co-worker was referred to me for her wedding cake. She saw my work and decided to have a consultation with me. She was having a beach theme wedding and wanted a cake with seashells and pearls. I quoted her a price of 2.25 per serving for 85 servings of cake. During the consult, she told me that relatives and family members were helping to pay for the wedding. This was a red flag for me as well. I asked what venue she had chosen for the reception, she told me a place called the BoatHouse. The BoatHouse rents for $800.00!!! She also told me her cousins husband was a caterer and he had quoted her a price of $800.00 for about 80 people and I could tell she thought that was too much as well. Well needless to say, she contacted me about 2 weeks later and told me she decided to go with someone else for the cake and hoped I wasnt upset. I told her absolutely not! If I had consulted with her prior to the October cake, my normally soft heart would have lowered the price just to help her out! I decided my cakes are not 'slap and sells' and derserve to be priced as such. I am attaching a copy of the October cake so that you can see the work I put into that cake. I have NO problem telling a bride no now!
The PrettyCakeLady.
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