So, I got a call last night from a girl who is getting married next Friday, and needs a cake!!! I make the cakes for all catering functions at our local hospital, and the manager there gave her my name. Since I haven't ever made a paid wedding cake, I really want to take the job, but have no idea where to start - pricing, tasting(at such a late date), what to discuss with her (she wants to meet today or tomorrow). I've got no idea what she wants, but shouldn't I be semi-prepared before I meet with her??
Any help greatly appreciated!!

I would suggest that you meet with her just to see what she has in mind for her wedding cake. Once you know what she wants, you can determine for yourself if you can do it in the timeframe given to you. What you can do is give her your base price per slice for your buttercream cakes and for your fondant cakes so that she (and you) can determine the basic cost once she lets you know the # of folks attending the wedding. Once you know the complexity of the cake, you can tell her that you will get back to her within a day of the final cost of the cake. Also, if I were you, when and if you call her to set up the appointment, let her know that you are just meeting her to see what she has in mind and if you can do it; she needs to know that you are only accepting the job if it works within your timeframe.

Geesh, I'd say no tasting! TO ME...... a tasting is for the bride to determine if I can actually bake; it's so she can decide if she LIKES my cake so she can decide IF she wants to have me make her cake. I do not view a sampling as a "oh let's try THIS flavor! Let's try THAT flavor! Let's see if we'd like to try THAT combination!" You do that at Old Navy when you're trying on clothes to figure out what you want to buy. I'm not a cake-fitting-room.

At this late date, it doesnt' sound like she has time to figure out IF she wants you to do the cake. So if she's picked you to do that cake, the purpose of the sampling is void.

Thanks, that's definitely good advice! I'm really nervous, it's easy to get overwhelmed with plans!

Ok, so I spoke with the bride. Small wedding - 30 people. She has seen pics of some of my cakes, and has eaten my cakes as she works at the hospital that I do cakes for. She thinks the icing is a little too sweet. I use 1 lb butter, 1 lb crisco, 2 lbs icing sugar, vanilla, salt, milk. I don't see how I can make the icing any less sweet?? She also wants to stay away from butter/margarine??? So, I think Debi, that I am going to use your recipe for the hospital cake I have this week, and she can try that to see how she likes it?? She also doesn't want any icing that tastes like a supermarket cake???
I think I'm glad that this girl isn't having a huge wedding!!!!

Jane , If she waited up until 1 week before the wedding to get the cake I doubt she is expecting a tasting.. REMEMBER......." LACK OF PLANNING ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART"
Do the cake on your terms.. within the time frame she gives you..

No kidding, you wait until the last minute and you get what the baker you hire makes, not what you special-order! I'd tell her that if she wants a different butterceam formula you'd be glad to figure out a less-sweet one, but she'll incur the "you-expect-me-to-change-my-recipes-at-the-last-minute-becasue-you're-too-much-of-a-slacker-to-order-things-in-a-timely-manner" fee. (maybe you could call it a "special-order" fee )

Also, if she doesn't want icing that tastes like supermarket icing, but she also doesn't want butter, she's probably going to be $%#^@%# out of luck, so don't kill yourself trying to please her, she doesn't know what she means!

If she doesn't want butter and doesn't want grocery store icing I'd ask her what she does want it made out of. I'd also tell her at this late date I don't have time to come up with a new recipe. She probably also wants it for $1.00/serving.

With a week to go before the wedding she's in no position to be telling you your icing is too sweet. Does she want a wedding cake or not? Your icing is what it is -- I don't change my icing recipe for anyone, no matter what the time frame. To the few people who have thought it is "too sweet" or "too rich", I tell them "this is my recipe, it is stable at room temperature and I know how it behaves". That ends the conversation - they can book with me or not book with me.

Please don't knock yourself out testing new recipes for a 30-serving wedding cake for a bride who doesn't know how to plan.

You know what? You guys are absolutely right! It's funny how it takes other people sometimes to make sense of things....She can take my icing, and eat it!

too sweet? IT'S MADE OF SUGAR, YA TWIT!!!

Corn on the cob is too "corn" tasting for me .... can you change that?

I like potatoe chips but can you make them less potatoey?

Luv chicken... but it tastes too much like meat .... can you make it taste more like bubble gum?

Other than that ......!

Debi you are too funny!!

Way too funny! It's true though...

Ok, so just a quick update, I thought I might make some of you smile.. I did a taste test with 4 different frostings on cupcakes, and gave them to the bride (who turned out to be very nice), and to her surprise, she and her fiance both picked the icing that was made with butter! I love it when things like this happen...