Wow! Thanks to you all for the replies.

I guess I need to get a new perspective on it and stop being a softie!

I had a girl come in the other day and wanted a 4 tier cake but did not have the budget for it. SO I suggested a smaller 3 tier cake to stay within the budget and the mom was like, that 6 in tier is just too small. Ok well your budget is too small for a bigger cake.

Ok, when I got married, we had a whopping $600 to work with(10 years ago). Granted, this was my second marriage, but we both were living with monthly bills, car payments, etc. So we knew we had a tight budget. I mention the $600 because even though that's tighter than tight, its what we had to work with at the time.

So it was near xmas time, and all the dresses were on sale. I got a pretty little dress, since i couldn't afford a wedding gown, but it still made me look good. I spent $50 on sale. Mom got me shoes to match.
I found a cake design i liked, and even though i didn't want to, i could only afford grocery cake, but it looked pretty. i dressed up the table a bit, and that was that. we got all kinds of finger foods and such from BJ's, a few bottles of wine and bit of liquor, and we had a GREAT time! Only a few friends witnessed us getting married, but everyone came to the reception, or party if you will. people just came and went all evening, and we had the chance to talk to everyone because we weren't on a "schedule". It wasn't rehearsed, and we could just relax and enjoy our night. it was great.

Ok, so those are just some of the details. The point is, after 9 years, the most memorable and important part of my whole wedding was looking into my husband's eyes and saying I DO.

I wasn't trying to impress all my friends. they're my friends, they already know who i am. They also know what a budget is about. they didn't care, they were there for us, not the food and frills.

It certainly wasn't my dream wedding, but i still have great memories and pictures from that night, and we were happy with what we could have, not what we couldn't.

Now i have my own business doing cakes, and i get brides on budgets all the time. I try the best i can to accommodate their budgets, but sometimes its just not possible, and they understand when i tell them if i cut too low, i go out of business. they thank me for my time, and i thank them for theirs, and they still refer me or come to me for less expensive occasions.

I haven't made an enemy yet that i know of.

I am with Leah. A bride's budget is not my business or problem. My cakes are probably some of the most expensive in this area but they are for a reason. I make them with quality ingredients and they taste terrific - I don't skimp on quality. I do not do "kitchen cakes" or dummy cakes. If they can't afford my cakes I am sorry but I will not work for cheap for anyone. Cakes take a lot of time, effort, equipment, etc to make.

I agree with cutting the uber expensive drinks/kegs/open bar. (could be because I am a tee totaler!) but when I hear that brides are paying $7-10 per person for drinks and then want to know why their cake cost $3.75 per person and that is HIGH (LOL) I don't have alot of sympathy. It takes 2 seconds to pour someone a beer or a margarita out of a machine. It took me all night to make that wedding cake!

A bride needs to decide what is MOST important to her...is it the dress, cake, food, drinks, photography, DJ? Put the money there and suck up on the other stuff. One of my brides mom just told me she spent $31,000 (not a typo) on the wedding - but $10,000 of that was videography and photography. She said that was what was important to her as that is what they would have left to remember this event. They spent nearly $900 on cakes. They had appetizers instead of a sit down dinner - the money went to what was important to them. They had a great time and were thrilled with the cakes and everything else. They were a pleasure to work with and didn't ask me to take less so they could pay another vendor more!!! She got the cakes she wanted and I got the price I wanted...we were both happy!

ok, I just have to put my perspective in.

My thing is...if you want a certain cake and are not willing to budge on it, then you have to be prepared to pay for it. No, I won't lower my prices but yes, I will work with you to choose a design that you can afford.

I get sick of brides coming for a consult, telling me what they want, me working up a price for it and then they say to me, I can't afford that. I then tell them I will work with them, and then when I suggest less expensive option, they say, "but I want that cake...and you said you'd work with me"....honey I am working with you....I'm not going to lower my price just because you can't afford it.

The other thing with me is that yes, I will make kitchen cakes but I make them the same the real cake so no lower price. I, for one would know if someone gave me a piece of cake that is one layer and someone else got a two layer piece. I think it's only fair that if you invite someone to your wedding, they deserve the same cake, food, treatment as everyone else.

I have also had to put in my contract how no other cakes will be brought in to supplement. I had just finished putting a cake together once and the bride's family walks in with sheet cakes from the local grocery store. I know for a fact that that the store uses frozen cakes and they are dry, nasty cakes. I don't want anyone to think I made that cake!!!

OK, I'm done venting.....it all comes down to.....yes, I will make sheet cakes but I make them the same as the wedding cake so none of their guests feel slighted...and they are priced the same.

Kris

Has anyone seen this article? http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articletkt.aspx?cp-documentid=18728080&page=2

I love that they budget $500 for music and then suggest paying half that for a simple round for cutting and cupcakes for serving. So your guests can listen to some crappy DJ while they eat crappy cupcakes. PERFECT!

Uh... maybe I'm just cheap (but isn't that the point of the article anyway. I made a reception CD on my computer with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney (you get the picture) from music I ALREADY owned. It had about 2 hours worth of music on it and cost me less than $50 if you count the cost of buying the original CDs.

bride on

We paid for our own wedding at 18K. My MIL contributed $1200 & I was very grateful for that. The problem came when she felt all her siblings (which we did invite) & all their kids who also had kids should be invited (which we did not invite). This was a major issue & a major stress that she only seemed to want to come to me about. Finally, my husband said, "fine we'll invite them. I need $75 for every person you want us to invite extra for your siblings". She said"Why? Thats a lot of money". He said,"They need to eat don't they? They need a table, a chair, a plate, & everything else they get at a wedding don't they. Well thats what it'll all cost for each person who comes". She never mentioned it again. We didn't have a lot of people at the wedding for that price tag, BUT we had exactly what we wanted, beautiful orchids everywhere, great photographer, to a cigar bar. Why? Cause we cut back on our guest list!!! And I spared no expense on our wedding cake or groom's cake either.

I am now issuing the royal proclamation regarding cakes and budgets...

Ahem *climbs up on soapbox*

YOU EITHER HAVE A CAKE THAT WORKS WITH YOUR BUDGET OR A BUDGET THAT WORKS WITH YOUR CAKE!!

I was just recently asked to make a 3 tier wedding cake and grooms cake for someone that I go to church with.

We agreed on a 8". 10" and 12". The grooms cake will be probably 12x18 letter J.

Simple cake with white buttercream icing and black ribbon on it. I quoted $150.00 which I thought was very reasonable, about $1.00 a serving. I will have to purchase a SPS and the ribbon and deliver it to the outdoor wedding and she wants me to cut it up.

Now, when I quoted what I thought was a fair price, she blanched. Said that they were on a "budget". I told her that that was fine that she could check around and if she found it cheaper it wouldn't hurt my feelings, she then said no, that's allright.

Did I overcharge or do you think this is fair? I live in a fairly small community outside of OKC.
Thanks for any input,


Vicki

I think you ripped yourself off big time! I'm not trying to be harsh & I know your area may have a less expensive price point, not only is she gettting a great sized 3-tiered cake, she's getting a groom's cake AND your cutting up the cake. Can I hire you for cakes & service & resell them? I would love my $350 profit I would make & I wouldn't have to do a thing.

One more thing, I think she was trying to beat you in the head even more, that's why she acted like you charged too much, but knew she was all ready getting over. Why do you think she said no when you suggested that she could look somewhere else for something cheaper. She knows there is no cheaper, not even at Wal_mart.

VS8894...I'm choking here. Tell me that wasn't 150 for a THREE tier AND a groom's cake???? If so...tsk tsk tsk. I would haves tsk tsk tsked you for the bride's cake alone, but wow. And now you will be out another $20 for the SPS.

VS8894, Walmart won't even make THAT cake for $150. And this is for the groom's cake too AND you have to go and cut it??? You know what I would do...run.

What do I suggest for brides on a budget?....Walmart. No one can make a cheaper cake, certainly not me.

What is a SPS? Thanks.

Vicki, I think you've let yourself be taken advantage of. That's a good 165 servings of cake if the 12x18 is two layers. At $3/serving, which is low compared to some areas of the country, that's $495 and that doesn't include the SPS, other supplies and delivery.

Even at $2/slice, which is highway robbery, it'd be $330. Unless you just want to give this bride a gift, I think you should go back to her and tell her after pricing out your supplies and time, you need to re-quote your price at $350. She won't get that much cake for less than that no matter where you live. She should shop around if she thinks that's too much.

You do very nice work. Don't rob yourself to make her happy.

Thank you everyone for replies. Now I don't feel bad. I am new to this, and I am learning. Everyone tells me I don't charge enough. I really wanted to get my supplies and make a little off of this, since it is my first wedding cake.

But I wasn't sure what price I should of charged her, so you gave me some good ideas.

I am going to stay with the price, but now I know I definitely didn't overcharge her! lol

I did tell her that the price of everything has gone up and that I do not want to go in the hole over this and I had to order supplies to support the cake to get it to the park, so maybe she will check around and see that I gave her a very good price.

This will also be my gift, we are not close, but I am sure she would expect one.

Thanks again,

Sometimes we need to hear what a goof ball we are!

Vicki

Every bride I've had a consultation with this year has said that she's "on a budget" or "wants to keep it simple." It's a sign of the times, I guess. I charge less for a sheet cake than a tiered cake. For me it's all about my time. I can whip out a sheet cake in no time, but a tiered cake takes time. I suggest a smaller tiered cake to cut and for photos, and then sheet cakes for the kitchen. I let them know up front that elaborate costs, though, so your small tiered cake could cost a fortune if you want to go elaborate.