Can You Believe Some People!! Long
Decorating By tdybear1978 Updated 2 Sep 2008 , 12:55am by Melvira
OKAY, so I am absolutely exhausted. I have now been up for about 32 hours straight. So, let me set the mood for those of you choosing to read this. It is about 4pm now and here I am exhausted and finishing my last wedding cake of the day - a 5 tier square cake that for some crazy reason I choose to transport fully assembled. I have apparantly gotten very brave since I have started using sugarshacks method for stacking (which is awesome by the way). Anyways, so here I am driving down the highway with the monster in the back shaking every which way, cause lets face it Oklahoma really does not have a smooth road anywhere. So here we are jiggling all down the road and me pretty much peeing in my pants for like 20 minutes straight (and this really should have been only about a 10 minute drive). So I FINALLY get to my destination and I am told that I can not come thru the front entrance (even though there is no one there except for the people who are setting up for this wedding reception but okay whatever), so they point me around to the service entrance. So I drive my van over there and start to get my stuff situated in the car so I can pick up my monster. Let me really give you an idea of what happens next. I am 5'4, I pick up this 5-tier, 500pound cake and walk over to the "entrance" where the man is standing saying I need to come in here. I am now standing at a "step" that is as high as my waist 
are you serious, there is no way that I will be able to hoist my butt and this cake up there. So I have to set the cake onto the "step" and then put my knee up there and pull myself up just to get to another "step" which turns out to be a lift to take us up to the next level. OH MY GOSH. So here I am on my knees bracing the cake drum while this man jolts us up a level only to realise - HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO GET THIS OFF THE FLOOR AND ALSO GET TO MY FEET? So the man has to help grab a couple of the corners while I try to steady myself to my feet. WHEWWW so we make it and here I am standing here holding this cake waiting for the elevator to take us to the floor and we apparantly got the slowest elevator known to man as I am fairly certain that I was standing there holding my 500lb cake for like 20 minutes 
we finally get off the elevator and I am thinking OH THANK GOD I get to put this thing down - well yeah in like 3 miles which is where the cake table is set up. I think it was as far away from where I was as it could have possibly been. So here I go on my hike dodging thru tables, chairs and linens sweating like an absolute pig (as it is about 98 degrees here today) and then I arrive and put the monster down with a sigh of relief and my arms fall to my sides like noodles. Take a few deep breaths and then start to put the finishing touches on it and notice in the back a big gash of some kind which I think is from the man who "helped" me, his badge that was waiving around. Oh well, that was why I had him grab that side
"just in case"
So, if you have stuck with me this far - I made it, I am back at my store, my arms are KILLING me and after hoisting my a$$ up that "entrance" I feel like I might need to go on a diet. And I have just cancelled my floor guy from coming in to clean my floors because I don't think I have the strength to pick things up to even find floors for him to clean. I am going home now to take a muscle relaxer and go to bed. Love you guys
Well, maybt it is a good thing you did the cake as one piece. Can you imagine going back and forth if you did the tiers seperately, and had to go back and forth till you had all the tiers?
How in the world can you carry a 5 tier cake all by yourself? I couldn't even carry the bottom layer (a 16" square) by myself. You deserve a medal. I went to set up a wedding cake a few weeks ago and they wanted me to bring the cake down this long, curving handicap ramp. I laughed and said I don't think so, and then proceed to park halfway on their lawn and bring the cake directly into the hall from a much closer entrance. When they protested, I basically didn't give them a choice. It was either I unload at the closest door or they can explain to the bride why the cake wasn't set up.
I had noodle arms from just carrying a 2-tier cake once! Geesh, lady, when you work out, do you dead lift like 1000 lbs at the gym! 
But that's why I tell my kids I don't HAVE to spend money for a gym membership ... I'm a caterer .... I get my workout every single day (she said, as she slung yet another 50# bag of flour into storage!).
I find it freakin' amazing that when places build a nice reception facility, they put zero thought into how the vendors are going to get heir stuff in there!
yeah, I just could not believe it. The whole time I was looking at these people like "YOU HAVE LOST YOUR FREAKIN MINDS"
taxnerd, not to take away from my gift of strength haha the cake was a 12x10x8x6x4. If it were any bigger on bottom then that, I would not be able to lift it. I had that a few weeks ago and had to bring hubby along. Although, I do have a lot of instances where hubby seems useless in picking things up so maybe I am just CRAZY strong lol
Glad to hear that it all worked out, that sure was a workout! Are there pics?
ooh you poor thing!! I can totally empathize, I had a very similar experience once.. I don't know want to jack your thread, but good for you for finishing it up! You should also call the catering hall manager and say something about it...
Next time you deliver to that location make sure to charge a BIG FAT delivery fee for the total PITA that place is!!
I would LOVE to see a picture.
I will post a pic probably on monday after I get them downloaded off the camera. Could not get a very good pic because there was a window right behind the cake and it was causing a glare. But I will get one up here for ya'll
Ok, you simply CANNOT do that to me!! I was chewing my nails, my stomach was in knots, I was sweating bullets! I was just waiting to read that it crashed to the floor, or someone kicked it, or SOMETHING!! I was dying until I read that you got it there ok!! PHEW!! *deep sigh*
Poor thing! Even tho it takes longer, I always go scout the table before I grab the cake at all. I take all my junk with me during that trip.
Yeah, I do that too.
Me too. I go in, announce "Cake Lady is here! Where's my table?" and ask what's the best door for me to use that has no stairs and the fewest number of steps?
I generally also scope out the table first. But I was worried about leaving the cake in the car very long as it was around 100 degrees and I did not feel comfortable leaving the car running while I went it as I knew I would be going up an elevator and would not be able to see it. Although, my "helper" man told me it was just inside the door. He apparantly did not know anything either. Will plan much better in the future when carrying something so heavy
I'm so glad you made it safe! All while reading your story my mind kept playing out worse case scenarios, lol.
I'm from Oklahoma too. Just thought I'd say Hi.
Im soo glad this story had a happy ending .i was worried.
I had noodle arms from just carrying a 2-tier cake once! Geesh, lady, when you work out, do you dead lift like 1000 lbs at the gym!
But that's why I tell my kids I don't HAVE to spend money for a gym membership ... I'm a caterer .... I get my workout every single day (she said, as she slung yet another 50# bag of flour into storage!).
ROFL.... Um.... I was deadlifting 300 at the gym after only a "month" of training (I'm training for a powerlifting competition in November) until I injured my ankle now I'm working my way back up... I tell ya, doing cakes makes ya STRONG!!!! Between the bicep working fondant kneed to hoisting 100lb cakes up stairs, the cardio workout of 5 sets of stairs and table maze, wood choppers with a mop bucket, etc. yes, it is tough to say "let's go to the gym" but apparently my MD who thinks I don't work out enough hasn't followed me around for a week of wedding cakes and STILL going to the gym to blow off steam...
ninabeth where in Oklahoma are you?
yeah i am glad it all worked out and know after completely crashing last night I am back up and around and my legs are more sore then my arms are huh go figure. I am just glad that I get a break from wedding cakes for at least a week. I think this "wedding season" I did somewhere around 25 or so. Blew last years wedding sales out of the water which is great but they are just exhausting
Ok, here it is. It was really hard to get a good picture because there was so much light coming in behind it - it made the cake look a little dark. But this was the best one I got
I don't think I have ever been so happy to get something done with
my arms and my legs are so sore haha
wow!
i dont think i would have been able to even carry the bottom two tiers let alone all five!
im in awe of all of u that can and attempt
but its great that u pulled it off cuz its a beautiful cake
it was definately a buger to carry, but I really thought that would be much easier then trying to assemble on site. I hate when people are just standing there watching me. I am thinking that maybe next time I will try to have someone else with me who can help with the carrying.
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