A little over a month ago, I ran into a "friend" of mine. It so happened that she was looking for me and was unavailable to call me because she had lost my phone number.

She asked me if I was able to do her niece's bridal cake and wedding cake and with a little "missed heartbeat" I said yes. (I have made cakes for her in the past and she have something negative to say about every cake. A very hard-to-please-kind-of-a-person. )

I did the bridal cake... everything went sort of ok!

That day she gave me a picture of the wedding cake that her niece wanted me to do. It was beautiful... 5-tired, stacked construction, detailed freehand designs made with RI on fondant finish with an antique finish done with airbrush and a cascade of gumpaste orchids. Mind that every layer was about 4" high.

I told her very specifically that she need to realize that I "could not duplicate" the wedding cake too look exactly as in the picture. That her nice could not get attached emotionally to the picture thinking that her wedding cake is going to look like that, because it was a one of a kind cake that only the original artits can duplicate. That I would use it as a source of inspiration to create and come up with something very close to it. And... that I did not do gumpaste flowers and is she really wanted them I coul buy them and hand paint them. Since, it was for 120 guests I was to get back to her to give her a price. She agreed.

Well, about 2 days later she contact me to inquired about the price. Doing the adding and subtracting I came up with two different prices. Since it was for 120 guests and gave the option of doing a 4-tier cake that could serve around 130 guests for $350 or do the 5-tier cake to serve up to 196 guests for $539. She then told me that she was going to call right back because she need to ask her niece what she wanted to do.

Not even a minute later she call me back. That's too soon!! It so happened that her niece was beside her. Well I ask my friend who was going to pay for the cake and it was her niece. And I'm thinking... I don't need to talk to you... let me talk to your niece!!!

I removed aunt/friend from the picture and end up talking to the niece. I went to niece's house. I gave her the speech that I gave to her aunt. Explain what I was going to do in order to make this cake as close as possible to the original cake. She agreed and understood and that it was fine with her. She paid in full.

I did her wedding cake. I even send pictures to her Saturday morning and she loved it. I delivered the cake... mother of the bride was there to meet me. She was very pleased with how the cake turn out to be. She told me how her daughter was showing the pictures that I had send to everybody in the house and that she was very happy.

Well, the cake table was 6' round table. Basically, the cake was lost in the middle of the table. I didn't say anything because some of the recepcion halls don't have smaller table in order to put a small cake. But it look beautiful!!!

At 6:00 p.m., during the reception, I received a call from aunt/my friend. I'm thinking... she is calling me to say how beautiful the cake is.... bla, bla, blah.... wrong!!!!

She is like... "I thought the cake was going to be larger." and I am "how so." "Yeah, I knew it was not going to be high like in the picture but I thought it was going to be wider." "It looks small and I thought you were going to place the cake in a glass." (Which I don't have.) At this point I'm speechless. (Mind that all negotiations I did it with the bride.)

Well... she is telling me that there is not going to be enough cake... and I told her "yes" there is going to be cake for everybody if they knew how to cut it. She proceeded to tell me that the servings was then going to be small.

Hello it is a wedding not a birthday party!!! She had the nerve to tell me that the cake was not worth $350 and that she was going to call me later. I was so upset....

Right then and there I called the bride and left her a message. I congratulated her... told her to enjoy the honeymoon and proceeded to tell her that I just received a phone call from "aunt/so called friend" and that if she felt that something was wrong with the cake, I was more than willing to sit down with "HER" and only "HER" and discuss it.

So far, I haven't received a phone call from auntzilla/so called friend. But if she does, I'm going to tell her that I am not going to have this conversation with her because negotiantions where made with the bride.

Should I contact bride again next week or wait for her to call me?

Sorry it took so long... but I needed to vent. Thank you guys for reading my encounter with auntzilla.

I'm traying to attached a picture so everybody can see the cake.

Cannot attached picture... but you can visit my www and see it. Go to my wedding cake section and it is the Karol Wedding Cake.

"Aunty" needs to be told to step off! If the bride is happy with the cake, then so be it. Aunty needs to get a life!

I honestly think the cake was gorgeous and the aunt is just looking for something to complain about. She is not a very good friend and I would cut her loose fast.
If the bride is happy--that's what matters. How could she not be happy. The cake was jaw dropping.

The cake turned out beautifully!! I wouldn't wory about contacting the bridse again. I can't see any reason she wouldn't have been thrilled with it. I think the aunt is just one of those people that has to be critical of others in order to make herself feel more important.

Ugh, sorry you had this happen but calling the bride and telling her to let you know if she had issues with the cake was the right thing to do. Do not speak with this Aunt again! She didn't pay for the cake and her opinion of it is just that.
U don't need to call the bride again she'll call if needed.
Chin up. Just looked and the cake was beautiful.

that is such an elegant cake...extremely beautiful and extremely well done! a truly professional cake.

on the other hand, we have a pissy unprofessional aunt that need to take a long walk on a short plank.

i highly recommend, from now on and not only with this lady, that when someone is acting as liason for someone else, that you simply say "well, i'd love to speak with __...have them to give me a call...i look forward to discussing the details with them!". that puts the person in their place from the beginning in a thin veiled "put you in your place" statement.

hold your head high, girl...it really is beautiful!

starla

The cake is beautiful and elegant. Forget about the nasty aunt.

the cake is STUNNING! I love it!!!!

Aunty is a beast - ignore her - she is a wind bag and pompous too boot. She just likes to hear herself rattle.

Jules,

Glad Indideb did not beat me to this one...

1. The Auntzilla is NOT your friend...you are miscategorizing someone who treats you like crap but to whom you remain civil towards where many perfectly normal people (like...dunno...me! ) would not.

2. The only person who matters (the blushing bride) was happy. Job well done...you are finished, and no further communication is needed until you do the baby shower cake.

BTW, your cake is absolutely elegant, and you should be proud of the talent you have!

E

Beautiful cake! Sounds like the auntzilla is never going to be happy with anything no matter what. You provided a stunning cake for $350 and that's the end of the story. If it were me, I'd stop doing cakes for her.

That cake is gorgeous. I can't imagine why she would have a complaint. Aunt sounds like she missed her medication.

michellenj, my mind jumped ahead of my reading and for some reason I thought you were going to say she missed her calling. So, I had to say...if she doesn't work at DMV or Post Office, then she missed her calling It was funny in my head...not sure if it translated to the real world.

Anyway, your cake is WONDERFUL and I love your site. So, yep, I agree just wait until the bride contacts you and stay away from people who aren't truly your friends. Real friends don't give you that kind of stress.

Your cake was beautiful!! No need to contact the bride again. You already know she loved it, she was showing off the picture before the wedding for heaven's sake! Good for you!! The so called friend isn't a friend, I agree with cutting her loose. As you already said, she always has something to complain about. I wouldn't do any more cakes for her if it were me. You don't need those headaches. The bride loved the cake and that's all that matters. Don't take any more calls from what's her name. No matter who the "zilla" is they're all the same, a pain. I won't deal with any more, no matter what business I might lose.

You did a wonderful job making that brides cake dream come true. Good for you!!

First of all -- WOW, what a cake! LOVE IT.

Second -- the word you are seaching for with respect to the aunt is "acquaintance", not "friend".

Third -- was the aunt drunk? Seriously, at 6:00 pm at a wedding reception, she has nothing better to do than to call you up and complain about the cake not being wide enough?? That is bizarre. I guess I can understand concern about the number of servings since she clearly has no sense of proportion, but even at that, what are you supposed to do about it? Whip down there with the old sheet cake you always make on a Saturday just in case there is a wedding cake serving emergency? And how is that any of her business anyway? Just bizarre.

Funny how she keeps coming back for more cake, isn't it?

I completely agree with CarolAnn...the cake is gorgeous, you already know the bride agrees, and the auntzilla should not be allowed to waste one more minute of your time! Carry on!

Thank you guys. I knew I can count on you for moral support. Is funny how she keeps coming back for more, but she is out of my lists of friends/client. I don't need this agravation from her and from anyone else.

I agree with margaretb... pretty bizarred that she called me complaining from the reception. I bet the cake was more than enough and she had to eat her words. I guess that's why she haven't called me yet.

I know she was already upset just before the wedding because she had done a piece with the bride and grooms name to be put on the wall behind their table and it fell and broke. So, I guess she went off on me, because in her mind, the cake was too small.

The cake came out beautiful and I am proud of myself.

Is amazing, now a days, how people doesn't appreciate someones talent. In this industry, you put your heart and soul into a cake and the client don't even say "Thank you".

Your cake is beautiful! There is no way anyone could find fault with it, and it is enough for the number of servings they asked and paid for. I would tell Aunty that you would not discuss the matter with her because (1) it was not her cake, and (2) She did not pay for the cake. The contract was with the bride, and the bride was happy. I would not take any more orders from this person, either.

I've never had another party trying to complain about a cake, but I've had problems twice with other parties trying to make changes in the cake. The first was the "florist" (NOT a professional) who called me the night before the wedding saying the separation had to be bigger. I said not, at the consultation I showed the bride the different sizes and we settled on 5" columns, and that was what was on the contract and what was ordered for her cake, that I do not stock non-standard sizes, and that the huge separation she wanted would look odd and make the cake unstable, and that it was too late to make such a change anyway. She went on about how that's not what it was supposed to be and I should go to Michael's and get some. I said I will discuss it with the bride as my contract is with her, but I'm sure it's more important to her that I stay here and finish the cakes! Truth was, the stupid woman had made the flowers arrangment way too big, and just didn't want to have to redo it.

The second was a grandma who thought that the MOB was being too cheap on the granddaughter's wedding cake, and was wanting to make it bigger, and add a whole cascade of gp orchids instead of the single orchid on top that the bride had asked for. This was at most a week before the wedding and I just didn't have time to make extra flowers. So I called the bride told her I simply couldn't do the extra flowers or upscale the cake at that point, but I could add a kitchen cake if they really needed the extra servings. She said that was fine, that grandma wasn't supposed to be calling me, and told me to just not answer or return her calls if she called again, LOL!

The cake is beautiful. The aunt is smokin' crack. Please don't call her a friend anymore.

See, I'm mean. I would have told the aunt that I could have made a cake as wide as her, but the table was only six feet. But like I said, I'm mean

I think the cake is WONDERFUL!!! Forget the "friend" she's obviously not one...

You did a great job

The cake was beautiful. If the bride is happy (and it sounds like she is) it's a done deal!!!!

I'm tired and cranky today because I've cleaned all day only to have the 1 year old unravel the house from top to bottom in less than 5 minutes and I have to now get ready for class.

I swear my husband must think I do nothing all day because most days she uncleans for me and it looks as bad if not worse when he walks in the door.

Let's just say all ya'll have been sweet compared to what I'd have to tell the lady.