My daughter is having me do the attached cake for her. I am doing 12, 10 and 8 inches. I will do an anniversary cake for them later. I am also doing 4" tall 13x9 cakes. She wants to do 1 1/2 inch servings instead of the standard wedding size. Cake will be the only food at the reception. She just told me she is expecting 300 guests. The wedding is Saturday and is a 2 hour drive for us to get there. The wedding is at 8:30 AM, the reception at 5-7 PM. (No, she did not consult me on anything including the timing.)
Also, she will be having an additional reception for those here in town that won't drive the 2 hours for the other reception. She is expecting 300 people for that too and I am doing the same cake all over again on January 3. I just want to give her an idea of what this would cost if she got the cake from someone that does this for a living.
What would you charge for this much cake? Also, how often do you get orders for such a large amount of cake? We live in SE Idaho (middle of nowhere) and the wedding and first reception are in the Salt Lake City area.
Cake for 450 (due to larger servings) at three bucks a pop delivered 2 hours away would be $1,350 for the cake and a ton for the delivery, a dollar a mile plus prozac. Cake in town for 450 would be $1,350 plus regular delivery. The total is thousands. Mother making it for daughter, priceless. (Y'know like the visa commercial)
Hi! I am in the Salt Lake area, and if she were to come to me to order this cake, I would charge right in the $450 area. That's just for the wedding cake. Where in Idaho are you? I had a Bride order a cake just today for next weekend.... I can't believe how long people wait! Good luck!
Agree with dmich, that would be a minimum requirement
Using 12, 10, and 8 she will have a different look to her cake. This cake looks more like 3" difference in the tier sizes to me. More like 6, 9, and 12?
But, if it were me, I'd encourage her to enlarge them to 8, 11, 14. To give you more cake like you need. Then you'd only have to bake 4 sheet cakes!
My price would be: $1200.00 and thats not adding for delivery....that would be huge....
But, I think I'd offer them a trip to Hawaii instead! With this short notice.... 
Not really....its your daughter...
Good luck!
Thank you everyone! I plan to make three sheet cakes. One white, one lemon, and one chocolate. I have all the cakes baked except the lemon and chocolate 13x9's.
LOL at the naming the first grandchild after me. Hopefully it wouldn't be a boy. Can't imagine a boy being called Lisa. 
Gosh if I was close enough I'd come help. Hope you got some cake elves to lend you several hands. Hope he's a great guy for your little girl.
Thank you for the offer! We have three boys ages 13, 7 and 3. I had a talk with them about helping me out by not getting into the stuff I'm making for the wedding. The 13 y/o has been pretty good, but the two younger ones ate a whole tray of my snowflakes! I have a very small kitchen and will soon have cakes all over it while I assemble and frost them. I hope I can keep everything safe over the next couple of days! At least dh will be off work tomorrow. I will be expecting him to help with the boys.
Yes, the guy she is marrying is a good kid. We actually feel sorry for him. Our daughter tends to be difficult to live with.
That cake in Phoenix would go for about $1600, not including delivery with it being 2 hours away. If there were two of them and one of the deliveries was 2 hours away, you would be looking at $3500 easily.
Talk about jumping through hoops! You're a great Mom!!
Thank you Wing-Ding.
Can you believe we have people asking what we are going to buy them for a wedding present?! Yes, these people already know we are providing the cake. 
I think I'd ask for the first grandchild to be named after me.
Haha, I'd expect that at the very, very least. That is a lovely cake. AND your making it for free...twice! And its all different flavors. Wow. Your daughter is a very lucky woman to have such a nice mother to make her such nice wedding cakes.
...(Funny, not very many people get to say their mom's made them wedding cakes, cake being plural.)
...(Funny, not very many people get to say their mom's made them wedding cakes, cake being plural.)
And to the same guy!!
Have her be a little resposible and buy all the supplies needed to make the cake. Your the one doing the hard part all the work for not 1 but 2 parties at a last minute notice...You could make a good sum if you really wanted to...
Thank you Wing-Ding.
Can you believe we have people asking what we are going to buy them for a wedding present?! Yes, these people already know we are providing the cake.
Some people just have no clue!
You are a good Mom ... this totally sounds like something my daughter would do. That's a beautiful cake by the way. Good luck with it!
(Oh, by the way, I was cracking up over the little ones eating the snowflakes! It will be easier tomorrow with DH helping out.)
Thanks Martha. Dh is here, but is doing his own thing even though I told him I needed help keeping the little ones out of the kitchen. He has helped some, though.
I've been trying to give the little ones treats so they don't get into the other stuff, but the temptation still gets them sometimes.
Our daughter just called this morning to ask dad to pick out a father/daughter dance song, so I've been balling my eyes out looking at lyrics. 
I think he has decided on my suggestion of 'I Loved Her First'.
Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first
How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time
But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first
Cake will be the only food at the reception.
I'm still trying to figure out why someone would want to get married at 8:30 in the freakin' morning (can you tell I'm NOT a morning person?) and then expect all of the guests to kill a whole day while waiting around for a 5:00 p.m. reception, and then only feed them cake and punch at the dinner hour? 
She just told me she is expecting 300 guests ...... Also, she will be having an additional reception for those here in town ..... She is expecting 300 people for that too
Does she really know 600 people that she KNOWS will show up for her receptions? Do you have any idea how many people she actually invited?
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And at all the weddings I'm at, the "I loved her first" song seems to be THE father/daughter song for the last couple of years. Even the caterer (ME!) cries when they play it.
Oh wait, which triggers another question .... she's having dancing? Does that mean DJ or a friend with an IPod? It's odd to have music for dancing ... expecting her guests to dance, which works up a thirst and makes folks hungry .... then have nothing but cake and punch to feed them. I saw a wedding like this ... it was a disaster. (Guests were leaving out the back door and coming back 15 minutes later with Burger King and McDonald's sacks! omg, tacky deluxe!).
It just sounds a little disorganized .....
LOL Debi! Thanks for the laugh!
The wedding is in the temple. Only members of the church with temple recommends can attend the wedding. We don't have recommends, so even we can't attend. We will arrive in time for their exit from the temple, just in time for pictures. She apparently plans on taking LOTS of pictures on the temple grounds. There will be a lunch for family at noon back at the church where the reception is. She claims to have plenty of stuff for people to do during the day. The majority of the guests will only attend the reception.
They mailed out 280 invitations. They also did an invitation online to about 300 of their buddies. As for the one here in town, this is a small town and just about everyone knows everyone. She is well liked here and lots of people have shown interest in attending.
The music will be on a boom box. She was originally planning to only have sugar-free punch, but I convinced her that that was inconsiderate of those who don't drink sugar-free. (She's type 1 diabetic, mother-in-law-to-be is type 2.)
We have had basically no input on this wedding. His parents pretty much took it over. Originally, they were just going to do the decorations because they have some from previous weddings for their daughters. It ballooned from there. They aren't even using the decorations they had because a different 'theme' was picked.
It is very disorganized because she put off planning almost all of the details until this past week. I was probably baking cakes before she was even doing the majority of the planning.
As far as the food, my sister suggested we order a pizza to be delivered during the reception as a hint.
By the time we found out the time of the reception, the invitations had already gone out. We didn't find out she put where they are registered on the invitations until we got one in the mail from his parents' address.
As far as the food, my sister suggested we order a pizza to be delivered during the reception as a hint.
Seriously, I saw a wedding that had Pizza Hut cater it! I did the cake. Shortly after all the guests arrived, Pizza Hut showed up with about 40 large pizzas, salads, dressings, bread sticks, etc. But if you met this couple, you'd know how this was just SO "them"! It really fit their personality and the style of reception they wanted!
Indydebi took the words right out of my husband's mouth!! I suggested that the wedding should be on CMT's My Redneck Wedding and my husband stated that it's below that!! Who in the world invites 300 guests to a party and only serves punch and cake???? I would be very embarrassed to just serve that! To each his own, I guess.
Indydebi took the words right out of my husband's mouth!! I suggested that the wedding should be on CMT's My Redneck Wedding and my husband stated that it's below that!! Who in the world invites 300 guests to a party and only serves punch and cake???? I would be very embarrassed to just serve that! To each his own, I guess.
Well then never do it.
You certainly said a mouthful for your first post here.
Who in the world would do that, you ask? The daughter of the lady who's making the cake for a party of 300 people, twice. A young girl.
I've been to many large weddings where cake and punch was all that was served. I've made zillions of cakes for such receptions.
Why are you saying that like that.
Well the reception went well. We didn't even get through all of the tier cake. Dh guesses about 75 people showed up. Several people had more than one piece of cake. The father of the groom came up to me and told me that he was not a cake person, but my cake was really good! 
We left probably about an 8" and a 6" worth of cake for the new in-laws. We brought home the 2 untouched 13x9's. We are planning to give some to our neighbors and the rest will be chowed down on by our 3 voracious boys. Dh and I will have a little, too.
We have to do this all again in 2 weeks. I think next time I will do the fondant and do the 6, 9 and 12 like Sweetcakes23 suggested. Then I could do a sheet cake with buttercream for anyone who doesn't like fondant. I will also probably one make white and chocolate. The chocolate is what disappeared the fastest last night.
As far as the punch, dh said that they refilled the regular punch bowl about 4 times. The diet punch bowl didn't need to be refilled at all. lol
Thank you to everyone for your advice and support. It was really helpful to have someplace to come and vent and get such good advice and support.
Lisa
Dh guesses about 75 people showed up.
Adding this to my collection of "Attendance" stories!
The father of the groom came up to me and told me that he was not a cake person, but my cake was really good!
I always consider this the highest compliment ... when a non-cake person luvs the cake! Way to go!! 
Dh guesses about 75 people showed up. Several people had more than one piece of cake.
We left probably about an 8" and a 6" worth of cake for the new in-laws. We brought home the 2 untouched 13x9's.
We have to do this all again in 2 weeks. I think next time I will do the fondant and do the 6, 9 and 12 like Sweetcakes23 suggested.
Lisa
Wow! 75 out of 300? Hopefully the one in two weeks will have a more accurate count, but it will probably be similiar. I would just do the 6,9, 12. Congratulations for pulling this off. That is soo much work. I hope your daughter appreciates all your hard work, and I'm glad that you like her DH, that makes it all worth it.
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