You can't show them photos of "what style they would like" until you knwo what style they would like.

Send them an email telling her you are looking forward to the consultations. Suggest that she start scanning the internet looking at wedding cakes to see what kind of things catch her eye. Print out the pics and bring them, or email the links to you. It's ok to bring 20 pictures if she wants (as a matter of fact, this is REALLY helpful ... it's easy to see a pattern of the type of things she likes this way.) Assure her you are not looking for her to decide on the exact style right now, but just to browse and see what types of things she likes.

By suggesting she scan the internet and look for some designs, you're inviting her to be part of the decision process (and it's just a nice little kick in the butt to get her thinking about it).

When I have brides who have no idea, we start looking thru my books and I give them a pad of post-it notes, telling them just to flag any page that causes them to stop and look at longer than others. I tell them, "Don't worry about if you like it or not ... something on that cake caught your eye and we'll figure out what it was later." We end up with 8-10 flagged pages, and as we go thru each one, I ask "what caught your eye on this one?" We also definitely see a pattern of style that attracts their eye.

At the meeting, remember that people, in general, can't decide between more than two things at a time, so only give her two choices as you narrow it down. If she has no idea at this point, you will want to gently guide her thru the process instead of just asking, "what do you want?"

Such as:
- Do you like round or square cakes?
- Do you like pillars between the cakes or do you like the cakes touching?
- Do you like simple designs, like scrolls and dots, (show them a picture and say "like this") or more elaborate designs, like flowers and heavier "traditional" designs (show them a picture and say "like this" ..... since they are an older couple, this might be a design option they go for).
- Do you have a preference for all BC or all fondant? Or a mix of both?

I do this on all of my brides and it's SUCH a simple process for them. They dont' feel overwhelmed and are confident making a decision between A and B.

Originally Posted by indydebi

Quote:

Quote:

but they would like to see some photos to get an idea of what style they would like.

You can't show them photos of "what style they would like" until you knwo what style they would like.

Send them an email telling her you are looking forward to the consultations. Suggest that she start scanning the internet looking at wedding cakes to see what kind of things catch her eye. Print out the pics and bring them, or email the links to you. It's ok to bring 20 pictures if she wants (as a matter of fact, this is REALLY helpful ... it's easy to see a pattern of the type of things she likes this way.) Assure her you are not looking for her to decide on the exact style right now, but just to browse and see what types of things she likes.

By suggesting she scan the internet and look for some designs, you're inviting her to be part of the decision process (and it's just a nice little kick in the butt to get her thinking about it).

When I have brides who have no idea, we start looking thru my books and I give them a pad of post-it notes, telling them just to flag any page that causes them to stop and look at longer than others. I tell them, "Don't worry about if you like it or not ... something on that cake caught your eye and we'll figure out what it was later." We end up with 8-10 flagged pages, and as we go thru each one, I ask "what caught your eye on this one?" We also definitely see a pattern of style that attracts their eye.

At the meeting, remember that people, in general, can't decide between more than two things at a time, so only give her two choices as you narrow it down. If she has no idea at this point, you will want to gently guide her thru the process instead of just asking, "what do you want?"

Such as:
- Do you like round or square cakes?
- Do you like pillars between the cakes or do you like the cakes touching?
- Do you like simple designs, like scrolls and dots, (show them a picture and say "like this") or more elaborate designs, like flowers and heavier "traditional" designs (show them a picture and say "like this" ..... since they are an older couple, this might be a design option they go for).
- Do you have a preference for all BC or all fondant? Or a mix of both?

I do this on all of my brides and it's SUCH a simple process for them. They dont' feel overwhelmed and are confident making a decision between A and B.

Great advice............
As you can probably tell I don't sell cakes (just a hobbiest) so I probably should not have repled with such lame advice. LOL

Now that you have this good info good luck to you!