I think the mis-information about faux cake being cheaper may be more wide spread than just brides. I had a referral from a caterer this week and he passed on the information that the bride wanted a three tier cake with 2 dummy tiers and would be serving kitchen cakes (not from me...so I'm guessing Costco). I had to give him the bad news that I don't discount price for faux cakes and I have a clause in my contract stating no other cakes may be served at the event. So the caterer is now educated and needless to say I didn't hear from that bride...oh well
Good for you!
I think the mis-information about faux cake being cheaper may be more wide spread than just brides. I had a referral from a caterer this week and he passed on the information that the bride wanted a three tier cake with 2 dummy tiers and would be serving kitchen cakes (not from me...so I'm guessing Costco). I had to give him the bad news that I don't discount price for faux cakes and I have a clause in my contract stating no other cakes may be served at the event. So the caterer is now educated and needless to say I didn't hear from that bride...oh well
Good for you!
Jamie, I say all cakers UNITE - we should all have that clause in our contracts. It really doesn't cost that much more to feed your guests good cake and we should protect our industry by not allowing grocery store sheet cakes. If the customer wants a beautiful, well executed, delicious cake as the show piece at the wedding they should also be serving that cake to the guests. So now I've said my piece and I'll get off my soap box 
I still think it's cheaper to buy dummies... It took me 3 minutes to make a cart of 2 -22", 2- 20", 2- 18" 2-16" 2-14", 2-12", 2-10", 2-8", 2-6" and 2-4" dummy cakes all 4" high... with shipping it came to $154.48.
There is no way I could bake all of those cakes, tort and fill, each tier would have to be supported internally as well as underneath, so 20 support systems... for less than (or even NEAR that price) of real cake. Plus all of the TIME.
Now of COURSE it would take time to ice/fondant and decorate these cakes, but I know *I* would be saving a ton of money and time to make that cake with styro rather than real cake.
SO, this cake, 8" high of 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 would serve just ab out 1400 servings.
My base price is $4.50 per serving, so that would be $6,300. at 80% it would $5,040. With all of the inside only costing $154, plus fondant, royal icing, and my decorating time... I think I would be VERY comfortable charging 80% of my standard rate...
faux cakes are made from styrofoam dummies 4 inches tall and decorated
the same as you would for a real cake. Some people like the effects of a very large/tall cake and they do not need to feed that many people so they opt for a dummy cake and then serve sheet cakes in the place of the decorated wedding cake. I hope this helps.
I don't like handling dummies. Period. I'll do it, but the hassle of steadying them while icing, covering in fondant, adding details, trying to keep them still because they weigh nothing.....arrggh! Hassle!
You ice them?? I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China. I just cover them in fondant... it takes minutes. Smear some crisco on (the only good use for crisco if you ask me... LOL) and cover them. I will take a paint brush and wet it and go around the base of the dummy under the fondant after it's covered to make sure it sticks if it's giving me trouble (usually not though). It's easy and quick.
I also charge 80% of what a real cake would cost. I look at the time I save baking and filling them. I have a single oven... it takes me a long time to bake cakes. Plus I use a lot of pricey ingredients so it really does save me a little money and an ass load of time. I buy them on-line and they are cheap enough even with shipping.
I think there's a big difference between asking for only a faux cake because they are bringing in other cakes and asking for some layers of faux on the cake just to have it look more impressive.
extra layers of faux = discounted price
only faux = full price
Jamie
There is no need to ice, cover with piping gel or Crisco. All these methods are messy. Just spritz with a bit of water and cover with fondant.
Stack your layers together with a bit of piping gel and then decorate with your fondant embelishments. The cake does not move.
I would make the monograms out of royal icing. Use computer to get a good layout, font, and size. Pipe extra in case of breakge. Cheaper than cricut, if you don't have the machine.
I understood you Jamie... I simply don't offer them in anything but fondant. *IF* (and that's a pretty big if) I was to agree to do them in BC (pretty much never, but for the sake of argument) they'd be full price plus a PITA charge. They are impossible to ice and not lose your sanity. Almost all of my cakes go out the door with fondant anyway so it's not an issue, but when fake layers are brought up I inform clients that they are only offered in fondant. I iced a dummy tier in BC once... that was enough for me. 
I use crisco on them because it makes getting the fondant off of the dummy easier. If I'm working with fondant I have crisco on my hands anyway so it's not an extra mess. It just takes a thin layer and it doesn't stick as much as it does with water so it's easier to reposition the fondant if you need to. 
Jamie, you mentioned the weight of the styrofoam. I know they are super light. Has anyone ever considered weighting them? like using a drill or something and drilling out some holes evenly spaced and fill them with weights (like fishing weights or ball bearings) and then plug the holes? Kind of a pinewood derby approach to weighting, but it might work to give them a little weight to make them easier to work with.
If it sounds like a totally stupid idea, I'm tired... forgive me.
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