I enjoy watching all of the cake related tv programs as much as the next person but they should come with a disclamer, Cakes on your screen apear easy and flawless but should you look closer they are CAKE. Here is an e-mail I just recieved from a bride:
I am having a few worries about the cakes. I have watched many cake shows and have seen how flawless the cakes look. I just want to make sure my cakes will look the same way. I don't know if this is normal for a bride to worry about this but I am. I'm sure everything is going to be fine and you will do an amazing job. But, just to be sure will you send me some photos of some of your recent wedding cakes that you've made?
We have had a tasting and a consultion and two phone consulations. I showed her my portfolio as well as my recent cakes and I have directed her to my website several times.I even gave her a discount because she booked her wedding cake and groom's cake with me. Now I am worried there will be no pleasing her.
Oh the "MAGIC" of TV strikes again!... I wish you luck on this one!
Maybe you could tell her that she is welcome to see your recent photos again if she is truly concerned.
Also let her know that what is shown on TV is edited to NOT show many if the flaws on the cakes. Serious flaws are always shown, but there are many things that would look completely different upon a closer look.
It does sound like you have a high maintenance bride. Good luck.
Michele
Dear Obsessed Bride:
I understand the stress involved in planning a wedding and the dream of having the 'perfect' wedding.
If you are looking for a 100% flawless cake that looks like it was made by a TV star, please contact Toba Garrett. Here is her website. You might prefer this cake (link) that works out to about $60/person. For your little wedding of 100, you need to plan at least $6000 for your cake. THere is also an extra fee to cover the Technical Assistants who will "edit" your cake so it appears to be flawless in the eyes of your little friends.
Since I am not a big TV star and never claim to be perfect, I can afford to be much cheaper than this big names that would add pizzazz and impress all of your friends at your wedding, which is why I can do your cake for a lousy $450.
Thanks for checking with us for your wedding. Just let me know which direction you plan to go ...... a real cake that is priced for regular people, or unbelievably unrealistic expectations at thousands of dollars.
I just shared a lengthy story on the WMI group about a problem I had Friday/Saturday with it.
Long story short, they also watch these shows and started their cake Friday afternoon for a Saturday 8pm wedding. They needed 15 pounds of pink fondant because they researched what they would need.
Got angry when Michael's didn't carry it and stormed out threatening to take his business to Wal*Mart.
He then came back and asked in front of my FGP class "by the way how much time will it take to do this, is it as easy as it looks on the TV shows?" My students laughed.
Skip to Saturday am... he comes back to get more fondant from us and asked me during my C1 how to keep it from drying out and looking like an elephant leg.
I told him I'd stop by the venue on the way home to see what I could do to help but any services rendered had to be cash since it was a last minute situation.
I show up, the cakes were done in 2 inch pans. Unlevel, unven and there was no way I could save it. I quoted them my cost to get them a basic covered cake with out flowers and if they wanted flowers I could quickly do some buttercream roses or cala lilies in gumpaste and quoted the extra cost. They refused because it was out of budget.
MOB pissy and telling me I was taking them for a ride, MOG telling her to shut up because she offered to pay for the cake to be done by a professional back in February and here we were at zero hour now with no cake because the kids insisted they knew what they were doing and didn't.
They ended up getting 3 cakes from Albertson's.
I hate the new trend in these TV shows because they don't state how long it takes for these cakes to be made. I'd love a "Monday before the event the cakes were baked and stored" "Tuesday before the event flowers started" and a timeline showing in a quick blip on the screen showing cake rookies exactly how long it takes to make and decorate would help ALL of us out.
That story is PRETTY good Carolyn! I have never heard the like of that!
What do you mean Michael's doesn't care 15 lbs of pink fondant. HMPH! LOL. And he's going to go to Walmart? I think he's going to have to hit about 10 Walmarts then (assuming that several stores have more than one box of 1lb pink fondant).
I hate the way those T.V shows make it look like the cake can be made in an hour! I also think they should have to show the price for the cakes they do. I just did a baby shower cake & cupcake set up, people were coming in from other areas of the restaurant and taking pictures of the cake and picking up my cards, OOHHing & Ahhing (I only put my cards out cause it was my Nieces baby shower and she wanted to put them out).
When some of them asked how much it would cost for one exactly like it I said $360 they quickly lost interest.... It really gets disheartening, I mean we make DESIGNER cakes.. You can spend $40 for a purse or $400 for a DESIGNER handbag.. Same situation if you want something spectacular it costs money. and it isn't done in an hour and it costs more than $40 !!!!!!!!
Here is the cake and I think $360 was a very reasonable price it had a few flaws but I am the only one who noticed them... The cakes on those shows DO have flaws that are edited out and a lot of them aren't even cake they are Styrofoam.. People really need to be realistic in their expectations !
When some of them asked how much it would cost for one exactly like it I said $360 they quickly lost interest.... It really gets disheartening,
What you tell them is .....
"Well, if you ordered something like this from Ace of Cakes, it would cost you his minimum of $1000 and I'm sure the final cost would be more than that. Fortunately, I'm not that expensive. You can get this one for only $360."
It educates them, gives them a reference, and puts them in their place all in one shot! 
JamieAnn..........that cake is so cute and the cupcakes are freakin' adorable. I love the wrappers you used and all the details with the ducks, bubbles and soap.
You can tell that you put a ton of work into that presentation.......great job!
Now back to the original question......while watching Amazing Wedding Cakes this week I was "amazed" at the terrible fondant job by Reba/Mark 
Tell your client to watch that episode.....you can't tell me she won't see those flaws....they were so obvious, even to the non-caker I'm sure.
The real question is, should we be mad at the TV shows for not telling the whole truth, or should we be mad at the stupid people who believe everything on TV is real?
I mean, come on! If you really think it's easy to make a wedding cake because a trained pro on TV did it, then you have only one person to blame: Yourself.
It's called personal responsibility and appearantly it's going out of style.
I don't think they're evil nor do I think we should be mad, I just think people rely on the media too much for a quick fix. Most forget it's only for entertainment purposes only. As for the do-it-yourselfers, they should stick to HGtv and DIY and leave the cake stuff for the professionals 
"Well, if you ordered something like this from Ace of Cakes, it would cost you his minimum of $1000 and I'm sure the final cost would be more than that. Fortunately, I'm not that expensive. You can get this one for only $360."
It educates them, gives them a reference, and puts them in their place all in one shot!
I knew you would have the perfect response!
At least on the cake challenges they tell you how much time they have to assemble their cake. The problem with that is it does not include mixing and baking the cakes only assembly and decorating. Some elements are brought already made including the icing.
edited for spelling.
LOTS of stuff is brought pre made. No one could make cake like on those shows in 8 hours from scratch.
LOTS of stuff is brought pre made. No one could make cake like on those shows in 8 hours from scratch.
Thank you for all of your supportive advice. I e-mail the bride back and directed her to my website for my current photos and ten I told her that duff's cakes were $1,0000 min. She e-mailed me back, Well that sounds good.I just want it to be beautiful and I'm sure you understand. What was the total for the wedding cake?
What you did not keep the estimate you made me make or the contract that we both went over and signed.
So I very calmly sent her the remaining total on the wedding cake. I just hope she remembers the cost of the grooms cake and that payment for both cakes is due two weeks before the even. Oh did I mention her wedding is not until March. Yep I am sure that I will have eight more months of this.
The real question is, should we be mad at the TV shows for not telling the whole truth, or should we be mad at the stupid people who believe everything on TV is real?
Ah, the power of TV. I loved Jerry Seinfeld's quote. "The stupidest thing you can think to yourself at 3am, sitting on the couch with potato chip crumbs all over you, is: 'I'd exercise with that!'"
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