Bridesmaid Making Cake
Decorating By -let_them_eat_cake- Updated 23 Jun 2010 , 4:36pm by Dolledupcakes
Hello everyone!
I am a bridesmaid in a relative's wedding. The other bridesmaids know I make cakes for family members and asked if I would make the cake for the bridal shower. This would be the first cake I am charging for and told them the type of cakes I make could be expensive. At first I was not going to charge them as long as I did not have to pay for everything else involved in the shower as my cake would be the "payment." However, the other bridesmaids agreed that I should charge them and we will split the costs. The cake will be for 60+ people, beach themed, tiered, covered in homemade fondant, with fondant decorations. Using Alices Cake Matrix the total price came to around 250 dollars. When I told them this they were a little surprised a cake could cost that much. A friend of mine suggested showing them a sheet cake with not as many decorations, but they have seen my previous cakes and are expecting a tiered cake. Is $250 too much to charge fellow bridesmaids? They don't know what can go into making a cake so how can I show them that it isn't just ingredients I am charging for but also time and hard work?
Thanks in advance!
NO it is NOT too much!
after all you offered it as a gift IF you had no other expenses.
let's see that dress I bet is close to that.
and oh lordy all the other things you gals have to buy (manicures, pedicures, spa treatment, hair styling, makeup, shoes, unmentionables that just "have" to match, etc ad nauseam/infinitum)
stick to your price.
Hello everyone!
They don't know what can go into making a cake so how can I show them that it isn't just ingredients I am charging for but also time and hard work?
Thanks in advance!
Thats it right there - *they don't know" thats why they are 
at the prioce.
Your price is your price - why doubt yourself just because they don't know.
Explain the type of cakes you will be making - the fillings - the decorations - the boards - yadda yadda yadda...as you would to any payoing customer.
If they still 
at the price ask them politely when was the last time they made such a cake and all that they had to do to create it.
Oh and ask them what their hourly rate at work is.
Those who don't *cake* forget that we are also paying ourselves - not just covering cake costs.
How many BM's are there to split the cost of the cake between?
Stay with the $250.00
Bluehue
Bluehue- There are 7 bridesmaids including myself. So everyone will be paying around 35 dollars.
Thank you everyone for responding!! I feel better about my sticking to my price now.
Bluehue- There are 7 bridesmaids including myself. So everyone will be paying around 35 dollars.
Thank you everyone for responding!! I feel better about my sticking to my price now.
Dividing the cake between 7BM's... $35 doesn't seem to be much. Considering the time and all the ingredients put into this cake, I think $250 is not overpriced.
They don't know what can go into making a cake so how can I show them that it isn't just ingredients I am charging for but also time and hard work?
Thanks in advance!
Sit down at your computer and make up a little Excel spreadsheet (or Word doc if you prefer) so that it goes a little something like this:
Tuesday -
10AM-4PM Make flowers/figures/bows/etc for cake
Wednesday -
10AM Bake two 14" round cakes, bake two 10" round cakes, bake two 6" round cakes. Cool.
12PM Wrap cakes. Prepare filling. Prepare buttercream.
2PM Torte & fill cakes. Allow to settle.
3PM Wash cake pans, mixer bowl, (etc etc). Scrub countertops, sink, floor. Sanitize surfaces.
5PM End of day.
Thursday -
10AM Prepare buttercream. Crumbcoat cakes.
12PM Ice & smooth cakes
(etc etc etc)
Friday -
10AM Prepare fondant
11AM Touch up/final smoothing on buttercream. Add support system.
1PM Color & roll out fondant
2PM Apply fondant to cakes. Decorate.
(etc etc etc)
7PM Clean/sanitize kitchen
9PM End of day
Saturday -
Delivery & setup
Include spaces for each whiny bridesmaid to sign up for blocks of time to come over and help you, preferably in the cleanup phases. Knock a few bucks off the price if any of them actually take you up on the offer.
Since they don't know what goes into making a cake, show them. 
My family saw firsthand with my sister's wedding cake what's involved and none of them bat an eye at my prices. I've told the story a couple times here about my Depression-era grandfather - the guy who doesn't spend a dime if he doesn't absolutely have to - and even he understands why a wedding cake costs hundreds of dollars after watching me work. Not everyone will "get it" but you might be surprised at how many do. 
They don't know what can go into making a cake so how can I show them that it isn't just ingredients I am charging for but also time and hard work?
Thanks in advance!
Sit down at your computer and make up a little Excel spreadsheet (or Word doc if you prefer) so that it goes a little something like this:
Tuesday -
10AM-4PM Make flowers/figures/bows/etc for cake
Wednesday -
10AM Bake two 14" round cakes, bake two 10" round cakes, bake two 6" round cakes. Cool.
12PM Wrap cakes. Prepare filling. Prepare buttercream.
2PM Torte & fill cakes. Allow to settle.
3PM Wash cake pans, mixer bowl, (etc etc). Scrub countertops, sink, floor. Sanitize surfaces.
5PM End of day.
Thursday -
10AM Prepare buttercream. Crumbcoat cakes.
12PM Ice & smooth cakes
(etc etc etc)
Friday -
10AM Prepare fondant
11AM Touch up/final smoothing on buttercream. Add support system.
1PM Color & roll out fondant
2PM Apply fondant to cakes. Decorate.
(etc etc etc)
7PM Clean/sanitize kitchen
9PM End of day
Saturday -
Delivery & setup
Include spaces for each whiny bridesmaid to sign up for blocks of time to come over and help you, preferably in the cleanup phases. Knock a few bucks off the price if any of them actually take you up on the offer.
Since they don't know what goes into making a cake, show them.
My family saw firsthand with my sister's wedding cake what's involved and none of them bat an eye at my prices. I've told the story a couple times here about my Depression-era grandfather - the guy who doesn't spend a dime if he doesn't absolutely have to - and even he understands why a wedding cake costs hundreds of dollars after watching me work. Not everyone will "get it" but you might be surprised at how many do.
Ha ha ha! What she said! I did a 3 tier cake for a friend of mine and after the party she was dismantling the leftovers and she saw the dowels and the covered boards and the all the details that went into it and she said 'wow, I had no idea how much work is involved!' 
oooh, ooooh, I know, be sure to attach a list of supplies to that spreadsheet so they remember that your 3 + days of labor are in addition to cost of ingredients.
Bluehue- There are 7 bridesmaids including myself. So everyone will be paying around 35 dollars.
Did you mentionbto them that it was going to be $35 per BM?
That is not bad at all. For a beautiful cake, I would def pay that.
Stick to your price, you know what you are worth.
Since they don't know what goes into making a cake, show them.
I love this. It's so true!!!!!! My family and friends never question me about prices after they saw how much time goes into a cake.
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