Ive been asked to do a Wedding Fayre in January alongside my friends who are a
Florist
Hairdresser
Nail Artist
Photographer

and shes asked me to be the Wedding caker, Ive only done 2 practice Wedding cakes recently, They want me to put together a portfolio of my cakes, I have no confidence in doing this but everyone else has the confidence in me, what shall I do, I feel under pressure to do this kind of stuff when Im only really just starting out. Thankyou Karen xx

The only advice I can give you is to be honest - for your own sake! Tell them that you're uncomfortable because you're not a professional and that thus is causing you stress.

I'm a hobbyist and only recently have I started to feel more confident. I did one wedding cake (for free) last year, and I spent a lot of time stressing about it and then apologizing because I felt it wasn't 'professional' looking.

If you're not going to enjoy the experience, think twice about it. If your friends love your work and feel that you can do it, then I'm sure you could totally do this, but don't drive yourself nuts over it.

I agree with Teal!

I, too, am a hobbyist, and I've happily done a few wedding cakes for friends & family--but I'm always upfront about what I can do. I try to please the couple as far as flavors, shape, colors and basic style. But I don't do anything over 3 tiers, and if they want fondant, I always reserve the right to use decor to cover any problem areas! But no topsy-turvy, dark colored fondant, or complicated decor that requires lots of precision (like perfectly spaced stripes.) I'm also unwilling to do tons of gumpaste flowers....if they want lots of flowers, then they have to go with fresh or silk.

If this couple is asking you to do the cake, why are they asking for a portfolio? I'd be very sure that their expectations are in line with what you can do for them. Show them a few pictures of your cakes. But be very clear about what you're capable of doing. Don't let them talk you into something beyond your capabilities!

I would also suggest that if you haven't done any stacked cakes, practice a few times before the wedding, and also plan how you will transport a cake..........this is always the scary part for me!!

But if they are willing to work with you, go for it!! Doing a wedding cake is fun. And there's always a first time for everything!!

I agree..If you don't have the confidence or skill level yet...Do not do it..It will show in the end result.I know friends are trying to be nice and encourage you but you yourself has to decide if you can achieve it or not.

I agree with all above. I was asked to do a wedding shower cake for my hairdressers daughter and I said no for the first time. I must say she was surprised but I told her the truth I didn't think i was good enough yet and didn't want to disappoint her. She had a little attitude with me which surprised me but she got over it. I thought better to be honest then feel bad later if it didn't turn out well.

I agree that you shouldn't be advertising at a bridal fair that you can do wedding cakes when you haven't made one yet. The two practice dummies that you've done is nothing like making tiered cakes out of real cake. Practice with actual cake using a support system, and then try delivering it! That's more stressful than taking orders at a booth.

I think CWR41 is referring to the very first 3 dummy cakes that heroes made. They're in her gallery. But I do see that heroes made a real 3-tiered cake for her daughter.

This is not for a wedding and the fair is in January, so as I said to her in my PM, she's got 3 months to learn, practice and build a portfolio. Most of us can do anything we set ourselves to do if we really want to do it. Heroes, I sent you a list of websites to learn from, hope you can use those.

If you want a world of stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, jump into wedding cakes before you're ready.

Nope! Don't do it.

I've only done 3 wedding cakes myself. 2 were flawless and the other not my best. But the bride loved it! Have done lots of other cakes. I've gotten so much encouragement from people that I'm doing my first bridal fair in Oct. Yes, tons of stress but I'm trying to get my name out there. I love doing wedding cakes! If you do them right they are not as hard as you think. If you want to grow your business and love doing cakes then by all means go for it! If you feel at all unsure of yourself ...wait, there will always be another show. Do what you feel comfortable with. The great thing about doing cakes is you can always say no to the ones you don't feel comfortable doing. Just be honest and tell people you haven't reached that skill level yet and you don't want to dissappoint them. Being scare and nervous is normal.

You definatly need to do what you are comfortable to do. I have done two wedding cakes for family and friends now for free. And with both of them I was up front with them on what my skill level was and what I was comfortable doing. I wasn't great at smooth icing yet so I made sure the bride was okay with me doing a squigly pattern on it to hide the imperfections. If they really want you to do it, then they will let you do what you feel most comfortable doing and if they don't then they should go ahead and pass. It doesn't look bad upon you to tell them and be honest. Good luck with whatever you do.

Wow some very appreciated opninions going on here, thankyou very much for that, I actually agree with all of you on this one, Im not a proffesional (YET) lol, but will be, I start classes tonight YIPPEE and I cant wait, so looking forward to it, Some of you are bang on right with your comments, I do love and obssesed with making cakes and decorating them but my skill level isnt as good as most of you, and Im not going to get myself into something Im going to regret. Thankyou for your comments they wil all be taken onboard along with my decision.

Karen xx

I'm just going to echo other opinions...don't put yourself in a position where you're not comfortable. It's not worth it.

My first few wedding cakes were gifts. I made them for people who probably wouldn't have had a cake at all if it weren't for me. That somehow took a lot of pressure off. Of course, they were small...but they were tiered and more involved than the birthday cakes I had been making. After a few of those, I felt ready to move on to full-sized, more elaborate cakes. I don't bake for money anymore, but years ago I did. And before I started allowing people to pay me, I practiced on lots of "gift" cakes.

I have read enough on "cake disasters" about experienced cakers having problems. I don't even offer them in my business even though my skill level is probably better than my competition (I see their web sites, not that great). I only do wedding cakes for family for free and we have the type of family that would laugh off a cake disaster. There are so many things that can go wrong... I'm with you... I would be scared to death to do wedding cakes with not having that many produced.

On those family wedding cakes, lots of relatives pitch in and I try to give credit to the closest relative of the bride for the cake. But we really would eat the disaster and take pictures!