Hi everyone I am due to deliver a cake next week for a wedding and it is over an hour's drive from my home. All of a sudden we have got bad weather and it's supposed to get worse as the week goes on - basically lots of snow! What happens in this situation if it's too dangerous to travel. Never encountered this situation before but I'd like some advice as to how to deal with this should (which I pray it won't) the situation arise? I would hate to let a bride down but if you're snowed in what can you do/what should you do?

Thanks for any advice you an give

I have two vehicles with four wheel drive. If the venue is open, I'm there. Period.

I bet some cakers in Michigan, Minn, Wisconsin & New England can help with this one

What do you all do about snow & ice?

Here in the South we don't get too much of it, so it doesn't come up as often.

Haven't had a problem yet, but I have sure thought a lot about it, since I live in an area that gets a good deal of snow. I have an all wheel drive SUV. I would plan 2-3 times the drive time (or more) depending on the condition of roads. Good luck!

Unless it's a real blizzard, I would guess that brides have to proceed with the wedding, despite the weather, and they need their cakes. I don't sell cakes, but I donate several each week. Often these are birthday cakes for children in homeless or dv shelters, and I wouldn't want to disappoint one of these kids, so I go out all kinds of weather.

I grew up in Minnesota and now live in Chicago, and in 35 years of driving, I've only been literally "snowed in" twice--both times due to overnight snowfall of over 2 feet! But both areas have excellent snow removal.....perhaps the OP lives in a location where roads are not cleared.

Apparently we cake people are like the mailman....neither rain, sleet and whatever else shall keep us from our appointed rounds. Stay in touch with the bride the day before the wedding to make sure it doesn't get called off or postponed. If you travel on snow and ice often you will probably do fine, just allow yourself plenty of time and be extra careful.
I have never delivered a cake in snow or ice, but I have been delivering during a couple tornadoes. If we got 1/2 inch of snow in Alabama that would be like a blizzard.

It's always somethin', ain't it? All I have to worry about is hurricane season and the odd earthquake.

Would you be able to set it up at the venue the night before? I know this depends on the venue, your cake ingredients, etc, but I just thought I'd throw that in. When I got married we were able to set up everything the night before for a small fee. I've lived in Ohio my whole life and I still detest driving in snow!

Unless the sheriff's dept issued an emergency status that REQUIRED everyone, by law, to stay off of the roads, we were there.

If you live in an area with unusually severe weather with not-so-great snow removal systems, this might be an item that is covered specifically in your contract and discussed in detail with brides.

I have been thinking about this very thing. I have a wedding cake to deliver on New Years Eve, 40 miles away and I'm praying for good weather. I can't imagine not going though. Unless the wedding is canceled, I will do all I can to be there.

A couple of years ago I was scheduled to deliver a tiered cake for a bridal shower. The whole week prior to the event, the weather predictions were for an ice storm for that weekend. The day before the shower, the ice had not yet arrived, but was bearing down on us. When I called the gals throwing the shower to confirm the delivery, they asked me to bring the cake the night before. At that point, they weren't even sure their out-of-town guests would make it, but at least the cake did!

I was happy to set up the night before--driving in the rain that came in before the storm was a whole lot easier than driving on ice--I don't care what type of vehicle you have!

Anyway, I agree with other posters who say it might be worth considering early set-up--as long as your cake can withstand it.

I am very greatful to my cake lady who delivered the cake to my wedding reception. The temperature on my wedding day was minus 2 and there we had four or five inches of snow on the ground. Many guests could not attend because of cars unwilling to start.

The cake was there!

theres a line, and you can push your self, your car, and your skills (and luck - other drivers are idiots) up to that line, but after that, its stupid to drive on dangerous roads. know your limits, and the limits of your car, and respect them! (and, will insurance pay out if police have advised people in your area not to drive? i doubt they would see a cake as an essential journey? but i dont know)
if the weather is this bad, the couple should be more than happy to have an early delivery, or whatever juggling it takes for everything to still happen.
if the wedding still happens, and the cake isnt there, you are probably looking at a full refund.

the uk really isnt equiped to deal with snow!
xx

I am not taking my $40,000 SUV out to deliver a cake in extreme adverse conditions. I have an inclement weather policy.

i was born and raised in south texas and its true, we don't leave our houses for anything under 40F lol! it has snowed once in my city in the past 100+ years and the city SHUT DOWN for the week because of it! i have no idea how ya'll do it up north. i'll take my 100F+ summers and melting buttercream any day over snow!

Yes there are some days sometimes you simply cannot drive period. That day may not even come once a year but it will come. Cars just slide standing still.

We had sucha day here and I left work to go get my kid from school and dude the traffic was beyond nuts--took hours & hours for a 45 minute roundtrip drive--cars were stopped and helplessly sliding sideways just log jammed in traffic.

Due to all the cars being virtually 'parked' on the grid locked nasty streets so long, by the time I got back to work the roads were all very wet but passable and fine. Had I not gone out to get him we all woulda been much much safer.

Can you say "Mom to the rescue for the ride of your life"

My son got married in March of 1999. They had a late morning wedding, so I had set up the cake the night before since we were going to be there for the rehearsal (reception was in the church hall). We woke up in the morning to 10 inches of snow. Wedding went on, on time. Some people couldn't make it, but most did.

What date are we talking about here? I've just looked at the BBC weather satellite images for up until Saturday, and it looks like a rise in temp is coming for Thursday, and dry too for the weekend, so you may be ok. Fingers crossed for you. Depends of course on what car you have.
We're sitting under well over a foot of snow up here in Scotland, schools are closed for a second day, and most likely tomorrow too.
Unfortunately as brincess b says, we really aren't very well equipped to deal with this volume of snow in the Uk, and it doesn't help that in these times of cutbacks and austerity that the local council's aren't willing to do any more than the basic clearing of main roads and motorways.
Is the venue in countryside?
If so, then it may be an idea to try to work out if you can deliver the cake early, during the thaw/break in snow, or have a plan B of a dummy cake that they can use for cutting for the photographs, that you could perhaps have on standby. Maybe someone could take that to the venue in advance this weekend, just in case. The venue may be able to provide a dessert option if they're in a real jam.
You may want to discuss with the bride alternative non perishable fillings if she's already ordered fruit or fresh cream fillings. Fruit cake with marzipan& fondant of course would be just fine to deliver early.

Oh blimey, just looked outside, its comong down by the bucketload here!

We have a weather clause in our contract, mostly because of Hurricanes, I got married the weekend before Hurricane Charlie hit Orlando Fl, If I had gotten married the weekend of the Hurricane there would not have been a wedding. We are on the cost and when hurricanes hit we take it very seriously and when the advisory goes out we contact our brides and see when the wedding will be re-scheduled. As for our normal torrential downpours, we deliver until we are told to evacuate.