some of you may remember me talking about making a wedding cake over the summer for a Serbian bride having about 500 guests and just wanting a small cake...LAST MINUTE. Well, her friend (and a bride that I was originally suppose to make my first Serbian wedding cake for) has been in talks with me about HER cake for the same amount of people. I couldn't take it anymore...after a handful of emails and me quickly realizing that she was going lower and lower with servings (under 200 because they have "other" desserts) and while I was waving the fee for the top tier and the very complicated set up she had...I told her I will not be able to do a cake for her for under $300.

she ended up wanting a very complex cake with glass vases underneath on top of a plexi glass (which i didn't think would hold the 3 -4 tiered cake) and also foam separators with a certain color ribbon AND diamond ribbon or whatever you call it. She tried the age old scam "I talked with another home baker and she gave me $x.xx per serving". obviously significantly lower than what I was quoting her from the original photo being in fondant and fondant ribbons and such.

yes, I was stupid and went lower in my price per serving because she was a friend I went to college with...and I shouldn't have. my last email to her stated something to the fact of "I am a business woman and have been doing this for a while, I cannot do your cake for lower than $300 without getting paid for my time to decorate and set up your cake" (as well as being apologetic for wasting her and my time)

I DON'T CARE IF SHE EMAILS ME BACK UPSET OR GOES BACK TO MY ORIGINAL QUOTE...I will NOT be doing her wedding cake!!! even if she wasn't asking another baker about a lower price...this is just ridiculous and I really don't think I can work with brides anymore.

I know this is long winded but I just want to thank you to all the ladies, decorators, and members on this site that have given advice and their stories in these situations and have stuck up for themselves! i really do feel like I am saving myself from a future of nonsense from this friend/bride...maybe this will also be a wake up call for how she is conducting herself for her wedding.

Way to go! You should be very proud. Standing up for your value is a hard lesson to learn but the most important. Your time and talent is worth a lot more than the headaches she was giving you.

good for you!!!! *thumbs up*

THANK YOU! I am proud of myself! I don't like confrontation but at this point, I don't care. My ultimate lesson is: just because someone SAYS that they need to fit a cake in their budget, doesn't mean that I need to BUDGE on my pricing!

Yay! I'm glad you stood up for yourself. =)

good for you

I look at it this way: My business is my child and it's up to me to protect it. It really helps when it's time for confrontation! Good for you for sticking up for yourself AND your business.

Good for you. You don't need to be bullied into anything. I rarely do wedding cakes anymore for that very reason

Well done!!

The fact that you are letting me know that you are speaking to someone else would annoy me instantly, I would have refered her back to that other home baker straight away.I don't fall for those tricks.Well done for sticking up for yourself.

Great going step0nmi - you may even be changing your username to watchoutf0rmi soon!

I deal almost exclusively with brides and wedding cakes and every bride fishing for a discount uses the "well this other baker quoted me $X.xx" line. I always tell them "If you liked the look and the taste of their cake better we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?"

I think the "other baker" thing is hilarious. If the "other baker" wants to give such a great deal, why are you still talking to me? heh, heh.

welp! i was wrong...thought that my post threw her but she's emailed me back. Now her tone has changed and she doesn't want to go above $350. i'm still done with it though...i've been sick for 3 weeks and don't feel like dealing with her at all. I am definitely sure she didn't have another baker now.

Sorry to hear you have been under the weather Hope by now you are better. Please, please keep us updated on this whole thing.

i really don't know if i want to say anything to her...maybe she'll just go away! lol

She probably won't go away, just get on your nerves some more. Your best bet would be to thank her for her interest in your baking but you are unable to do her cake for that date. She might never call you again, but I think you can probably handle that . Think ahead to all of the wonderful customers you can bake for!

ok...so this is the first time ever that i cannot actually drum up a response to a customer. i think i need your ladies help. I am not sure whether i want to do her cake now...it almost sounds as if i would be doing her a "favor", but she keeps coming to me and i know she likes my work. btw, the cake IS for memorial day weekend...i don't ever really do anything on that weekend :p

first email that i talked about how she came back after I said i wouldn't do it:
Sorry for the delay in my response, its been a very busy last few weeks! Why don't you tell me what you would be comfortable doing that set up for. I can say I definitely do not want four tiers, and I definitely don't care how many it feeds, but I do care about the design and about keeping it below $350. Thanks

email today:
I wanted to make sure you received my last email, I have included it below. Since then the other baker I was considering has let me know she will actually be out of town for the holiday weekend, so she is no longer an option. If you are still interested in doing the cake and letting me know what your quote would be please let me know so I don't go to the bakeries in town if I don't have to. Thanks so much!


what to say? what would YOU say?

I'd say this:

"I'm sorry, but I'm no longer available for that date. If you'd like to try someone else, you can check with (then fill in the name of someone you don't like), they can probably help you."

No more than that, you don't owe her an explanation and you don't need to continue the conversation after that.

i sent her to somewhere i KNOW it is going to cost WAY more than me...any actual bakery is going to cost more than what i quoted though. she's in for a real treat!