I absolutely think she is entitled to a refund and I'm sure whoever made the cake would be more than willing to make her an anniversary cake at no charge.

If a cake ruined her wedding then I'm afraid she will have a lifetime of disappointments.

To all the people who say " get a grip" do you remember how stressed you were on your wedding day? its supposed to be the happiest day of your life but how often is it beautiful and stress free and happy lalala? You stress about the hair, makeup, the amount of money we have just spent, family getting along, uncle joey not drinking too much and molesting waitresses, looking good in your dress yada yada yada... Yeah there are alot of bridezillas out there but this girl didnt sound like one of them.

If it was me? I would be pissed. I pay for expensive ingredients like chocolate and alcohol and get white cake and cream. We all know wedding cakes arent cheap, and i i had paid upwards of 700 for a cake and found out it was the wrong one it would upset me. I would have paid money that could have been used elsewhere on something i didnt get.

I think we all watch a little too much bridezilla and get too defensive if a bride questions something.
Think how you would feel in that situation. I would be upset, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Besides... i would really NEED chocolate by that stage of the evening!

my two bobs worth, flame away

I don't have the time to read all the posts, and maybe this has already been said, but-

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE HAVE CONTRACTS!!!

What kind of idiot writes up a contract, then doesn't have the sense to follow it? The bride does deserve something, but it's not the end of the world. Was it good, at least?

My dh's grandfather was killed in a car accident at the airport on the Thurs. PM before our wedding-she should be thankful that at least everyone is alive. And the cake looked pretty for the pics.

Just adding my 2 cents worth on this one...IF i DON'T, i'LL BURST!
First of all, if the cake was decorated beautifully, who was going to know it wasn't what was ordered on the INSIDE besides the immediate family?
Second, what is wrong with people??! Honestly! Lighten up and learn to LAUGH at life's LITTLE problems people! If this small little mishap "ruined" their wedding, I feel sorry for them when real life hits them in the face!
Hopefully their like will go smoothly, and not be faced with horrible mishaps like MINE was! A husband who had a heart attack at 45, a child born with so many problems that she had to endure 31 surgeries by the time she ws 9 yrs. old... and so on! I mean COME ON FOLKS! If they are going to allow something so trivial like a wrong cake flavor to ruin their beautiful day, what will they do when the REAL crap hits the fan?? I have learned one thing in my life full of messy mishaps...YOU MUST LEARN TO FIND HUMOR in ALL situations as difficult as it may be at times! Maybe you won't find anything funny until long after it happens, but trust me, it's the ONLY way to get through the messy parts of life and keep your sanity.
I guess I just keep perspective on small things like a wrong cake flavor...I had to learn this the hard way when I lived in a pediatric ward with my daughter and saw some horrible things for a long time! I'm sorry to make this seem so depressing , bu tit's true! I can't help but get a little P.O.'d when I see and hear things like this when there is so much more BIG things to get upset over. Sorry...I HAD to get this off my chest. Freedom of speech ya know!
Now...everyone go hug their kids, and kiss their hubby and remember...in the scheme of life...IT'S ONLY A CAKE!!!

If this happened to me (and I guess it still could since my wedding day still has yet to come), I, for one, would be upset enough (at least on a temporary basis) that I would say in the heat of the moment that it ruined my evening. To have something that is such an important part of your perfect day messed up, would result in enough disappointment that it would put a shadow on your wedding day. I have a feeling the OP's statement was more a figure of speech to describe how horrible this mistake was and how disappointed the bride felt.

Besides, I hate raspberry filling in cakes. If I cut into my cake and found raspberry, I would be devastated. I'm also one of those who think the wedding cake importance comes right after the groom. Give her some credit. Plus, if I would put possibly $1000 on a cake, it had better turn out right.

I have run into vendors for my friend's weddings where they just ignored what the bride wants and it can be very frustrating and sometimes the brides do overreact. Do you blame them? They tell people what they want and get nowhere with them.

I would definitely request a refund (if for no other reason than they just weren't paying attention) and it would be fantastic if they would make her a fresh anniversary cake.

Ya know, years ago when I was a newlywed at 18, I probably would have over reacted. But, now at 50, I'm a lot wiser (I think). As so many others have already stated, it is not the end of the world. Yes, she should be refunded part of her money, and a anniversary cake would be nice, but I hope she can get over it, and concentrate on what is really important. Building a life for her new husband, family and friends, and being happy. Some day she will be older and will have lost people that she loves, and that silly cake won't matter at all.

i just got done watching oprah which i rarely do- and it was about a dr who's been fighting pancreatic cancer now in the final stages- and he was talking about one time when he went over to his sister's place with his new car and everyone was joking around dont touch uncle's car dont get it dirty etc etc and giggling..

then to his sister's shock he was in the back seat pouring a can of soda over the backseat..... the kids laughing etc.. his sister asked "what are you doing to your new car?" he said "Its just a thing-" and that moment actualy helped his nephew feel better later on when he had a flu moment in uncles car later- because it was just - a - thing..

i know its not the same - thing- as a wedding cake- but ... as he said its just a thing.. embrace the true reasons for being happy-


and please dont think i'm on some preaching mission or a soap box.. i just happend to watch this and it helped me get over something that happend this weekend personaly...........

anyways.. despite all this and that- i'm glad the bride had a wonderful wedding. she, her husband and family are most deserving i'm sure.

I'm mainly in the "get over it" group. She does deserve a partial refund and a free anniversary tier, but if it ruined her day, she needs some perspective.

I don't see a contradiction in saying that "It's just cake" compared to a marriage-- a lifetime commitment and still feeling somewhat annoyed with those uninformed who are unaware of what goes into even a relatively simple cake and don't want to pay for it and say "it's just cake". A wonderful cake can make any occasion that much more special. A cake should not be able to ruin anyone's wedding. I had so much fun on my wedding day, in part because I refused to be stressed about every little detail. I assume some stuff went wrong. I really don't know and am quite happily married.

As a person running a cake business, I would offer a partial refund--the partial part because it was decorated properly and didn't ruin pictures atleast. They would also get a fresh cake for the anniversary in the correct flavor along with a huge apology.

I am much more laid back now that I am older, but I planned for ages for my wedding and I would have been upset if one detail of my wedding was messed up. The family things you can't help, but your caterer and cake decorators, florists, etc are paid professionals. You are paying them high dollars to do EXACTLY what you want. If the order is not as stated on the contract, that vendor breached and you need to bring it to their attention. Don't rip their head off when you do, but they need to know they messed up. It was said earlier here, they requested that flavor for whatever reason, and that's what they should have had.

From what I, the cake looked like she wanted it was just the wrong flavors. If it were the wrong cake altogether then yeah it would have put a damper on the reception for me. But the design was right so that shouldn't have made a difference. Now that the flavors were wrong yeah I would have been upset. Yeah I think a Partial refund should be automatic. But it has been said on here to many times to count. The Cake was eaten wasn't it. Then it must not have been too bad. I as a decorator would have been mortified and graciously given a partial refund. But I did do the work. The design was right and the cake was edible even if it was the wrong flavors.

Not saying the bride is wrong to be upset, but there are so many other things that could have gone wrong. The cake flavor should have been the smallest thing, and souldn't have ruined a wedding. Do go talk to the decorator. The contract wasn't upheld. But I hope she goes on to have a Wonderful life with a wonderful husband and doesn't stress about it anymore. Looking back it could be funny.

cCc

From what I read, the cake looked like she wanted it was just the wrong flavors. If it were the wrong cake altogether then yeah it would have put a damper on the reception for me. But the design was right so that shouldn't have made a difference it would have looked right for pictures. Now that the flavors were wrong yeah I would have been upset. Yeah I think a Partial refund should be automatic. But it has been said on here to many times to count. The Cake was eaten wasn't it. Then it must not have been too bad. I as a decorator would have been mortified and graciously given a partial refund. But I did do the work. The design was right and the cake was edible even if it was the wrong flavors. (which I wouldn't do I'm too obsessive compulsive)

Not saying the bride is wrong to be upset, but there are so many other things that could have gone wrong. The cake flavor should have been the smallest thing, and shouldn't have ruined a wedding. Do go talk to the decorator. The contract wasn't upheld. But I hope she goes on to have a Wonderful life with a wonderful husband and doesn't stress about it anymore. Looking back it could be funny.

cCc

When my husband and I got married, 16 years ago, we had a similar problem with our cake. It was decorated exactly as planned, but instead of buttercream frosting, which I had clearly requested, the bakery used whipped cream frosting (which I cannot stand!!!) My husband is not much of a cake eater, so he left the cake decision to me. Anyway, I was unaware of the mistake until it was time to cut the cake and feed each other a bite. Luckily the photo does not show my surprise--one bite and I knew the bakery used the wrong icing. I was super disappointed, but most people commented that the cake was beautiful and delicious (almost no one knew of the error) and I thanked God that of all of the million things that could've gone wrong that day, at least it was something that was barely noticeable to anyone but me and my husband. In the scheme of things, it was a small issue and even though I was so disappointed, by the time we got home from our honeymoon, I just let the issue go and never contacted the bakery. That was long before I began cake decorating myself, and I guess in hindsight I wish I had at least let the bakery know of the error just so I could possibly have gotten a replacement for the top anniversary tier (we didn't end up eating ours). But, as I said, I was happily married, it was a small issue in the grand scheme of things, and as disappointed as I was, I could not then, and cannot now imagine letting something like that "ruin" our wedding reception.

I have to chime in too....

I know that now the day is said in done, she is certainly thrilled that all went well. And that all are well. And hopefully she is on her honeymoon enjoying herself.

My husband and I purchased our cake from a bakery and the girl that owned the place said she was the neice of a big baker in the area....we cut into our cake...(it was fake, the top layer was real so we cut and feed it to each other, that was my way of saving some $) So I get the piece with all the outside part of frosting.....

little did I know she did not know how to make white frosting and it was pure crisco..........on face and boy was it hard to swallow.....she did not make the grooms cake at all...she forgot,
it did not ruin my wedding though we were blessed with a beautiful day and many beautiful memories, I do laugh now and did return to her bakery when we returned home from the honeymoon.

I was given a full refund for the grooms cake and did not request the $ back for the error of the cake...just asked her to bake the correct cake for us to save for the anniversary....and she did...now to put this into perspective, I picked up the corrected top tier on Sept. 11, 2001, by the time I was out of work that day, I couldn't have cared less about a cake, we never ate it, I forgot it in the car for a few days...that night I just ran into the house to be held by hubby....

My point is that this is an easy fix, the bakery will be more than happy to satisfy their customer and make this a happy ending....and years from now it will all be just one more thing to laugh about. (I hope no one was allergic though) I do remember just how stressful it was for a brief moment at the reception....everyone was taking my picture I couldn't spit it out....
but even today I am sure your cousin is fine with correcting this later and
living happily ever after.......

I have to chime in too....

I know that now the day is said in done, she is certainly thrilled that all went well. And that all are well. And hopefully she is on her honeymoon enjoying herself.

My husband and I purchased our cake from a bakery and the girl that owned the place said she was the neice of a big baker in the area....we cut into our cake...(it was fake, the top layer was real so we cut and feed it to each other, that was my way of saving some $) So I get the piece with all the outside part of frosting.....

little did I know she did not know how to make white frosting and it was pure crisco..........on face and boy was it hard to swallow.....she did not make the grooms cake at all...she forgot,
it did not ruin my wedding though we were blessed with a beautiful day and many beautiful memories, I do laugh now and did return to her bakery when we returned home from the honeymoon.

I was given a full refund for the grooms cake and did not request the $ back for the error of the cake...just asked her to bake the correct cake for us to save for the anniversary....and she did...now to put this into perspective, I picked up the corrected top tier on Sept. 11, 2001, by the time I was out of work that day, I couldn't have cared less about a cake, we never ate it, I forgot it in the car for a few days...that night I just ran into the house to be held by hubby....

My point is that this is an easy fix, the bakery will be more than happy to satisfy their customer and make this a happy ending....and years from now it will all be just one more thing to laugh about. (I hope no one was allergic though) I do remember just how stressful it was for a brief moment at the reception....everyone was taking my picture I couldn't spit it out....
but even today I am sure your cousin is fine with correcting this later and
living happily ever after.......

Not that it's too on the subject, but my WHOLE CAKE wasn't what I wanted...not the flavors, not the design, not the flowers, the icing, the decorating, OR the topper. Or the fountain...come to think of it, I never asked for a fountain...I had apparently not been as specific as I should've been with my description of what I had exactly in mind (a very specific picture, mind you), so my decorator took a bit of, ah, creative license to finish the order. (not like she could have called me with any detail questions, like "What KIND of cake do you actually WANT??") ...not bitter...no, no

The only thing that was right was the general wedding colors...

I was shocked almost speechless when I saw it, because what I'd pictured was so not what I got (and I HATE raspberry jam in white cake, which is what she gave me), but I never called the lady back to complain--I was married, it was a perfect day, and we're still married and deliriously in love, in spite of that silly cake, 16 years later.

And yes, now it's become a funny story I tell my bride/customers. "So, girls, I'm here today, to right the wrongs of my own wedding! Tell me what you WANT!"

Tell her to inform the bakery and ask for a refund and a new anniversary tier. I'm sure they'll be happy to accommodate her and apologize all over.

This was a terrible mistake. Somehow the bakery has to make up for their mistake. Certainly they cannot just expect the Bride to forget about what happened. This should not ruined someone's wedding day, but since the Wedding Cake plays a big part in a wedding, it will in a way cause some grief. We all know how we want our wedding day to be perfect. It's just like wearing the wrong wedding dress. How lame of them to make this mistake. They have to compensate the bride for this mistake some how.

Ok, so I've been known to cancel a wedding or two in my day, and at my third kick at the bucket, I was afraid that HE wouldn't show up at the alter! He hadn't picked up his shirt from my mom's house and I was convinced that he wasn't going to go through with it. Of course, he was worried that I was going to back down at the last minute, given my history, so there were tense emotions on both sides

That being said, our beautiful wedding had MANY flaws if I chose to "see" them. So some of the napkins were the wrong color. I was married and in Mexico. So some of the place settings were incomplete. I was married and in Mexico. So the Mariachi band didn't play some of the songs we requested. I was married and in Mexico. You see where I"m going with this...

Of all the people that I know who saved their "anniversary" cake, NONE have actually eaten it. It ends up sitting for years in the freezer and getting thrown out. Personally, I would have eaten mine the next day. I LOVE cake!

If it is a HUGE deal to have the anniversary cake, get the bakery to do the right cake. Or not. Because most people would use the opportunity to tell a funny story at their anniversary party. Our party took place in the delivery room, and BOY do I wish I had cake then!!! But please just be greatful that the cake was the only thing that wasn't perfect. And if you couldn't tell from the way it looked, you were VERY fortunate. And seriously, did anyone else notice???

Let the bakery know nicely, and see what they offer. Then if you must, suggest the anniversary cake be on them.

I mean really, it's not like it was the wrong color of stucco on your house... But that is for another day!!!!

Eat smart... Eat cake!

Absolutely she should be refunded money for the mess up, as well as given a free anniversary cake.

It sounds like the cake decorator was a bit pre-occupied and not focusing on the job at hand.

To us it's not a big deal, to the bride at that exact moment it's a HUGE deal.

I hate orange anything... what would have happened if my cake had been orange andI didn't know it until it was on my tongue... I'd honestly have been dry heaving... HATE HATE HATE the taste of orange. It would have ruined the magic of the moment for me. It's something that is never forgotten.

I asked hubby and he said that it would not ruin his evening but it would definately stick with him, upset him, and he'd be asking for and getting for almost if not all of his cost back because it wasn't what he paid for. He'd also said being the logical person he is he would be on the phone with the decorator right then and there asking what he should do, refuse the cake and let the guests go with out it or serve it to the guests and pick up his refund the next day. He'd also take pictures to prove the error in case the decorator went "cake nazi" on him.

He said that he can see where it definately would ruin the mood of the bride at the reception because guys think about two things on their wedding day getting through the ceremony with out flubbing lines and/or passing out and the wedding night. Brides think about everything else and want it perfect.

We agree that it's the mood at that moment... 30 years from now they probably won't remember the error but for the here and right now they do.

We also agree if that were our customer 100% as a good will gesture and a free anniversary cake for them (and birthday sheets for their next birthday's if they are REALLY upset) for them.

Remember happy customers tell 5 people, unhappy customers tell no less than 20 people.

In the end it's "our" mistake and we need to do what we need to do to make it right regardless of it being a bridezilla or a wonderbride. Leave them happy and that is what they will always rememberr.

I would want to contact the baker / bakery to discuss "why" this occured. Perhaps there's some unknown reason that may shed some light on the situation. I for one, would opt to give them a chance to explain before blowing a gasket. If nothing, then it's a mistake and should be compensated accordingly....but ruin the day???? that's a bit overboard isn't it? As so many have so very appropriately said, there's a lot bigger things that could have gone wrong....ie: stood up at the altar, caterer burning dinner, MOB & MIL showing up in the same gown sorry, just need to remove the emotion from the situation and look at it from a neutral perspective.....

I would give that bride a full refund. I would mortified if I did this to someone's cake. She should definitely let the decorator know about the mistake.
It certainly shouldn't "ruin" her wedding, but it was the decorator's responsibility to get the cake exactly as ordered. This was the decorator's part of the wedding to make "perfect" and help create the "perfect" wedding.
Of course they still had to serve and eat the cake, that was what was expected. They can't very well tell their guests, Sorry the cake is the wrong flavor, there will be no cake at this wedding so that I can get a full refund.
As a decorator I would want photos and maybe even some of the cake returned to me as proof, but I would give her a full refund with my sicerest apoligies and do whatever I could to make it up to her and then take the steps to ensure that this never happened again.

Thanks for your opinions - I'm sorry I actually posted here as I just got done reading how most of you really 'jumped' all over my cousin for getting upset over her cake. Let me tell you - it was her and her new husband that were upset. We helped them move on and enjoy the rest of the time, but it was not the same. I'm sorry no one thinks a bride can be "overly emotional" about something she planned and wanted perfect on her special day. Sheesh.. won't be posting here again.

I'd be a little mad if I were the bride. I don't personally like raspberries, but love chocolate fudge and kahlua! So maybe that's how the reception was "ruined"... having to eat or pretend to enjoy a flavour that you didn't want, or don't normally enjoy.

ok y'all,
I had a huge huge wedding, 400ppl. The amount of stress of planning that event, not to mention an impending marriage. I worked, like most brides do, and didn't sleep for 5 months. I didn't eat. THis is not uncommon. And if I had cut into the cake I had spent at least months thinking about and picking out with my favorite decor and my favorite flavors, and I cut into it to see something else, maybe even something I hated, the 100 flashing cameras catching the shock on my face forever, and I have to continue, without flinching, for the crowd, to feed and eat the cake, I might have had a nervous breakdown. She'll get over it, yes. She will be embarassed of how she felt, but she had every logical reason to be illogical at that time!
leave this bride alone, please.
Does anyone remember what that was like?!
This baker will take care of it, I am sure, and the bride will laugh about this soon. The cake maker never will.