Wedding Planner Insisting On Picking Up Cake--
Decorating By Elcee Updated 15 Jul 2013 , 5:22pm by Elcee
Forget the ice pack.
Give her a cup 3/4 full of water and a strip of duct tape to attach it to her dash board.
Call it her 'Cake Monitor"....if she makes it splash the cake is in danger.
Proceed at your own risk. :)
mommachris
A
Original message sent by mommachris
Forget the ice pack.
Give her a cup 3/4 full of water and a strip of duct tape to attach it to her dash board.
Call it her 'Cake Monitor"....if she makes it splash the cake is in danger.
Proceed at your own risk. :)
mommachris
maybe she should be the one researching the proper care and handling of buttercream in extreme temperatures.
This. If they don't want it delivered, I don't see why you should bend over backward doing flyers, writing emails with everything they should consider doing to bring it home safe. That's their job now.
No delivery? Thank you for signing this waiver. If it shifts, cracks, things fall off, falls off the table, explodes or implodes... it's no longer your problem ( even thought it would be sad if anything happened ). This is why you offer deliveries, not because you enjoy cruising around town with a delicate cake in your trunk.
You could always sell them a " delivery kit " with ice, non-slip pad, an extra pair of arms and a rear view mirror. All for a fee of course.
The wedding planner obviously thought your 150$ delivery fee was " un-necessary " , it's just driving a cake around right, right ?
A
Original message sent by Pyro
This. If they don't want it delivered, I don't see why you should bend over backward doing flyers, writing emails with everything they should consider doing to bring it home safe. That's their job now.
No delivery? Thank you for signing this waiver. If it shifts, cracks, things fall off, falls off the table, explodes or implodes... it's no longer your problem ( even thought it would be sad if anything happened ). This is why you offer deliveries, not because you enjoy cruising around town with a delicate cake in your trunk.
You could always sell them a " delivery kit " with ice, non-slip pad, an extra pair of arms and a rear view mirror. All for a fee of course.
The wedding planner obviously thought your 150$ delivery fee was " un-necessary " , it's just driving a cake around right, right ?
I always offer a "free pick up" clause for all of my cakes (even wedding cakes). I created a cake pick up instruction sheet that I email to them in advance and it says right on there that once is leaves my doorstep, it's no longer my problem. I am not liable for ANYTHING that happens to the cake once it leaves my doorstep. I provide a box and I structure the cake well so it won't fall over in the drive (as long as they drive safe) but other than that, I don't provide ice or a cooler or anything like that. I doubt she'll have a problem with a 2-tiered cake unless she takes the corners hard or slams on the break but again, no longer your problem :) haha.
Funny story... I had a woman send her father and mother (in full wedding attire) in a ford 2-seater pick up truck to pick up a 4-tiered wedding cake. I explained IN DETAIL in advance that there needs to be a flat covered trunk in the back with lots of room, preferably an SUV etc, etc but she just didn't listen. I ended up having her mom sit in the front seat, push her chair back as far as possible and we BARELY had the cake fit on her lap. I'm sure her legs fell asleep and that top of the cake likely hit the ceiling but hey, I tried to tell them! Haha... it was so funny! I got pictures of the cake later and it turned out fine. She saved $40 and I got a good laugh :)
While I agree with Liz and AZ and Pyro, I know myself. I'd feel awful if the cake didn't make it. I also know that's ridiculous of me but it is what it is. I do feel like the planner could have stressed the importance of it to her client, though, and was feeling a bit "dissed" by them. It was a last minute order, if they hadn't waited so long, they could have found someone more local to do the cake.
All of this is now a moot point, though. There's a wildfire burning less than 2 miles from the home where the wedding is going to be and the area is being evacuated. 
It's one of several burning in our state right now. They are frantically looking for somewhere else to hold the wedding. I've already offered to deliver it for free as long as the new venue is in Colorado Springs.
So sorry to hear about the wildfires. Hope they are able to find an alternate venue and continue with their special day.
Is this a family member's home that is near the fires? I didn't realize people still hired wedding planners for "in home" weddings. I learn something new everyday. :)
Liz
So sorry to hear about the wildfires. Hope they are able to find an alternate venue and continue with their special day.
Is this a family member's home that is near the fires? I didn't realize people still hired wedding planners for "in home" weddings. I learn something new everyday. :)
Liz
No, they're from out of state and rented a vacation home for the wedding, thus the need for a planner, I guess.
.........Forget the ice pack. Give her a cup 3/4 full of water and a strip of duct tape to attach it to her dash board. Call it her 'Cake Monitor"....if she makes it splash the cake is in danger. Proceed at your own risk. :)...........
As others have said, this is the BEST answer! :) It's such a wise way to keep track of what's going on. Wish I had known of this idea when I was delivering cakes!
So sorry to hear about the wildfires. Hope they are able to find an alternate venue and continue with their special day.
Is this a family member's home that is near the fires? I didn't realize people still hired wedding planners for "in home" weddings. I learn something new everyday. :)
Liz
Around here it's pretty common to hire a planner if you're getting married at a private home. That's the time that you really do need someone who knows the kind of things you'll have to rent and arrange for if you're not at a standard venue.
Around here it's pretty common to hire a planner if you're getting married at a private home. That's the time that you really do need someone who knows the kind of things you'll have to rent and arrange for if you're not at a standard venue.
Let me just say that where I live now, I'm pretty sure there isn't a wedding planner. 
(Small town, there might be 50 to 100 chairs you can rent at the True Value, but you probably don't need a wedding planner for that.) And if you are getting married at home, it probably won't be a lavish affair.
Missing the days of living in a big city where such things exist . . .
Liz
So, I love this discussion. Delivering a cake is so stressful for me. I have a question though. I typically do not refrigerate fondant covered cakes or any of my cakes really (unless they have a perishable filling). I've heard about bad things happening to fondant covered cakes in refrigerators. Plus, I've seen what has happened to fondant cake leftovers in my own fridge. Is refrigeration really necessary if the cake is structured properly?? I'm getting nervous with the heat of the summer approaching...
I would have the wedding planner sign a waiver agreed by the bride, and then take a photo of the cake sitting in the car before they drive away. Then there is clear evidence that the cake was in perfect condition before she drove off, and any damage created by the time she arrives at the venue would have been clearly done by her driving there.
AI refrigerate everything regardless of whether it's fondant or buttercream. If it has a lot of gumpaste or sugarwork on it that would go on closer to the time of delivery, but I keep everything refrigerated regardless. Cakes with fondant will sweat when you take them out of the fridge, especially if it's humid, but if you leave them alone and don't touch them it will dry out eventually. If you're not sure, take a piece of fondant, roll it out on a board, decorate it with the piping,etc that the cake will have on it, then take it out of the fridge and let it sit so you can see what it will do.
Here's the story of the dropped cake: http://www.acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-give-mother-of-bride-stroke-on.html
**UPDATE**
The planner FINALLY posted pictures from this wedding on Facebook! The heat (or possibly the drive, or both) definitely got to the cake but it wasn't terrible. I have no idea if the new venue had AC or not. The top tier was looking a little wonky but otherwise ok. The photographer did get a great shot of it from above.
EDIT: in the picture of the bride and groom cutting it, it doesn't look wonky at all.
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