big surprise the bride didn't like the price I quoted her on the 1st cake!! The 1st cake w/handmade flowers, vines, vase, etc...was $621 (as shown). W/purchased flowers $513.
So she said she would maybe go w/a diff. cake...so she sends me the 2nd cake pic to get a price quote!!! 
I don't think she is getting it!!! 
well I'm not backing down on the price, that's why she said she would just need to go w/a diff. cake!! but I told her the most expensive part of the 1st cake was the labor intensive decorations.
so was surprised when I saw the 2nd pic!! While the decorations aren't as elaborate....still alot of decorations and the placement of them is going to be a nightmare to make sure it is straight all the way around the cake & the cake is BIGGER!!!
not sure about this one!! I don't think I'm going to be able to give her her 'dream' cake in the price range she wants!! And of course she hasn't liked ANY suggestion I've made to help bring the cost down!!
That was my first thought when I saw the second picture that it would be harder than the first one because of the precision needed. At least the first one was a little more freeform. I don't know how you would even get those large roses to stay on the side like that.
C
OMG!! She has gone from a 4 tier cake to a 5 tier cake where two of the cakes are two cakes high, so a total of 7 cakes!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA, the second cake is more expensive than the first one. Making that ball of roses is not going to be a ball in the park!! It's probably got more work than the first being so much bigger.
Quote her more on the second cake!! LOL
i would charge $950 at least for the second cake, that is in Australian dollars, which makes it US$700.
good luck with that one ; )
Nati
I just have a question! What book are those cakes in?? I'd love to see the rest of the book!
Sorry I'm no help!
Dawn
Why, oh why, do people think cakes like that are just a couple hours and walla-they are done??? She is not in the right frame of mind if she thinks either of those cakes are simple and inexpensive! There is alot of work involved and you most certainly should be paid accordingly for either of them!!! Can you find something comparable but less labor intensive for her? I know you said she doesn't like any of your suggestions but if noone in town will make the first one and the 2nd one is more taxing-you would think she would listen to the expert in the room!!
I just have a question! What book are those cakes in?? I'd love to see the rest of the book!
Sorry I'm no help!
Dawn
the cake w/the vase is from a website: alabamaweddings.com. I thought she said she got it from a magazine, but tonight she emaile me the link!! So now I know that cake was done Barbara's Cake Shoppe in AL.
The really tall cake is from a magazine, but I'm not sure which one. She is suppose to let me know b/c I told her I wanted to see it!! I'll let you know when she tells me!
After sitting here and giggling a bit, then showing my husband the pictures and him giggling a bit more...it's kind funny...HE even said she can't be believe she went from one cake out of her price range to one that is even more expensive than the 1st!!!
I emailed her and just told her we needed to actually meet again this weekend and spend some serious time figuring out what she wants vs. what I can do in her price range!!! I think if I actually see her and can maybe 'show' her some of the more inexpensive options...she'll be more apt to budge!! I hope anyway......
Could you call the cake shop in Ala-just tell her you saw the cake are just wondering how much it would be-if you have to say you are cake shopping for a wedding cake-so be it-technically you are-then you can present the bride with the cost from the original cake----maybe then she will get a clue. If not, you may not want to be doing her cake at all.....
Ok.. as a bride to be myself, I feel like she deserves a little defending here. I think its really easy for us "cake people" to forget that not everyone is in the know about these things. From a complete laymens way at looking at the second cake:
You already offered to make fake tiers for the first cake, so (in her mind) what's an extra thing of styrafoam? Plus this second cake has BIGGER flowers.. that's not nearly as intricate as the first one so it must be cheaper! How hard can it be to stick them all around a cake? People have flowers stuck on cake all the time...
See how easy it is to think the second cake could be cheaper?
I honestly don't think this bride is trying to rip you off... I just think she doesn't know how to 'price' a cake..
I honestly don't think this bride is trying to rip you off... I just think she doesn't know how to 'price' a cake..
Oh, I hope I wasn't coming off that way!!! I didn't mean too........and that's what I meant by "I don't think she gets it"....she isn't understanding how the cakes are priced!! Maybe should have been a bit clearer on that.
When I told her the price of the 1st cake I broke down the price for her so she could see why it was so expensive....and it wasn't the cake itself!! I even made her a pricing sheet w/each part priced seperatley & w/some varations to bring price down!!! But I still think she missed the 'labor intensive' portion of the explanation!!! But w/a fondant covered cake....adding more tiers isn't usually going to help bring the price down!! That's why I hope we can meet in person and maybe it will be easier to explain and reason w/her!!
She hasn't been terrible to deal with....just stuborn!!! After I explained the price of the 1st...she just said she would probably have to go w/another cake then. I offered a few changes that could be made to bring the price down...but she said she really liked the cake as shown and she would find something else. Wasn't really any more said about it...she new she couldn't afford it...so she moved on!! But just surprised me that the next cake I get was the one I got!! Wasn't expecting it....and I don't think she understood my pricing explanation!!
Heehee... we brides have selective hearing!
I'm actually marrying a foreigner.. and in his culture the cake is FAKE. The entire thing is made out of plastic (since every wedding couple uses it over and over again) and there's a small slit at the bottom that's filled with cream so they can "cut the cake." 
When I heard that: 
That's exactly how my emotions went...
We're now having a REAL wedding cake and I'm determined that it be gorgeous! His family can't understand why I want to spend so much money on a cake but... I'm determined!
I don't think you're going to get thru to this bride. I think you should just be frank and say: Look, what you are showing me are RUNWAY cakes.. we need to bring it down to the GAP or JCREW level.. (sometimes talking in metaphors helps.)
I know this really doesn't begin to address the whole scope of this issue about brides and expectations and reality 
, and I also am not sure what you as a decorator prefer to do, but just practically, it seems like you could make your life and her budget easier by doing the first cake with three tiers and replace the vase on top with the ball of flowers from the second design . . . not that that design would be so quick to roll out of the shop, but still. Meeting with her sounds like the best solution--curious to know what she ultimately chooses! Good for you for sticking to your pricing, too.
[quote="pinkbunny"]well I'm not backing down on the price, that's why she said she would just need to go w/a diff. cake!!quote]
don't go lower on the price - I think the 2nd cake is more extravagent than the first. good luck!
I have a small question, how do you determine the cost of the flowers you do for wedding cakes? Is it by the flower and complexity or do you charge hourly? BTW, I agree, don't back down on price, check with the bakery to see what they charge, and once you and her sit down face to face, maybe this time you can get thru to her (with you terrific price list) what costs really are.
deb
I missed the first thread...what is the link?
How many people is she serving? Does it have to have exactly the same number of layers? Did she tell you her budget? She may not be in anyone's price range!
Does it have to be covered in fondant? I think you could do a similar job in buttercream with the Viva method. Especially if there are so many flowers to cover it.
When I have bride like this, I search the internet for similar cakes that I feel are in her price range. If you can manipulate pictures on your computer, you can find all white cakes or wrong color cakes and change the colors for her.
These are pretty but..wow! I would charge at least 3 dollars a serving plus the ornament.
Good Luck!
Although I think you are way underpricing yourself even at $621 for the first cake.....would it be possible to do a smaller three tier version with buttercream sheet cakes in the back? Definitely purchased vase....who's going to eat it anyway?
Good luck to you.....hopefully you'll get a chance to talk to her face to face this weekend.
I have a small question, how do you determine the cost of the flowers you do for wedding cakes? Is it by the flower and complexity or do you charge hourly? deb
Well, I'm not sure if I'm doing it like others....but I start my cost for fondant decroation by adding to the price per slice. So I start w/my base price of $3.50 per serving (fondant covered)....and then start to add $0.25 per serving for the fondant/gumpaste decorations (not including topper--completely seperate price). Since I can't really determine exactly how many flowers/decorations I'm going to really need for each cake until I start to put the final product to together....I'm going more by my time & difficulty than by flower. And since more servings...will generally mean more/bigger cake...which will need more decorations.....I just find it easier to add a per serving cost than price per flower. I hope that makes sense!! Anyone have better suggestions??
I do this for my specialty cakes also. So if I get something simple, like the initial cakes in my gallery....that was just an additional $0.25 per serving (they were 8" cakes so 0.25 x 18 = $4.50). Those decorations were fairly simple and not very time consuming (I think had the fondant decos done in less than 30 min)!!
So for the 1st cake the price of the ALL fondant decorations (roses, stephonatis, vines, & swirlies on the cake itself...not the topper)...ended up costing an additional $1.50 per serving (which I really think is WAY to low, but I really was tring to work w/her)....that cake would feed 134 people (hexagon shaped)....which brought the price to $201!!! And then the price of the vase was $50 for the vase and $50 for the roses in the vase for a total of $100....again priced way under!! But even though she was having dummy cakes, I had to explain that I would still need the same amount of decorations whether it was real cake or just a dummy. having the dummy cakes only saved her on the cost of the actual cake itself and saved her the trouble of having to get rid of a bunch of cake!!
I think it is a fair pricing setup, b/c I'm still new and learning...plus, unfortunately, I'm still more expensive than most of the places in my area (for weddings & specialty cakes)!! But noone will work w/fondant...so I feel they are getting a steal w/my cakes!!
And she really ONLY needs to feed 60 people....that is why 2 cakes are going to be dummy cakes. But she is set on getting a VERY tall cake....so doesn't want to go w/less than 4 tiers! And will not comprimse on that!! So I'm trying to find a 4-tier cake I can do in her price range...and she doesn't want BC at all....and she doesn't like the seperated cakes (like w/pillars or anything like that)!!
What about some sort of tall cake stand? It will elevate the cake to give the illusion of "grandeur", but no decorating required? Just another way to go.
yeah, she's already got that covered.... the cake (whatever she choses to do)....will also sit on one of those huge round cake plateus...in addition to the 4tiers!! I have to give it to her that she knows exactly what she wants...a REALLY REALLY tall cake!!!
Ok, hope you guys aren't getting tired of this yet!! 
but.....I was just thinking and maybe found a way to get her the first cake she wants....except make it round instead of hexagon?? since there are fewer size options w/hexagon she was pretty much stuck w/the four sizes offered....so no messing around w/ different sizes!
but if I offered to do it in round.....Currently the hexagon size options are 15", 12", 9" & 6" tiers (134 servings...I use Earlene's chart for wedding servings). However, by doing the cake in round tiers, I can reduce the sizes to 12", 10", 8", and 6" (93 servings). So that brings the 'cake & dummy total down from $321 to $280. (charging $1.50 per serving for dummy cakes which would be the 8" & 6"). And then the flower decorations on the cake from $200 to $140 ($1.50 x # of servings). So the final price would be $520!!!
does that make sense....and seem reasonable!! seems werid that changing the shape would alter the price so much!!
just want to check w/you guys before I offer it to her.....but it is still $100 over her budget...but she may be more inclined to go for that than $200 over!! but between her two choices she's presented me w/so far....her options are slim!!
thanks everyone for you comments and help on this one!!!
pinkbunny
I can see that you are going to reduce the price by $100, now do so, if you really really want to make this cake. But I cannot see that this is going to be a lot less work. You're still doing 4 tiers, how much are your costs being reduced by?? and how much time are you going to be saving?? You're still baking the same number of cakes right??
Nati
I think you are EXTREMELY generous with this bride. I wish my cake maker was as nice as you! 
If you're willing to make the cake for the amount you stated then go for it~ I think you're being far too generous but that might be the jealous bride in me talking.. 
Holy Moses! That is one big ol' cake!!
I have never made a cake that large so I can't even begin to comment on what you could do. But I just wanted to say that you are being super nice to this bride and very accomodating. That and, WOW...that's one BIG cake!
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