I was approached by a friend's friend who says she is a wedding/ party planner. She knows that I do cakes and asked if I could do one in April for a client of hers who is having a birthday party. The cake is suppose to be big enough for 100 people. When I saw her at a friend's house she initially said something like " I have a party and I need a cake", this was in February. I told her to give me a call so she could place the order. I thought it was short notice and didn't hear anything else about it from her, no phone call to place an order or anything. Then out of nowhere I hear from her Sunday ,3/4/07, and she says "so are you going to do the cake?". I then tell her she needs to fill out an order form, have a deposit, etc.
Since the cake is for a client how do I know that the person is getting what they really want? She gave me a brief description of the client's request and said that she herself wanted to taste the icing because she didn't know what buttercream tasted like. WHAT?? "Is the cake for you or your client?", I thought. And by the way I called her on 3/5/07 and left a message urging her to get back with me ASAP and even emailed her. Time is running out April will be here soon. Help! If you have had experience with wedding/party planners is this normal behavior?
You need a month's notice to do a birthday cake?
It is not very professional, to say the least, but if this woman is a successful party planner you don't want to burn bridges either. I would prepare a contract with the date of the event, the planners name, a total cost for cake for 100, and a required deposit amount ( I charge 25%) and return date. E-mail it or snail mail it to her.
If she doesn't contact you, it's her fault. If she contacts you late, add a rush fee. She should contact you, and then at that point, insist on the clients name and contact information so you have the responsible party's info.
I suspect this woman is playing a little fast and loose, and intends to charge her client more than you are charging without telling them.
[quote1="FatFace"]txkat,
I sent her an email contract exactly like the one you suggested. That was the last email I sent to her. I don't understand the last part of your post. How could she charge the client more?[/quote]
The only way the planner could charge the client more is if you are working with the planner only....say she orders the cake and you charge $100...she can turn around and charge her client $140 and pocket that money.
The fact that she isn't letting you have direct contact with the client leads me to believe that she will contract with you directly, and then resell your cake to the client at a profit.
In other words, you will tell her $300 and she'll tell the client $500, pocketing the $200.
Many party planners earn their income by charging a percentage of the price of the services they secure, but that should be disclosed upfront to the client. To me it doesn't sound like this woman intends to do that.
You need a month's notice to do a birthday cake?
Hey! I REQUIRE 2 weeks prior to a birthday/occasion cake and MONTHS for a wedding cake. I don't do this full time and I need time to plan!
In some cases the client allows the planner to make these decisions (not weddings....totally) for them; that's why they pay them! I have a friend that did this for a while with children's parties. She was contacted, client chose a theme and my friend implemented the plan without further input from the clients. Go figure!
I'm a CONTROL FREAK so this is something I would never do....but, I hear it happens!
I would send one more e-mail and give her a specific date on which you need order and deposit and if she doesn't comply that you will not be available to do the cake. I mean, trying to get business is one thing, allowing someone to control YOUR time is another. JMHO!
Beth in KY
" I have a party and I need a cake", this was in February. Since the cake is for a client how do I know that the person is getting what they really want? She gave me a brief description of the client's request and said that she herself wanted to taste the icing because she didn't know what buttercream tasted like. WHAT?? "Is the cake for you or your client
It's unprofessional of her not to get back to you immediately, even if it's just to tell you that she's deciding on whatever...
but the "I have a party and I need a cake" comment sounds normal to me. Having been in the restaurant business all my life (I'm Greek 
), I have used those words myself whenever we had a booking for a party...
I guess she wants to taste the icing to make sure it tastes good? Maybe she doesn't realize that bc is called bc.
I guess she wants to taste the icing to make sure it tastes good? Maybe she doesn't realize that bc is called bc.
Or maybe she understands that IMBC and Wilton class stuff with Crisco and "butter" flavoring are both called buttercream.
Maybe this is one of those clients who hire a wedding planer cause they don't want anything to do with the planing. It's normal for her to want to taste the cake she is recommending. It's also a common practice for wedding planers to resale your cake, as long as she pays you your fee, what ever she does after is her problem.
I would invite her to a formal testing, out do my self with the presentation, and use the moment to tell her the way you'll like to work, in terms of contract, time needed for bookings, down payments and such. Ask if she is reselling the cake, if not, you can offer a percentage for every client.
There's nothing like having a wedding planer on your side. Don't burn that bridge.
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