Ok, I have beed decorating cakes for about a year now. I get a ton of jobs, 2-3 a week. But no wedding cakes as of yet.
At first I was too timid to try. Now I think I am up to the challenge. I have done some huge shower cakes for 100 people, done several tiered and stacked cakes...
I just have the clients that all have kids b-days, showeres, etc..
How does a home baker find wedding clients? Any help would be great!
Why don't you grab your yellow pages, look up all the wedding planners & co-ordinators in your area and either send them an info packet with pricing/photos etc....or better yet, make them a box of samples and hand-deliver them. Watch the orders pour in!
If you have no wedding cake photos, make some dummy cakes and photograph those.
Why don't you grab your yellow pages, look up all the wedding planners & co-ordinators in your area and either send them an info packet with pricing/photos etc....or better yet, make them a box of samples and hand-deliver them. Watch the orders pour in!
If you have no wedding cake photos, make some dummy cakes and photograph those.
i think that's a good idea. plus maybe do a couple od dummy wedding cakes to add to the photos since that is the business you are trying to drum up.
GOOD LUCK!
Well if there's anyone's advise you should be paying attention to it's Antonia74! 
Wedding planners aren't really big in Australia unfortunately 
I get my customers from Bridal Expos and also magazine advertising, I only started my business in February last year, so I'm still building it up at this stage, but I find the expos are great, because you get to talk to potential clients and give them samples, and they also can see your display cakes.
Just a word of caution since you said you are a home baker-are you licensed in your state to bake out of your home? If not you may not want to start a big advertising campaign. Be aware that if you aren't licensed lots of places won't deal with you or the venues won't accept a cake from a vendor that isn't licensed and inspected.
Your best bet is word of mouth on the down low!
If you are licensed-ignore everything I have said and follow the excellent advice antonia74 has given!
Thanks all, those are some great ideas! I am not licensed. I did call my local health deprt. and they said that as long as I do not pay for any advertising they are ok with it....
Very hard to get a permit out here, have to have seporate kitchen, ovens, fridges, etc...
But I will try the Wedding Planner idea! The bridal show are soooo pricey here. I looked into doing one at a local mall and they wanted $550 per day for a booth! Too much for this stay at home mom! LOL
Thanks for the input!
If you aren't licenced and the wedding planner recommends you, does that potentially make them liable?
Go to www.vistaprint.com and make up business cards and hand them out to EVERYONE. Including guys, strangers in line at the grocery store, anyone who remotely crosses your path. You would be surprised at how quickly you will make orders!
When I first got started, I would cut out the engagement announcements in the paper and send them my card with a short letter (SHORT!) telling about my cakes and invite them to call me. With switchboard.com and whitepages.com, it's much easier today to find their address. When going thru any checkout line, if there was an engagement ring on the cashier's finger, I'd give her my card. I give a referral credit, so anyone who refers a bride to me earns a credit based on what the bride spends, so I had 'salesmen in the field' looking for brides for me. Brides tend to book their church, reception site and photographer first thing, so if you can get your cards into those folks, that helps. Do you have a rental store in town where brides rent tents, chairs, linens? The one I use has a bulletin board on which I can post my card.
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