I have a problem that I have never been faced with before. I have a wedding cake that I am doing for this weekend. I have talked to the groom several times about the arragements but have never spoken with the bride. He seems to be taking care of all the arrangements. I did a cake for another wedding where this was the case and I dealt solely with the groom and everything worked out fine so I did not see a problem with dealing with another groom. He ordered in plenty of time, knew the amount, flavors, etc. We set the price and he delivered the topper to me. Everything seemed fine. I contacted him a few days ago about the final details, set up time, etc. and also told him that payment was due yesterday for the cake. He said that was fine and he would get me the money. I never heard from or saw him all day. I left a message yesterday evening and he never returned my call. I have always said that my policy was "no money - no cake" but I have never had to really worry about enforcing it. Perhaps I will hear from him today, but I need to start baking and I hesitate to get started if they have no intention of paying. One of the bridesmaids is my son's girlfriend which is how I got the order and she told me yesterday that she was afraid that they may not pay me. Or that I may have to kept after them for weeks to get my money. What should I do if I don't hear from the groom today? Should I proceed with the cake or should I call and let them know that "no money - no cake" really means just that? I would feel horrible about ruining someones wedding day but I can not afford to do this for nothing. HELP!
I would tell them just that...."I need the money so I can proceed with the baking and decorating of your wedding cake, If I don't hear from you in the next _ hrs. I will assume that you have chosen not to have me make your cake" Simple, to the point!!! Good LUck
You know what you have to do.
No money...no cake. And "no money" means that if you don't get the money in time for you to KNOW you are going to actually get the cake order - and be able to complete it in a a reasonable, unrushed manner - there is no deal. Your business will spread by word of mouth, and part of that "buzz" must be that you are a professional and you conduct your business in a business-like manner. It's best to always get enough of a deposit to cover your costs when you accept the gig. That way, the couple knows this is a "real" business transaction.
You said that your son's girlfriend knows them. Wuold she be able to give you the bride-to-be's phone number? Perhaps she can get the money to you ASAP. Maybe she also need to hear that you need to be paid NOW in order to do the cake.
good luck!
Don't feel bad.
I had to do the same thing for an order I had for Easter. The customer wanted 4 pies, 4 cakes her bill was over a $120. Not to mention she wanted me to deliver it to her 45 minutes away, one way.
She tells me all she has is $40, but she really needs the stuff for people coming in from out of town and could she give me the rest next Friday. My answer was if you have $40 you can only order $40 worth of stuff including the delivery charge ($12). I had to explain to her that this was not a charity event and that is was a business and when I paid my bills that morning I could not tell them that I have to wait until next Friday for my customer to give me the rest of my money.
I have found by reading many posts on this site, the best advice that is posted is we should not sell ourselves short, that is some of the best advice I have ever received.
So I share the same.
If you do not receive the money don't make the cake.
Sorry to be long and on my soap box, but the one thing that burns me up is being taken for a ride.
Ladivacrj
I agree with everyone else here. I wouldn't even think twice about after I call and leave a message stating that this is your second time calling and if you don't here from them within a couple of hours, you will cancel the order. IF one of the bridesmaids specifically said she didn't think they will pay you- they won't pay you.
Thanks for the support. I know its the right thing to do. I just called the groom and left a mesage for him that if I did not hear from him by this afternoon that I would assume they had made other arrangements and I would not be doing their cake. Otherwise I expected to be seeing him with the money for this cake. We will see if I get an answer. I don't think it would do any good to talk to the bride. She doesn't seem to care about any of the details. I know she has been in the background a few of the times that I have talked to the groom so I am sure that she is aware of what is going on. I will keep you posted as to what happens today!
Well since they're already past due....you need to contact them. Do they just need to make one more payment? Have you already received some money?
I'd tell them that if they still need you to do the cake, then it's gonna cost them extra since they missed the deadline. If they don't oblige, give them their money back that they've already paid.
Good Luck! Oh! BTW, if your sons gf said that, then she probably knows them pretty well to be in their wedding.......so be prepared!
I too am somewhat curious about whether or not you've been paid. Even though I only make cakes for my family because i'm not very good at it but I enjoy it as a stress reliever, I would expect my money up front (especially for a wedding cake) or I would not even get the mixing bowl out of the cabinet. If they have overspent on their wedding and don't have the money for a cake or whatever the case, it's entirely their fault if their special day isn't so special because they don't have a cake.
So So So sorry that it took me so long to let you know how it worked out! But it was a busy baking weekend and then we had a sudden death in our family so things have been a little crazy around here. I finally ended up calling the groom on Thursday morning and leaving a mesage that if I did not have payment in hand by noon then I would assume that they had made other arrangements for their cake. Within one hour they were at my door with payment in full! I starting baking and decorating and delivered on Saturday. I wasn't totally pleased with the outcome. The bride wanted something very plain, no texturing, just a small amount of ribbon and some roses. I assumed that she would have plenty of roses for me to work with since this was a rather large stacked cake, but I should have know better. When I got to the reception hall there sat a vase with only 10 roses in it. Some of which were totally opened and not in the greatest of shape! 
I did the best I could. My son told me when he got home from the reception that the bride never said anything about the cake at all, but that the groom commented several times to him and other people about how much he liked it and it was just what they wanted. Who knows!? I did my best and in the end I got paid, but I won't let any orders drag out like that again. Lesson learned. Thanks to all of you for your support and words of wisdom. You are great! I will post the cake picture in my photos later today so let me know what you think.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%