I Just Refused To Do A Certain Cake (Long)
Decorating By Mac Updated 21 Apr 2007 , 4:56am by CarolAnn
Well, I knew the day would come when I would have to refuse to do a certain wedding cake. The bride and her fiance went to my website and decided on 2 cakes. "Lavender Stairway" and "Raphael".
The stairway cake has the fountain underneath and 2 stairways to satellite cakes.
Here is why I refused to do this cake...the wedding is in August at 6:00 in the evening...OUTDOORS 
! East Texas in August--AN OVEN!!! The cake will be indoors until right before serving and then the employees will MOVE the cake outdoors. I see catastrophe written all over that one.
I told the bride normally my cakes are not moved once they are set-up. That once I leave I take have no responsibilty of the cake and cannot come back to "fix" a problem when the cake is moved. Even the "Raphael" is on columns and I told them that one also has the potential to shift and fall if moved...the best I could do on that one is not stack and let the employees stack...again, I would have no responsibility on the cake. I was not ugly but I told the bride I would not want to see her wedding day ruined with a cake that fell while it was being moved.
Who told them THAT was a good idea?
Although..... my family has forbidden me to watch any movie involving a wedding cake because it just ticks me off when they show one person carrying a 6 tier cake up the stairs, etc..... I start my rant about how it's obviously a styrofoam because it would be too heavy for one person to carry like that ... well, that's about the time they ban me from the TV room! But it's stuff like that seen by brides to make them think, "Oh just pick it up and move it! They do it on TV so it MUST be do-able!" (bob head back and forth from shoulder to shoulder, bat eyelashes and smile empty-headedly!)
Awww Mac I'm sorry! But I think you made a good call.
I feel sorry for those attending the wedding as well!
You made a wise choice, and you put it nicely. I would rather have someone tell me that the cake may fall if it's moved than not tell me at all and have horrible day. 
Oh Mac, you were so right on this one. I live in San Antonio and know how dreadful August is in Texas.
I had some problems with the same scenario in October and my cake was directly stacked and fondant. The problem was with BC grooms cake. So I think you made the absolue right call. If something went wrong with the cake after you left, they would for sure blame it on the Cake Decorator. You don't need to worry about that.
When a PROFESSIONAL cake decorator tells you that they won't do your cake because of a disaster waiting to happen...that should be a red flag to the bride and groom. I mean part of doing this is making money for some people and when you turn down money on principles, the bride should maybe go home and rethink her version of cake "musical chairs" she wants to have going on.
EEEK! Scary when people don't know
So did she change her mind about what cake she wanted or did she try somewhere else? I expect she'll be back to you!
I always wonder why people have outdoor weddings in August!?! It's just not enjoyable for anyone. I went to an outdoor wedding years ago and we had the pleasure of a rain storm prior to the ceremony so on top of the heat you also got the joy of extreme humidity! I understand the need to maybe keep things simple, have the wedding at a friend's house, etc but goodness-wait for fall! 
Good call mac! Cause you know even with all the warnings somehow you'd catch the blame!
indy-I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets the boot from the tv!
The wedding is at a country club. The mom of the bride also recently got married there and I provided the cake. It was an indoor wedding. So I can't imagine why they are having an outdoor wedding.
THe bride said "Oh, they won't be eating the cake until about 6:30, so it should be cooled off by then."
My Lord! I live in Texas and nothing is done outdoors between 4:00pm & 6:00pm because of the heat and humidity - Especially in August!
Is this bride a transplant Texan or Native? If she's a transplant, her first summer will be a doozy come August... It will be a miracle if she doesn't pass out in her wedding dress or have her makeup run down her face on her wedding dress.
Personally, I'm in the pool with a cold beer during those hours in August!
I don't mean to be so critical of brides... but I really don't think they THINK things through for their special day.
Good Call and good for you!
I used to live in Texas and I want to know WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would have an outdoor reception in AUGUST in TEXAS???????????
She is off her rocker!!!!!
Obviously this bride is "blinded by love", cooled off by 6:30???? I don't think so, I live in Arkansas & it's still sweltery at 8:00 in Aug!!!!! She's in la la land!! It was very good of you to be up front and honest about the cake. I hope she didn't find someone who's just out to make money and said "sure you can move a cake from inside to outside" 
. You did the right thing, let's hope she comes back to you for an indoor cake!!!
Carrie
I would just LOVE to see what she ends up w/ for cake on that day. I don't care WHAT she choses, a concrete cake would melt in August if placed outside! She's definitely not thinking it through. Why doesn't she just have it inside and cut it there, and then if her guests want to carry it outside into HELL they can!
P.S. I'm a native born Texan by the way.... 
So sad to know her cake will no doubt be falling. At least it won't be one of yours!
I wouldn't even GO to an outdoor wedding at 6pm in August ESPECIALLY in Texas! Much less consider providing the cake!!! Good call. Hopefully her wake up call.
I've done two outdoor weddings myself and it's extra nerve wracking! The last cake I did was at the Zoo and I was waving off clouds of gnats that were threatening to touch the cake. I always shroud the cake in tulle to try to protect them from bugs but gee, those gnats are tiny! I had some friends who attended that said they couldn't stay because the giant mosquitos were so fierce that even bugspray didn't help. How sad to spend such a huge amount of money for a great location only to have it ruined that way. They had the place until 9 or 10 but by 7:30 everyone had cleared out.
I will never understand why brides think an outdoor wedding/reception is so "fun" and "cheap" and "easy". Do you know what those big tents costs to rent? Tables? Chairs? Dance Floor? Lighting? big fans inside the tents or specially designed air conditioners for the tents? Labor to set everything up OR trying to convince 10 of your best friends (who won't be your best friends for very long!) to do all of that work BEFORE AND AFTER in that kind of heat? Consideration for the food set up (which, believe me, they NEVER think of!) ... kitchen access? water access?
I actually have a special sheet of information explaining Additional and Excess Labor Fees, which are applicable for outdoor weddings because I have to take more people to work outdoor weddings, I have to pack add'l ice for keep cold foods cold, and there is add'l cost involved in keeping hot foods at a food safe temperature.
OR...... they could pay one fee to rent a nice air conditioned building where the maintenance crew will take care of all of this for them!
Geesh!!!!!!!
Very smart choice. People who don't make cakes don't understand how hard it is to make cakes stable sitting still sometimes, much less to move them. I think she will appreciate your honesty in the long run. She wants this day to memorable for reasons besides the cake falling to the ground.
I will never understand why brides think an outdoor wedding/reception is so "fun" and "cheap" and "easy". Do you know what those big tents costs to rent? Tables? Chairs? Dance Floor? Lighting? big fans inside the tents or specially designed air conditioners for the tents? Labor to set everything up OR trying to convince 10 of your best friends (who won't be your best friends for very long!) to do all of that work BEFORE AND AFTER in that kind of heat? Consideration for the food set up (which, believe me, they NEVER think of!) ... kitchen access? water access?
I actually have a special sheet of information explaining Additional and Excess Labor Fees, which are applicable for outdoor weddings because I have to take more people to work outdoor weddings, I have to pack add'l ice for keep cold foods cold, and there is add'l cost involved in keeping hot foods at a food safe temperature.
OR...... they could pay one fee to rent a nice air conditioned building where the maintenance crew will take care of all of this for them!
Geesh!!!!!!!
What's worse is when they plan at a location where there aren't any bathrooms but the outhouse kind. And they expect you to dress up.
that wedding is going to be enjoyable! Is she high? I live in Arkansas and i wouldn't even try that here and I lived in San Antonio for 6 months! I hope she has a plan B or they'll all be sick from the heat! I hope she calls you back and decided to have it indoors! Good luck!
What's worse is when they plan at a location where there aren't any bathrooms but the outhouse kind.
And they expect you to dress up.
omg, I did the cake at an outdoor wedding a couple of years ago. The restrooms they rented .... wow! It cost $1500. you went up one set up steps to the "in" door. There were 4 stalls inside, 3 sinks, skylights, vases of roses ... and air conditioning!! There was a 2nd door to exit out of.
Good lord, I've catered whole weddings for less than what they paid for their toilets!!!!!!!
I took pictures of the inside because no one would believe me! They are too big to post in this thread and I don't know how to make them small enough, so I posted the pics on my alternate website ... click this link to see this $1500 bathroom!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
WOW....I'm either really poor [ie-cheap] or they are really rich! $1,500 for toilets huh!?
Yeah I think my entire wedding was less than that. We didn't have a cake 
It was before I became a cake woman 
Of course it was in Vegas and officiated by Elvis but hey...it was so much fun! If I had something serious, I would have cried the whole time.
Anyway.... $1,500 toilets....wait till I tell my hubby that one!
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