Warning - this is a little long winded, but I'm wound up, LOL

So here's the thing. I have been doing cakes for years out of my home, but now I have a store front and the business is really taking off. I have a lot of issues that I am having to learn to deal with that come from being open to the public that I haven't had before, as I knew I would. Well, this is one of those issues and any advice you have would be much appreciated.

The wedding cake I did for 070707 (the black and white square one) was basically a last minute order (long story). The bride and her mother came and picked out a cake and told me that there would be flowers on top, so I would need to provide a plate or soemthing for them to sit on. Fine, no prob. Well, the day before the wedding, I called the florist to ask what she was putting on top so I could know what I needed to provide.

She didn't know what she was going to do , but she knew there would be a topper made. Then she wanted to know when I was setting up -I say 4, she says she'll leave flowers for the event coordinator to add to the cake b/c she closes at 12?!!??!?!! She wants me to "put some icing or something between the tiers for the flowers" I told her it was a stacked cake - no seperations... she says oh ok... ??

When I go to set up the cake there is a bucket of flowers by the table and a topper. I set the topper on the cake - it looked funny because it was in a white plastic cylinder thing. I asked the event girl if the florist had left instructions and she said no she just said to stick the flowers in the cake cascading down. Then she asked me if the topper was going to be put down in the cake? I was trying not to freak out!! So I told her no, I was told the topper would just sit on top. And told her that she couldn't just push the flowers into the cake. She was like "what are we going to do?!" So, I took the flowers, and some of the black ribbon (luckily I had brought the spool with me) and I made mini bouquets for the corners, wrapped them in ribbon and attached them to the side with icing. Then I added more flowers around the topper to hide the container they were in. It ended up looking good (I think) but what would have happened if I had not taken charge of the flowers?! And it added a LOT of time to my set up - which of course I didn't get paid extra for.

I don't want to sound stuck up or whatever, but I don't really want the florist to be messing with my cake - much less an event coordinator. I felt it was very unprofessional of the florist to leave it like that. So how do you all handle the fresh flowers on your cake situation? Do you do the flowers? Do you let the florist do them? How do you word it in your contract? When I have done them in the past, I have gotten the flowers from the florist and done the flowers myself. But I've only done a handful where there were fresh flowers. Now I think I need a policy.

Any advice o wise ones?

I no longer leave the flowers to the bride or the florist. I ask that the flowers be delivered to me the day before or add the cost of the flowers and get them myself.

I can arrange most simple flowers.

Another alternative is to make friends with a particular florist, and have them do the flowers, according to your specifications.

It is more work for me, but I don't have to worry about getting there and finding 4 tired rose buds in a bucket.

I do not take charge of the ordering of the flowers. I want to make sure that there is no middle man (me) in a bride trying to describe what kind of flowers, colors, etc. she wants. However, I too usually have the florist deliver them to me the night before or the morning of because they just don't seem to know what to do with them. The toppers are usually too big and the centerpieces (between pillars) are too small, so I have gotten to the point I prefer to do them myself. I do have a clause in my wedding contract that I am not responsible for allergies, etc. that may be associated with the flowers since I am merely a handler, not the supplier.
HTH -Lori

no one touches the cake except ME. the florist can bring the flowers but I put them on, no one else. i don't even let my husband touch the cake once it's on the table and he's my decorating helper and delivery person lol

My policy states that if a bride wants fresh flowers on her cake, then flowers need to be delivered to me 24 hours in advance. If she wants mini-arangements then they would have to be premade before they get to me. I have offered to pick them up, but I charge my hourly rate plus gas if I have to go get them - again they must be ready for me to pick up 24 hours in advance. This is for flowers that she wants on the cake sides, bottom, etc.

I will prepare a cake for a fresh flower topper, but I need a picture, sketch, or a phone number to speak to the person making the topper. I will place the topper on the cake when I get to the site, however, I will not arrange the flowers. (unless of course they look like cr$p which has occured on occasion) The topper must be cake ready or I will not place it on the cake. Most florists are very aware of how to arrange/prepare a topper.

If a florist/coordinator/etc is going to arrange the flowers on the cake after I have delivered it - I always make sure to state this in the contract. I also take a picture of the cake BEFORE someone else starts the flowers.

If the bride wants you to arrange the flowers on the cake after it has been delivered to the site, charge a one time fee or your hourly rate plus $5.00 - $10.00 per hour.

I would much rather do them myself -as I have done in the past. I am comfortable doing the arranging and not comfortable with someone else messing with the cake.

I don't even let my hubby deliver - he was embarrased that I wouldn't let him carry this one in b/c it was so heavy. He said everyone would think he was a jerk, lol. But I carried it in and as I set it on the table - I said a little loudly - no, thanks anyway honey, but you know I don't let anyone else carry my cakes! (There were a bunch of folks standing around watching)

I think I am going to work on my contract some more tonight. It just seems like it is getting to be so long. I guess it's because of the day and times we live in now that we have to get every little detail in writting just to cover ourselves.

Thanks everyone!

I have that policy as well. I am the only one that touches my cakes. I have had a few issues with flowers. So I too am re-thinking the maybe I should pick them up because I've shown up and there are no flowers. I've also shown up to dead flowers.

Why can't everything be smooth sailing?

As soon as I put that 24 hour policy in place - I have never looked back. Also - if I show up and the flowers are not "up to par" then at least I am charging for the work!!!

The bride knows my time of delivery so she arranges for the flowers to be there for me and I explain if the flowers aren't there at delivery time I can't wait for them as I have other orders to deliver so she will need to have a back up plan and some else will arrange them. I take the picture with or without the flowers. Once the cake is at the venue delivered my job is done.

I haven't done a cake yet with fresh flowers but am doing one in September. I was thinking to have the florist leave the flowers on the cake table so I can put them on the cake myself. I don't feel comfortable letting someone else do it.

The cake I am doing will be about like the Wilton 3 final but with fresh roses and bigger. Will I need to put them on a plate or something to keep them off of the cake?

I learned many years ago to never allow a florist to touch my cakes. My earlier experiences were horrifying. Its amazing how many florists do not know how to put fresh flowers on a cake. If the bride wants me to take care of the flowers, I make sure I have the type, color and amount she wants, I then order from my wholesaler. If her "florist" is providing them, then they need to be delivered to me ahead or at the site when I arrive. I do not call nor track down late florists. The bride knows this ahead of time.

In my early days, I had a couple of really bad experiences with florists not showing up at all, or hours late - one time the hotel was nice enough to provide me with a nice, quiet seat and a couple of cups of coffee while I waited and stressed!

Now I only work with one florist that I trust 100% exclusively...I will order flowers for my brides from this florist (at no markup, since it is in my best interest for the bride to order flowers this way!), and she delivers to my home the morning of the wedding (or the evening before, depending on how early I need them).

If the bride is insistent on using her own florist, I insist on the flowers being delivered to me the day before the wedding so there are no surprises the morning of the wedding. Either the bride herself can get them to me, or they can pay for delivery.

And I totally agree - nobody touches the cake! I don't know a whole lot about flowers, so I don't think that the florist would like me rearranging her creations, so I expect the same in return.

littlebits, I also have a problem with florist ideas on what a cake topper is susposed to look like. I don't know what if any training they have in this area? I am sorry if this is wrong. I have florist stuff flowers in spray paint can lids for thousand dollar cakes? Sometimes I will ask where the topper is and they point to the bucket of water with some stems in it. Or they have built what I call a shrub, a large bush. When I can, I call and tell them to make something like a corsage for the top. That seems to help.
One florist said "Turn your head" as she rammed her fingers in the top of a 6 inch fondant covered 3 tiered hexagon cake and then shoved a small bouquet with a large bow and 2 long ribbons into the cake.
I recommend gumpaste flowers to my brides or like I said, Ask the florist to leave several corsages and I put on my florist hat, spend 5 minutes and fix it. No charge, I want the cake to look good as it reflects on my business. And when the florist doesn't show up. I take my picture for my records and leave. Oh well.

After hearing enough stories from other bakers, I made it a policy that I am to be the one doing the flowers on/in the cake. Like others have said, rarely do florists get the toppers right. I was told on the last wedding cake I did that the flowers were going to match the dress color, then I was doing a color match to the dresses as well... The florist was going to put the flowers in foam on a plastic piece... Well, that plastic piece was the equiv. size to the plastic stopper they put on a beer keg and the flowers were not even CLOSE to the color of the BM dresses. Oh well, I plunked the topper on the cake and off I went. Not my problem

But seriously, I carry all the "necessary" floral fix-it materials with me (like an extra ziploc bag or three, cutters, floral tape, wire, etc.) because then that's one more thing I can control about the cake especially since most florists haven't a clue on which blooms are toxic to humans.