Ever Think Of Just Eliminating An Icing Type?
Decorating By Chef_Stef Updated 4 Aug 2007 , 11:24pm by Lorendabug
What a WEEK I'm having. Three weddings, all decorator BC (I totally prefer IMBC), AND a house full of company from out of town.
I'm seriously considering not working any brides with a) outdoor weddings or b) non-IMBC cakes. I find I hate working with regular BC, hate smoothing it, hate mixing it, hate it when it's too warm, as in the story below: allow me to elaborate...
I just put a 6" top in the freezer (for a wedding TODAY) that turns out to have a cake that is too soft combined with that stupid soft frosting, and I'm tired and in a hurry, so I didn't fill and chill, then crumb coat and chill, just filled and slapped on some icing, which combined facts caused the frosting process to go awry and as I'm about done and ready to press coconut shaving into it, I notice the top is rounded....down...in the back...no, it's sagging...no, the back 2" of the cake top layer is actually COLLAPSING. I quickly scrape off the excess weight of the icing and try to push some of the cake back on the cake board, where it's actually sort of softly sagging off the side, and put it quickly in the freezer. I've never had this happen. 
The more I work with the icing (It's Toba's decorator BC), the warmer it all gets and the worse the mess!! I'm ready to cry. I have another whole cake for tomorrow to start on, plus GP flowers to make, AND two separate trips to the airport today to pick people up, plus deliver this stupid *!#^%@$$^*& sagging cake, which also has to hold up a fairly heavy topper. I'm just going to take it super cold and tell them sternly that the top is very unstable and hope for the best.
I've done 6 weddings in the last two weekends and I feel like I'm working around the clock, getting no sleep, my house is a mess, and everyone's whining "do you HAVE to do that right now? Can't you just take a break and sit by the pool with us?" And I'm like YES I DO, because I can't call these brides and tell them I'm too tired to make their cake and it's falling apart anyway.
Oh, and I pulled this cake recipe from my book and tossed it out--TOO Soft to be a wedding cake!!
Thanks for listening.
You are perfectly within your rights to decide what kind of service you provide. If it's indoor-only weddings with IMBC, then so be it 
Also, since you are so busy, I would consider raising your prices. Work less, make more money.
I just made the decision to be a "fondant-only" person, and I'm feeling great about it. I dread most buttercream cakes, especially wedding cakes.
Thank you, Kelly for being the voice of reason!
I am seriously considering doing fondant or IMBC/indoor weddings only. I really think I hate regular BC sometimes...
Sometimes I wonder, what kind of miracle workers to they think we are:
"Yes I'd like a cake for 300 in all IMBC...oh, and mousse fillings, oh, and the cake will be outside in a BARN in 96-degree heat." 
I'm seriously considering not working any brides with a) outdoor weddings or b) non-IMBC cakes. I find I hate working with regular BC, hate smoothing it, hate mixing it, hate it when it's too warm, as in the story below...
There are some people that work in fondant alone or that won't do stringwork or basketweave or what every they don't like.
It is totally up to you to decide what you feel most comfortable. So if you don't want to do any other icing than IMBC then don't do them. You may lose some orders from that, but then again if you are going to hate doing the cake then that isn't always be a bad thing.
I would be very upfront about only making IMBC and about the no outdoor weddings though, so you don't have someone get interested only to find out that you won't be a good fit for them.
Here's another one Doug.
2) Thou shalt not call just days before your cake is to be picked up and decide you want it delivered after all!
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