I have an out of state bride that would like to meet with me for a consult & tasting. Problem is
1. Her wedding is May 2008 (big wedding season)
2. She can't meet with me till December.
Now usually my customers will give a deposit "at" the consult to save thier date (if cake style hasn't been decided yet) or 50% for their order.
My question is they would like to know how much of a deposit they have to give and and do they get it back at the tasting? 
? I guess thats smart shopping but they are almost saying we want our money back if your cake sucks but hey thanks for keeping the date booked so no one else could have it. Now you have a slot open that could have been booked. 
Thanks for any advice & help! 
What?
Don't take a deposit, don't hold the date until they are secure in booking you. Why turn away a good handful of brides between now and December, only for them to tell you that they've decided to go with someone else?
I do agree but is it rude to say Nahhhhh no need to send a deposit, The date may be booked by then. I am so confused what is proper business ediquette, and how are out of state brides handled in these situation? Hubby says The only way out of this is to ship them samples, but then I run into the quality control.
Don't hold a date for someone who hasn't done a tasting or actually booked you. If she can't meet with you until December pencil her in for a consultation and meet with her in December if you are free to do her cake next May. Let her know that deposits are non-refundable (if that is your policy).
Definitely a tough one. If you know that that will be a busy month tell her your policy is that the first bride to put a deposit for the day will have the date held. If she puts a deposit now and then decides to not book you then you will hold her deposit until the date can be filled with another wedding cake. This is no different than booking a hotel/cabin for a vacation. Up to a certain date you get a full refund, but if after a certain date then you forfeit everything unless they can fill the opening with another guest.
Does she have anyone in the area that she trust well enough to do a tasting with you so she would even know if she is interested? This may be her best solution.
Your policy should be the same no matter where the bride lives. If she wants to book you, she will pay the non-refundable retainer fee. If she wants to take her chances that you'll be available come December, that's her choice and you shouldn't feel bad about that!
I require a $50 retainer with the balance due 2 weeks before the event. I rarely have people ask for samples, but when they do I suggest they wait until they are sure to pay the $50 so there are no hard feeling on either side if they want to book elsewhere.
-Lori
No, it's not rude - tell her your policy is to hold dates FOR CLIENTS. If they don't even know if they want to book you yet, they aren't clients.
I think it's wholly unreasonable for a business to hold your date THAT LONG without a commitment. It's a whole other thing if she can't meet with you till 2 weeks from now - holding in that case would be a reasonable courtesy!
This is no different than booking a hotel/cabin for a vacation. Up to a certain date you get a full refund, but if after a certain date then you forfeit everything unless they can fill the opening with another guest.
Totally agree. She cannot expect you to turn down business based on the idea that she "might" book you.
Does she have anyone in the area that she trust well enough to do a tasting with you so she would even know if she is interested? This may be her best solution.
I've had an out-of-state bride do this. Her mother, aunt, MIL and sister came for the sampling on her behalf.
Just say no, this is not a wait and see kind of business. I checked out your pictures and I am sure that you will be booked either with them or someone else.
If a deposit was paid and then the order was canceled a month before the event would you refund it? Probably not, because a deposit is to hold the date and pay for supplies, right?
Good luck!
To me, this is no different than booking a reception site a year ahead. When a bride books a venue, she must put down a deposit and she knows if she cancels she will not get her money back. The whole point of a deposit is to make sure that the vendor will be available on the date of your event. Do you have a standard deposit amount or does it depend on the cost of the cake? If it's dependent upon the cost of the cake, you won't even know how much of a deposit to charge her because she won't have picked out any flavors or designs. If you charge just a set amount for saving the date, you have to make sure that you feel that amount is adequate in the case that she cancels her order and you have passed up other business for that day. I would say don't even worry about it until she has a tasting in December. Explain to her that you cannot hold this date open for her without a deposit, which she probably won't want to make in advance. If the date is still availale in December when she wants to have a tasting, deal with it then.
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