I am thinking about having my customers prepay for their wedding cakes. Do you all do this? I was stiffed for a $400 cake last year, which I was only using a commercial kitchen with a business licensed and the restaurant owner would not help me. I was thinking about this and I have decided to make people prepay for large cakes. I have been lucky so far since opening my own kitchen. I am thinking 50% down the day of order/cake tasting, and then paid in full a week before the wedding. What do you all think?
Sounds good, but I would want payment at least two weeks before the event. Give a little extra time in case of unforseen troubles, plus, that way you get all of your money for costs far enough in advance.
I have not done a wedding but from what I have been reading. A deposit is required to hold the date and remaining balance paid in full two weeks before wedding date. Another girl has it that if they canceal in the two week period before the wedding date a percentage of deposit in non-refundable. When I got married I have to put 20% down to hold the date and payment in full before the wedding or no cake.
You need to protect yourself, so ask for a deposit. do you have a contract that the bride or groom signs so you are covered?
Countryside, if you'll check I think it's Earlene's website, there is a cake contract there. I ALWAYS get people to sign the contract and put half down (non-refundable) because I only do one wedding cake a weekend (for now). So if somebody else calls and that date is booked, I can't recoup the business later. Then the remaining balance is due two - three weeks before the event. I try to work with bride's and their parents but no later than two weeks before the event. Then the second half of mine is not refundable after 72 hours before the wedding. I've found that people take their committment a little more seriously if there's a contract involved. HTH!
I haven't had problems, but I don't turn on my oven without the cake being PAID FOR already.
I ask for a deposit to hold the date at consultation time, with the balance of the whole cake being due 10 days before the wedding, no exceptions. No money, no cake.
I sweetly explain to them that this is "So they will know that the cake details are all taken care of before the wedding, and they won't have to worry about the additional hassle of having someone there to meet me at the venue to pay me" etc.; I can just show up, set up the cake, and leave. I don't even have to have anyone there to meet me, which makes the bride's life a little easier 
And I'm not wandering the halls of some unfamiliar venue, looking for someone's mother whom I've never met, who is supposed to "give me a check". Works like a charm, plus the $ has already cleared before I start baking.
Seriously, if the check bounced, they wouldn't get a cake.
I would definitly get 50% up front so you have your materials covered and give yourself at least 2 weeks for the final payment to be paid or no cake. Make sure you have a contract with the bride's signature so she understands your business policy and has a copy given to her so she can't forget and try to ask for more time to make her final payment. Somebody has to pay for all the long hours you are going to invest in making that cake. Good luck! 
I, too, require a deposit and payment in full prior to the wedding. I only require $75 deposit to hold the date for them, with final payment IN FULL due 3 weeks before the wedding date. That literally gives me 1 week of "play" time (check in the mail/NSF/whatever). It only took one wedding where we were standing at the edge of the dance floor for 2 hours before Bride got "irritated" enough to pay me so I could leave. Had never had that happen before, but have always required payment in full since. Works like a charm.
Refund policy: if wedding cancels, initial $75 deposit is mine to keep, anything paid over and above the initial $75 will be refunded, provided I can re-book the date, which I do try to do. If I can't re-book, all up front money is mine to keep. No exceptions. If they eventually re-book me, I will allow them to put the $$ already paid on the cancelled cake toward the cost of the new cake.
I know it sounds harsh, but it keeps the riff-raff from trying to take advantage, which they will do, but I don't let 'em. 
Hope this helps,
Odessa
I'm sorry to hear you got stiffed on an order. I cannot figure out why some people think it's ok for you to do that work for free.
My lawyer and accountant hate my policy 'coz it's pretty lenient. I get 10% or $200 (whichever is smaller) as a hold-the-date downpayment. I get 50% of the balance 3 weeks prior to the wedding. The other half of the balance is due the day of the event. My pricing includes me staying to cut and serve the cake (and serving the buffet if they order food), so it's never an issue for me to "hang around". I've never been burned and maybe the first time I get burned I may change my policy. But it works for me.
I think it's pretty much standard to get a deposit to book the date for the cake and then have it paid in full 2 weeks ahead.
You could do a set fee to hold the date for any large cake, maybe $50 or $75 depending on your prices, to cover your design time and any little supplies you may have to purchase, and then the balance is due 2 weeks before date or NO CAKE!
I require a $25 deposit to hold the date. 2 months prior to the event, 50% of the balance must be paid. The remaining 50% can be paid prior to or upon delivery of the cake. The cake will NOT be released without payment in full. Meaning, someone better be there to pay me or I take the cake and walk. I don't know how you all work, but for me, less than 50% is the cost of the cake, I make a little profit off of it and the remaining 50% is all profit. If something happens and I walk with the cake, I lose my time, but no money.
I haven't done a wedding cake yet but have the contract written up for when I do.
I request payment in full at time of ordering, and have a contract for basic cakes as well. I require, and it's written on the contract, a deposit on any and all orders over $20.~ The way I see it is if you order a cake that is only $35.~ it's easier to pay $35.~ then to pay me $20.~ now and $15.~ later lol. When it's under $75.~ I ask for payment in full instead of a deposit if it's someone I'm close to and they understand why because they know first hand from listening to me vent how it is lol....
My cheapest cake that is offered corrently is a 1/4 sheet for $30.~ and normally when people order, reguardless of price, they normally pay me upfront.
I had one, my husbands ex-wife, waited until I was walking out the door to hand me a check and then said "It should clear if it doesn't just call me" well from that day on I don't take checks from ANYONE! except my immediate family like mom and dad cause I know they will clear lol. If I do op to accept their check, it has to be over #1000 and has to be from a bank in my immediate area so I can go to their bank and cash it instead of waiting for it to clear at mine.
I have an order due Dec 17th that has been shaky because of a seperation between the parents of the child whose birthday it's for... I polietly told her mother if the party gets canceled I keep the money already paid because I've held that date and have since had to turn down 3 orders for that weekend, basically I'm going to the party it's my god daughters daughter and family or not you're not screwin me over lol. So since the actual day is prebooked with the party its self even if I wasn't attending I couldn't make another cake on that day and double book for that day because of delivery. I can't book the day before because I spend the day before icing and decorating so it's fresh and still gives me time to save any emergencies.
People will understand why you need a deposit and why it's non-refundable, and if they don't oh well they've signed the contract and most people DON'T read the entire contract so they don't see the clause that says you keep the deposit if canceled lol
I ask for prepayment for all of my desserts. The only wedding cake that I've done so far is my daughter's and I've done my son's groom's cake. But on any other orders that I've had, prepayment is the only option. Generally, if someone pays for something in advance that are not going to duck out on you. Think of it this way, if you special order anything from a department store, they expect all of their money upfront because it is a SPECIAL order, they can't resell it to someone else!
Just a thought . .
Leslie
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