How Do You Carry A Wedding Cake!!! They Are So Heavy!!
Business By chocolatechase Updated 22 Apr 2008 , 4:43am by cupcake
Does anyone have any tips for transporting your wedding cake from bakery to vechicle, from vechicle to Hall.
I did a 4 tier cake, each tier was 4" high, and my goodness i don't know what i would do without my husband. The darn thing was SOOO heavy and aquard to handle.
does anyone use a cart of some sort??
any tips would be great!
thanks
i transport all my cakes 4 tiers and under fully assembled. i can carry most of them by myself actually, but when they are really heavy i have my husband to help. (i will say that my degree is in exercise science and i enjoy weight lifting). its such a short walk from the bakery to the car that we just carry it. from the car to the venue most of the time we use a cart. there's only been one venue that wouldn't give us a cart to use, so i bought my own. i use it most of the time to store things on in the bakery, but when i have to deliver to that one venue i take it with me. and i do always call ahead to the venues to ask if they'll have a cart for me. but i HATE assembling on site, and i usually have a lot of deliveries to make so i don't have time to sit and assemble a cake at the venue. i've transported topsy turvy cakes, cakes to feed 200+ guests, all fully assembled and decorated.
His name is James... if I didn't have him I don't know what I'd do lol. The only wedding cake I've done was a few weeks ago and we trasported in three pieces... the stand by itself, the bottom to tiers together, and then the top tier. When we got to the hall I couldn't carry the bottom to tiers, get the door, and check in so he carried the cake and we all three (my daughter included) forgot the stand in the car lol. So I had to hold it until he came back with it and my god was it heavy!!! He estimated it at full together 75 lbs the bottom two tiers estimated at about 50 lol. So I'd say roughly they were 25 lbs each lol. I know that's probably wrong but that sucker was heavy lmao.
I've thought about what am I gonna do when I have a delivery on a day he has to work or is ill or can not help for some reason and I have no idea what I'll do lol... he always holds the cakes in transport, which will be ok now that I have my van but some of them are so heavy I can't carry them lol. And sometimes time or design doesn't permit each tier being assembled at the venue so it has to be put together at home/shop before hand and man is that a bitch lol.
I say get ya a good man that doesn't care how heavy something is or who just wants to prove he can do it 
and keep him
I was going to move a 5 tier cake at work from one table to the finish cake table and we have this guy..And I said to him will you pls.. And he open his eyes and looked at me and said "you want me to carry that!!!! 
...I said yes! 
Welll story short..he didnt even try 
..I had to carry the dead body all by myself..
Edna 
I transport each tier individually, and assemble, add final touches and do touch-ups on site. There is no way I'd attempt to transport and entire wedding cake put together....they don't make Valium strong enough for me to even try that. It's so much easier to do it this way. 
Amy
I transport each tier individually, and assemble, add final touches and do touch-ups on site. There is no way I'd attempt to transport and entire wedding cake put together....they don't make Valium strong enough for me to even try that. It's so much easier to do it this way.
Amy
I wish I could do that Amy 
... But I have too many cakes each week. This last week I had 7 and it is impossible to leave them all for last minute!
Edna
i make the customers pick em up....i always have a bunch more to make on saturday....
I usually transport unassembled and do final assembly and touch up at the venue. I'm usually in and out in about 10 minutes. The only thing I have to add is a bottom border and maybe some flowers or touch up.
Tallest I've ever done assembled is 3 -tier. I carried it. Lost all feeling in my arms for a few minutes, but I got it there!
I also have a convertible hand truck like this : http://www.engineersupply.com/Safco-Convertible-Standard-Duty-Hand-Truck-4087r.aspx
I have a big piece of plywood (no wider than the avg doorway) that I lay on this and I can move a number of cakes (and equipment) really easy.
As a sidenote, when the insurance company's representative (not my agent, but a guy who works for the insurance company directly .... the inspector) came to the shop, he took pictures of my hand trucks to show we were doing things right to avoid bad-back issues and that we were aware of safety issues. I told him, "Nah, that's not it ... I'm just an out of shape old lady who doesn't like to carry heavy stuff!" hahahaha!!
tonedna, I sure understand those kinds! That's why I listed the things I have to do when I assemble.....I don't have much to add and that makes a difference on how much time it takes, so I wanted folks to understand why it only takes me about 10 minutes. 
I put my cakes on a 1" thick large board, I tell ya, the big secure board to transfer on makes a difference. I think I've only done 2 now not assembled. The really huge one a couple weeks ago (5 tier center cake with 8 satellite cakes... no choice) and then my first wedding cake, because was too nervous about moving it stacked.
I just muscle up and take care of it. I use to bring a person or 2 with me, but now I just go for it.
I always deliver stacked,regardless of size, I can carry up to 100 servings after that I just hope I have a husband available, but I have used other peoples men.. Most of my cakes have to be decorated as a piece, eg last weekend I made a 4 tier on top of an urn that had vines circling the cake, those vines where piped after the cake was assembled.
I have seen a folding cart that I would like, my problem is most of the venues I deliver to do not have nice smooth deliveries. The urn had to be carried over lawn, one venue you have to go over a very rough shell path and then up stairs.... Another you go up a steep flight of stairs .....
Edited to add all my cakes are boxed so you can throw your arms around them.
.... my problem is most of the venues I deliver to do not have nice smooth deliveries. The urn had to be carried over lawn, one venue you have to go over a very rough shell path and then up stairs.... Another you go up a steep flight of stairs .....
It constantly amazes us how these venues put so much thought into building a beautiful place, yet NO thought into how the vendors are going to get there. As a caterer, I have lots of VERY HEAVY equipment to unload .... a van FULL and sometimes 2 vehicles. I feel sorry for the DJ's with their lighting and electronic equipment that isn't light and portable either.
We have therefore instituted a PITA fee for "non-vendor friendly" facilities ... a minimum of $275 add'l labor fee. If I can't park by the kitchen door, if I have to carry my equiopment over railroad ties, gravel or up and down stairs, if there is no elevator access, no kitchen (i.e. outdoor weddings with no kitchen or staging access; and I've been in buildings with no kitchen or water access ...... once I had to set up a staging area in the hallway!!), then I have to have more crew members and I have to pay them more .... so the bride is paying the extra labor.
My thought is: If you decide to have your reception in a stupid place, then you're going to pay for for it! 
[quote="indydebi"]
....
My thought is: If you decide to have your reception in a stupid place, then you're going to pay for for it!
I just about fell on the floor there...
I only have to add that: This is one of the reasons I have a gym membership and the fact that I'm training to compete in a Powerlifting Competition this fall and actually have a shot... I know I can easily deadlift 250, so it's a matter of how far am I going to go with this cake..
Most of the time I take cakes in fully assembled. The thing is, I'm a former farm girl, so I'm pretty strong.. I also am not afraid to use the little rolling cart if there is one at the site. Always do a walk-through to find out what is the best way in/out with the cake before going for it. Also, I'm not afraid to sit the cake down or rest it on a hand rail if it's starting to get too heavy for me. I'd rather do that than lose the cake. It's not a crime to take the cake in multiple pieces. I had one last fall that the 3/4" board for it was I think 20" so heavy by itself... add a 16" and 12" cake (my tiers are closer to 5-6" tall) to that I knew I was going to be maxing out so took that one in two pieces and am glad I did because it was a situation of being the ackward to transport through location with 20 wait-staff walking through at the same time.
I've only had one cake that I've ever needed help transporting and it was a 2'x3' board... I've since learned my lesson there as I did have to move it by myself once I got to the reception site.
You do what YOU can realistically do with no help and plan your orders accordingly.
A friend of ours is a fireman and he gave us some of their older boards that they carry injured people on. They have spaces for your hands like handles. Most of them will support at least 300 pounds. They work great for large heavy tiers, but it does take 2 to carry. I also have a foldup type cart that works well when I can roll up to a reception site. I agree with debbi, there are some receptions sites that are not practical for a caterer. I have had to carry cakes and catering up 3 flights of stairs, almost killed me. There were so many complaints on this place they finally put in an elevator. Some of the places I've delivered to were nightmares. I always ask about the place and if its not feasible to deliver, they can pay extra or pick it up. I usually will carry at least 3 stacked and put the rest on when I get there.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%