I thought I had everything on a perfect timeline this weekend. I had 3 events to bake for. A wedding, large bridal shower and a wedding with 100 individual square cakes. Did my shopping on Wednesday as I always do and when I got home I had only forgotten one thing. First thought was, that was way too easy, something isn't right. Thursday I prep all my pans, make all my icing, and gather all cake boards and stack them according to which cake they go to. Friday morning get up at 4:30 to start baking. Everything goes smoothly with the first 3 layers of the wedding cake, only two more to go. Come back from taking the kids to school and pop the other two in the oven. They don't seem to be baking right and I cant figure it out. Thought maybe the heating coil died, so I race to sears to pick up another one. UH OH that didn't work, hadn't paid attention to the fact that the oven clock wasn't working. I start to panic because I still have all those mini cakes to do and the full bridal shower cake along with two layers of the wedding cake. It's almost two and I've tried to find an oven to bake in but no luck. Friends are out of town or at work til late. After busting into tears, I called the coordinator of the mini cake wedding and told her I was unable to do the cake. I've already got all the flowers made for each one, the ribbon, the cake stand, and the icing. Offer to give this to someone who can bake. Call the other decorator and she was nothing but rude to me which made me feel even worse. I'd never backed out of a cake before, let alone the day before someones wedding. I felt awful and about 2 inches tall!

Later Saturday, the lady from the bridal shower calls to tell me the cake was dry and tacky and the icing was nasty. It was whipped icing, which her daughter asked for but she probably hadn't told her mother. Mom was willing to bring cake over for me to taste. It was WASC and chocolate. I tasted it, and so did a friend. There was absolutely nothing dry about it! With both flavors you could squish them with your finger and they sounded like a damp sponge. However, since she was a repeat customer, I refunded her $60 of her $160. She still left unhappy.

It was a long weekend and I feel trampled and defeated and I still just want to cry over it all.

You go right ahead and cry cuz you'll be crying with me. I am so so sorry about your horrible weekend but, hey, things happen. Your oven crumped out and you tried everything to finish the job. What else could you do? What makes people so ugly like the lady from the bridal shower and the other decorator you called? Blows my mind. It's over and done so just move on. Fortunately, most of our projects go off without a hitch. I am sorry. Ann

I'm so sorry you had such a bad weekend. I think it sometimes is a texture thing that with moist cakes that have a more dense texture that they feel "dry" - cuz they have that sticky quality to them that dry things do (they stick in your mouth cuz they take all the moisture rather that being so moist that they just cling). My hubby thought the WASC cake I did was dry - it was squishy moist sounding and both my friend and I both thought it was good. I think it was because hubby is used to regular old box mixes.

Judi

Come to find out, the problem wasn't the oven but the plug in for the oven. Now I'm sitting here waiting for the electrician to come fix it and charge me a wad of money I wouldn't have to pay if my fiance was home.

The bridal shower client is used to box mixes. Because of her low budget that's what I've always made for her but since this was the third bridal cake she ordered from me, I thought I'd do something special for her. This woman has a lot of daughters but I doubt I'll get to do any more cakes for her. I'm really bummed because she was great to work with.

As for the other decorator, she didn't have to take the order, nor did she have to be snide to me when I offered to give her the gumpaste flowers that I spent 4 solid days working on, or the display stand I created myself, or the 4 batches of cream cheese icing. She was busy herself and it would have taken a load off her. I would have even delivered them for her.

I offered the coordinator my assistance on the day of the wedding, apparently one of her assistants had to back out the same day I did. Since I do coordinating as well, I could have helped but she didn't call. I am a Certified Wedding Specialist with Weddings Beautiful Worldwide. I just feel like everyone was mad at me and I did my best.

I am really sorry you had such a rough weekend. I'm glad the electrical problem is getting fixed. It would have been a nightmare if the thing had caught on fire.

I wonder how the cake turned out that the other decoractor did. I guess she doesn't understand that emergencies come up, and it is always right to help if you can. It would have been nice if she had been more sympathetic toward you. Who knows, she might need your help some day. Perhaps she was having a bad day and it just seemed like one more thing to do.
The good news is you will be able to use the gumpaste flowers for another project. I bet they are beautiful.

I was thinking about the Bridal shower client. She may give you a call later. After all, she has enjoyed your cakes for quite a while now.

A big HUG for you! I hate that you had to endure such a stressful weekend!

So sorry to hear about your crappy weekend. Big hug (((0))) to you. There must be something in the air because last week I messed up a cake for a big time client. This is the first time it's ever happened to me and I'm having major nightmares over it. Although my head tells me that the best thing to do is to get over it and think about what I could have done better, my heart is still grieving. At least your oven is getting fixed and you'll soon be back to making those fabulous cakes of yours in no time!

Guess we should be careful what we post about each other on this site. I am the other cake decorator who stepped in to bail out the wedding co- ordinator. I had 15 cakes this week and 3 of them were wedding cakes. Found out Wed., my dad is back in the hospital dying, but I can't leave to see him cause I have commitments for these cakes.
Jumped in at 4 pm to do these cakes and delivered them by nine pm. You offered no explaination or reason for backing out and never said thanks or I am sorry about this- I would have went to a friend or my church to do the baking. After taking on your commitment, I was up til 2 am finishing my own cake orders- did I mention friday was my son's birthday and I was having a party with 9 teenagers, while making that order- Sorry I was rude with you, I had a few things on my mind.
By the way the bride loved the cakes- thanks

Oh Marci, you really were having a bad day. A stressful week to be sure.

I am so sorry to hear about your dad.

Thank-you for adding those cakes to your load.

I did tell Carol what was going on to the best I knew. All I knew was I had a problem with my oven, not the electrical part to it. You still got to bed far earlier than I did, I was up til 7am saturday morning finishing the other two I had left to finish, then had to catch a catnap and deliver the three that I had still done. I am extremely grateful that you took it on, but you made me feel like crap with the attitude you gave me on the phone. I didn't know you had all that going on and you were extremely rude to me. But regardless I do thank you for doing them for me.

There are two sides to every story. Glad to see the other decorator posted - I imagine she was rude but completely understandable. Personally, I would not have taken on the job. She is to be commended.