I had my first cake disaster today.

My disaster wedding cake was a 3 tier square cake. Spice cake with cream cheese frosting. I used a crusting cream cheese frosting which doesn't really crust and stays pretty soft but after working with it, it turned out fine. Iced it at home and assembled it on site. The bride didn't want anything on it and wanted me to put a fall leaf garland that she purchased around the bottom when I arrived. So I get there, assemble it and get out my kit to touch it up. The mom pulls out the leaf garland and it was the cheapest *** garland money could buy. It looked awful. It was all balled up in a sack and the leaves were all crinkly and had HAIR in them. Like cat hair. So I have Mo (my daughter) start removing all the leaves off the garland because I'm going to have to place them one at a time since the garland was very sparse. I start PICKING DUST AND HAIR off the leaves and flattening them out. They won't stick to the cake and as I'm trying to place them the pointy parts are gouging into my icing.

Then we introduce Aunt Gertie. Aunt Gertie is the family cake baker and made her own sheet cake because a wedding isn't a wedding without white cake. Her cake was iced so thin cake was showing through and she had a big orange and black icing bow she drew on the top with gel icing. She put it right next to mine and then started hovering. She gathered up a bunch of leaves and was about to stick them on top of my cake!!! I said "No, the bride didn't want anything on top of the cake. She specifically requested no topper." Aunt Gertie says it will look better and I replied that the bride didn't want it. Aunt Gertie wanders off.

The cake ended up looking awful. I mean, MY part was okay. The icing was smooth and the cake was stable. But of course the other people at the wedding will attribute the design and poor choice of tacky plastic leaves to me. Hopefully Aunt Gertie will brag about the sheet cake. I tried to instruct Aunt Gertie on cutting the cake and she insisted she needed no training.

My contract states that once I deliver and it is set up I am not responsible for what happens if I'm not cutting it.

At the bride's meeting I tried to convince her to let me do gumpaste leaves. I said they would look very realistic and they would be cut with the cake. Nope, plastic! I didn't take a picture because I was so irritated but I should have to use as a deterrent for other brides! If you make poor wedding cake decisions, your cake could end up like THIS! *insert horrified scream here*

In the big scheme of things, it isn't THAT bad. It is a square tiered cake with ugly plastic leaves on it but it still irritates me. I'm waiting for my complaint call.

Sorry -- sounds like that really sucked.

But an idea for you is always get several photos for yourself for insurance--front back and sides. You did leave Gertie there by herself with your cake y'know...

I doubt you'll get a call. I know you are disappointed, but it really isn't a disaster. She got what she wanted - cat hairs and all ! UGH!

It is actually pretty funny when I read my post and I'm sure I'll laugh about it....tomorrow. :p Yeah, taking a picture for insurance purposes probably would have been smart. I wasn't really concerned about the structure or my part of the cake. I did see the bride on the way out and confirmed she wanted no topper and then I told her that I didn't put one on so if Aunt Gertie sneaks in there and shoves a bunch of cat hair leaves on top, the bride will know I confirmed with her I didn't do it.

oh wow. That sounds delicious. YUM CAT HAIR. gag. and I HAVE eatten cat hair I'm sure. We have 3 orange tabbies. But on a wedding cake... thats a delicacy I wont indulge.

<<<shaking head>>> I'm sorry honey. Honestly, there's nothing you could do about this one. You may want to consider adding in your contract that there are to be no other cakes there other than yours.....especially set up on the same table!!! What nerve! A tacky a$$ cake beside your....well, nicely done cake with not your fault tacky decorations around it.....maybe they just don't know what good taste is (and I don't mean flavor).
<<<shaking head again>>>

I'm kinda disappointed that you didn't take a pic! While I am so sorry this happened to you, thanks for sharing!

That's the reason I'm so frightened to make wedding cakes...
I agree you should have taken pictures. Seriously, ask the bride for some. Sometimes people just don't realize what they "want" until they get it. This of course is not your problem, but it is very disappointing indeed.

Update:

I just got a call from the bride and she loved the cake. She said she was so excited when she saw it and it was everything she wanted. She keeps getting calls from people asking if she has leftover cake because they loved it so much. Whhhhew!

Guess only a select few got leaf dust and cat hair. Hahaha :p

gross!! cat hair?? I'm sure your "part" of the cake turned out beautiful..

I am glad everything turned out okay with the cake!!

That's great mosmom

No way! I would have brought it to someones attention it had dust and cat hair attached. Then I would have take the leaves to a sink and washed, washed and washed them.

Man, I don't know if I would have displayed the restraint and grace that you obviously did. I probably would have taken one look at that tacky bag of leaves and refused to have my piece of artwork defiled by it. I loved what someone wrote in another post about refusing to allow another cake be served at a function at which they provided the wedding cake. I won't allow people to think that I had anything to do with an inferior cake! Love it!

Too bad you didn't get a picture of both cakes. It might have been featured in Cake Wrecks ("this is what happens when brides refuse good advice").