I was just asked this by a fellow DJ guy...he knew exacty how many weddings he did last year...So I went home and added mine up...I am just wondering what the norm is? I am a home baker, no fancy bakery, but I would love to know how many the bakery people are doing as well...Average per month per year....

Just an FYI...I did 78 last year, however I go out of town the whole month of Aug, so I do not take any cake orders the whole month...now some months I had 2 a day, some months were slower, ie...Jan, Feb..

Thanks, just wandering what the customer ratio is for home bakers vs bakerys too

Thanks

Anyone???? Hope I am not being nosey...I just realy want to know if I am doing the average or more than average?

Thanks

When I had my shop in my parent's renovated lower level, we were averaging about 5 or 6 per week, with as many as 12 in a weekend. I don't know if I would be ranked as a bakery or a home... we were legal, but it was a specialty, by-appointment-only type of shop - not one with ready-made cakes or anything.

I'm not sure that I'm a good comparison... I did 49 wedding cakes last year. But since I do catering, also, (59 caterings) I can't book a lot on the same day or even the same weekend, depending on how big or how far away the catering is.

Our goal, this year, is to bust that bubble wide open and have catering staff-teams out in multiple bookings on a single day!

thanks so much...I would love to hear what other home bakers average

It helps me set my cake goals for the new year...but I do not want to be unreal in what my goals are....

Before, when I was a home baker, we did about 80 per year. Last January I opened my shop and we did 123 weddings last year on top of ... maybe 300-350 bdays.

wow! I always turned wedding cakes down because I worked six days
a week and Sunday was for my boys. Since i quite my job I have 6 booked up for this year so far and two of them are in Feb. So bring on the cakes!!

I do 90-100 weddings a year and I'm home based.

WOW!!!!

How do y'all get so many bookings????

I have a licensed kitchen at my home and I was hoping for 36 weddings this year. Which is looking pretty unlikely since everyone is all freaked out about the economy. This is my second year/wedding season.

I must be doing something very wrong!

Wow, is all I have to say. I have to say I still haven't made my first wedding cake, but someone is really asking me if can make a wedding cake next year for a 800 guest reception. OMG that scares me but I would love to try it. I think you guys are real lucky to make so many cakes, especially from home.

I have a storefront and we just do cakes. We did about 550 weddings last year, on top of 50 - 70 custom cakes a week, plus 50 - 75 cakes for walk-in business each week.

I bought 14 tons of powdered sugar in 2008!

I do between eight to 13 weddings a week, except on January were it goes down to 3 to 4 cause is the slow season.. I basically decorate and have an assistant..
Edna

This is such a great thread. I'm at home right now so I can't wait to get to my shop tomorrow so I can see how I compare. I was in my home for half the year and then I opened my shop and was there half the year.

Edna, I can't believe you can do that many with just an assistant. That is amazing! WOW!

Btw Edna. How do you handle the deliveries? That's actually the only thing that scares me about taking on too many. I'm afraid about coordinating the delivery times.

We have 2 girls that do the deliveries, I wont do deliveries either...
Edna

I guess I go on the other end. I am a home baker by myself, but this is just an on the side thing (I am licensed, though). I did 3 actual weddings last year, but quite a few showers. I also did a few birthdays. I only average 2 or so cakes a month. I haven't had one at all in January. But, I don't advertise outside too much. I have my website and give my cards out and things, but that's the extent. I am soley word of mouth and that is how I like it right now. Some day, though...some day......

We haven't had any thing to sell in our shop everything is by pre order for 2008 we did 150 wedding cakes between me and my daughter we hired someone over the summer part time to bake for us. Starting next week we are offering gourmet flavor cupcakes to go for walk ins anyone that didnt order a cake early enough will be able to purchase cupcakes from our show case. We will have regular and minis can purchase one or more. We'll be open Wed to Sat.
We have a practium student for 3 months from Vancouver Culinary Arts Instutite working with us until March which helps.

thanks for sharing everyone...I am learning soo much

Wow...I see that everyone is quite different...I just counted my Weddings for 2008 - I did 83 and that doesn't count the regular birthday cakes or orders. I did them all by myself though and it seemed hard enough as it was...I'm not sure how many more I could add so I think I will definitely have to hire someone in April or May...

I was aiming for 120 this year so it definitely makes me think a bit...

KORYAK,

LOL, you are too funny! No, we don't do junk! My shop has won numerous awards and I encourage my decorators to compete and several have won various awards and medals.

I have six full time employees and six part time employees.

I wish I could post some of their work...I have some awesome decorators!

I don't do a whole lot of decorating...just special projects and PITA customers. It takes so much time to run the place and supervise the work. The 90th birthday cake I just posted was for a customer from Florida who is having a party for her mother today. She only called us about 12 times.....high maintenance. I said I would do that cake so if she wasn't happy, she could blame me. [/quote]

I work from my home and do everything myself. I try to keep it to 3 weddings a weekend, but I can do 5 or 6 if they're spread out over Friday-Sunday. It does get difficult with the delivery times, if things conflict I end up turning down business. I counted it up and last year I did 108 wedding cakes, and groom's and other ones on top of that. The year before I did 120 weddings, if I remember correctly. I was slacking off last year

I am absolutely blown away reading this!!! I can't believe that you all can churn out that many cakes. I just started decorating, but it takes me forever. Yesterday, I made a 2-tiered birthday cake for a Sweet 16 party. With baking both tiers, cooling, torting, making the frosting, getting it smooth (or trying to ), and finally doing the actual decorating, I'd be too embarrassed to say how long it took me.
Then, I read this thread and learn that you do 2 or 3 wedding cakes in a weekend. I'm amazed!! Hopefully, speed and skill will come with practice and time.

Wow. You guys do a ton of cakes! Im afraid if I take on that much that I would screw something up! How long have you guys been in business to get that many of orders?

I've been in business for ten years...The speed will come with time. It used to take me a lot longer to do one cake, but I did one yesterday from taking it out of the pan to being done with it in about 1 1/2 hours. It depends on the cake, of course, but once you get into your routine it gets faster.

I have had my store for 14 years, but have been decorating for 35 years,
so that makes me old, er, experienced!

When you do something again and again, you get fast. Plus, the more cakes you do, and the larger your equipment, you can really pump then out.......lots of icing colors already made, large batches of icing (75 pounds of icing in one batch), we can mix up a 50 pound bag of cake mix at a time.

It is alot different than the home baker...I've done both!