Okay, people, stop with the "what ifs" about the bride! She tried to rip her vendor off and got caught, pure and simple. There's no reason to worry about her motivations or the reasons behind it, some people are just a$$holes who try to put it over on other people. She just got caught this time!
Don't feel sorry for people who think they can do this kind of thing to other people.
ok, I know I'm probably crazy for stepping in on page 52 (!!) and saying this ..but feel bad for the bride. What she did was totally inexcusable, wrong, illegal..etc..BUT..
She's no axe murderer, she's no Bernie Madoff..
To have your wedding ruined, ring taken back, Mother in law leave the wedding, embarrassed in front of guests...It's really just sad.
I am in no way saying the OP did anything wrong. I think she handled it exactly as it should have been, but I still feel bad for the bride. I know ..she brought it on herself..but still. What a way to start a life.
Oh, yeah...I feel sad, too...
Sad we didn't get to boil this bride and her mother in buttercream!!!!
If you feel sorry for her, you wouldn't have liked what my husband would've done. When I told him about this thread, his response was very simple. (Sorry, I didn't read all 54 pages, so someone may have already mentioned this). He would've called the police and had them at the reception hall when the cake arrived. Either she ponies up the $550 she cheated the OP out of, and no charges are filed, or the police take her sorry butt to jail...white dress and all. She committed a crime. Police handle criminals. If you can't do the time...don't do the crime...right?
Great recap Parm,
How do you get *quotes* from different posts to show up in the *Post a reply* space? I can do one quote, but not multiple ones. 
Thanks,
Deb
P.S. It sounds like this bride and her mother would have been perfect for that Bridezilla show. 
I can't feel sorry for people who create their own horrific destiny, seems like the only time they feel a bit of remorse for their actions is when they get caught. 
OK. It is now Monday morning. I started watching this drama unfold Friday morning. I have spent more time running back and forth to my computer over the weekend than I can believe. Xstitcher, thanks for the summary. Some of the entries I had just skipped over, while preparing my turkey dinner yesterday.
I too find it hard to swallow that this has happened to you dsevans. You are one of my heroes! You handled this so well. I shudder to think how that poor MOG must be feeling. Hopefully all will turn out well in the end. Until then, dsevans, keep caking.... you do beautiful work! 
I hope the MOBzilla feels appropriately guilty for having participated in this situation,
I'm sorry to say I know people like this and she won't feel a single pang of pain or guilt about it. No matter what happens, she will continue to pronouce herself as the victim and how "everyone" is out to get them, rip them off, or somehow screw them over.
It will never, ever, EVER be her fault.
I have to agree with Indydebi on this one. Despite the fact that she lost her engagement ring and had Walmart cake at her wedding with 350 guests....both of these women will not see the wrong they did. This was a premeditated action that they had somehow "Justified" in their own mind....sorry to say there will be no REAL lesson in their minds.
Okay, people, stop with the "what ifs" about the bride! She tried to rip her vendor off and got caught, pure and simple. There's no reason to worry about her motivations or the reasons behind it, some people are just a$$holes who try to put it over on other people. She just got caught this time!
Don't feel sorry for people who think they can do this kind of thing to other people.
I never said I felt sorry for the bride, even being flustered at the salon she still had time to think and fix the problem.
Most of the huge amount of replies to this topic are about the what if's, so i'm sorry if my comment was one too many, next time I'll refrain from posting till after coffee. Sadly I have more then my own personal examples of MOB and MOG that have ruined a day without the bride and groom knowing what they were doing. Heck there are stories on here of parents changing or canceling orders.
Go MOG, and go you.
I can't believe someone would do that. It's true that one client ruins it for the rest. Eventually you get a client that just burns you, and you increase your prices, and you become tough. I'm just glad you got the money. And you get to hold your head high, you did the right thing.
I just think it's poetic that she had her ring taken away, I don't feel sorry for her. Only the MOG, and the groom. It would be hard to walk away from your weddding over a cake, but losing the relationship you have with your mother; I hope she's worth it.
Go MOG, and go you.
I can't believe someone would do that. It's true that one client ruins it for the rest. Eventually you get a client that just burns you, and you increase your prices, and you become tough. I'm just glad you got the money. And you get to hold your head high, you did the right thing.
I just think it's poetic that she had her ring taken away, I don't feel sorry for her. Only the MOG, and the groom. It would be hard to walk away from your weddding over a cake, but losing the relationship you have with your mother; I hope she's worth it.
Maybe I'm confused (which is entirely possible), but I'm pretty sure the OP has NOT gotten all her money. She was only paid the deposit of $550, the other $550 check was *recalled* because the bride put a *stop payment* on it.
Just catching up. I quickly read through the posts last night. My favorite is the Drama Llama! I'm still laughing at that!
As for the bride. I completely believe that her selfishness is a learned behavior. You see it all the time in kids raised by jerks who act like jerks. But at some point, the kid grows up & starts making their own decisions. At that point, it's no longer totally the parents fault. As someone said, she's not 7 anymore. 
I've read all the (now 55) pages of this, and continue to have one large nagging thought: what if the friend at the bank hadn't called? My business is very new and I've only had a handful of brides, but so far they've all been great. I've seen enough posts about problem customers--especially brides--to know I'm not bullet proof. In an effort to head things off I have a tough contract that requires final payment 30 days before the event, but I'm a servant-type softy that could be taken advantage of. How have you more experienced decorators handled situations that went south?
Just read through the summary of all this. All I can say is WOW!!! What a crazy situation. You can just see the wheels turning when the bride called to check on everything to make sure it was good to go, and then snatched them money back from OP when she cancelled the check. It was so premeditated! Wonder if the groom knew??? He may have been in on it, too. Who knows? I find the Wal-mart sheet cake boxes on display to be an appropriate end to her wedding reception. How funny! Moral of the story....don't mess with a cake decorator!
What page is the cake on? I can't find it.
Some kind soul posted a huge recap of events plus the cake picture within the past two or three pages.
I understand how some people may feel bad for the bride-BUT think how bad we all would have felt for the OP if the bride had gotten away with her plans---this whole thread would be totally different, leaving us all miserable and dejected as opposed to feeling good that one of our own was not swindled. Thank God!
I don't know if is it more porfessional to let yourself get slimed or stand up for yourself in this way but I would stand up for myself. Now not on the display thing I was 'deliciously day dreaming' about--but I would so keep it in my car.
I'm not done reading the thread yet (dying to find out what happened) but I had to add a thought. I LOVE doing the evil day dreaming thing, (and I am one of those who realize that what you REALLY do, and what you dream about doing are two different things most of the time!!) and thought all the ideas I've seen were simply exquisite. My only thought about showing up with a cake and demanding payment...? Can't you see that bride hitting up everyone at the party for cash, they all 'chip in' for it, then spend the rest of the party talking about that evil cake lady that showed up and essentially pick pocketed all the wedding guests? Man... you can't win for losing in this situation!! Once again, it's all about how bad and evil the cake lady is, even though she was just demanding what was rightfully hers. Ugh, danged if you do, danged if you don't!
I hope the MOBzilla feels appropriately guilty for having participated in this situation,
I'm sorry to say I know people like this and she won't feel a single pang of pain or guilt about it. No matter what happens, she will continue to pronouce herself as the victim and how "everyone" is out to get them, rip them off, or somehow screw them over.
It will never, ever, EVER be her fault.
I have to agree with Indydebi on this one. Despite the fact that she lost her engagement ring and had Walmart cake at her wedding with 350 guests....both of these women will not see the wrong they did. This was a premeditated action that they had somehow "Justified" in their own mind....sorry to say there will be no REAL lesson in their minds.
Yah know why they, that's Momzilla & JailBaitBride, can feel justified and in the right? One is because they're scamming crooks and the other is because of the vahhhhst degree of range of price in decorated cake. I mean if Suzy Homemaker is selling good stuff for half the fair market value (or less) why wouldn't these weak, warped, little sociopath-ish brains like these hatch a scheme to defraud whining, "It costs too much."
How many zillion times has some sleep deprived caker whimpered these words, "I don't want them to think I charge too mu-uch."
I know I have been there as well and this is so funny because a fellow ccer and I are talking about the same thing as undercharging and we have learned our lessons no undercharging.
I hope the MOBzilla feels appropriately guilty for having participated in this situation,
I'm sorry to say I know people like this and she won't feel a single pang of pain or guilt about it. No matter what happens, she will continue to pronouce herself as the victim and how "everyone" is out to get them, rip them off, or somehow screw them over.
It will never, ever, EVER be her fault.
I have to agree with Indydebi on this one. Despite the fact that she lost her engagement ring and had Walmart cake at her wedding with 350 guests....both of these women will not see the wrong they did. This was a premeditated action that they had somehow "Justified" in their own mind....sorry to say there will be no REAL lesson in their minds.
Yah know why they, that's Momzilla & JailBaitBride, can feel justified and in the right? One is because they're scamming crooks and the other is because of the vahhhhst degree of range of price in decorated cake. I mean if Suzy Homemaker is selling good stuff for half the fair market value (or less) why wouldn't these weak, warped, little sociopath-ish brains like these hatch a scheme to defraud whining, "It costs too much."
How many zillion times has some sleep deprived caker whimpered these words, "I don't want them to think I charge too mu-uch."
Geez if you reply to your own post are you then talking to yourself.
"Yes." she answered. 
It's rotten as hell to get these little brides in a consult, won't even make eye contact, looking for the cheap ass decorators when they know they are wasting everyone's time. It's a crime crime crime.
We are dumbing down our industry.
We are low ball pricing ourselves out of business before we even start.
Please reconsider those freakish base prices you are charging.
Hey--a light bulb moment. If we can band together to try to get legislation passed--let's consider letters to the editor everytime we see one of these stupid boopid articles on how to save money on our wedding.
[quote="dsevans"]
venue rep decided it would not be appropriate to use my cake dummy for display, but did take brides $250 and buy a couple of wal mart sheet cakes ( which she says she will proudly display in walmart bakery box on the buffet...tacky i know but hilarious...
Carol says: I agree about op's display cake not being used as cover for this brides ( and her mother's) bad behavior, but why would the venue rep be running to the store to buy cakes? Seems to me that should be left up to the brides family or wedding party to see to. The venue wouldn't be getting the wedding cake, so why would they be hunting down a substitute cake? AND if the venue rep DID run out for Wal Mart cakes why would he/she want to make a point of letting people see where they were from? It's not the venue who is being cheated here. As far as I've heard they're getting paid. I don't see why the rep would want to add to the drama by drawing attention to the absence of a formal wedding cake, let alone want to scream out to everyone in attendence that they're being served cheap Wal Mart cake. This seems highly un-professional on their part to me. The venue should be doing what they can to make the client (who is paying them) as happy as possible (and maybe this would mean running down sheet cakes to fill the void) but they shouldn't be involving themselves in the personal side of their business relationship with the client. I'm thinking like a prospective client here.
took bottom tier of the cake to venue sat before heading out with cake #2
Carol says: Are you saying you took the bottom tier to the venue employees before the wedding??
MOB saw walmart cake boxes and took them off the table and just tried cutting and serving, from the kitchen,
Carol says: I would have done the same.
venue rep just told people the truth when they asked about the cakes whereabouts....
Carol says: It would have been more appropriate had he/she just said the cake had not arrived and refer them to the bride or mob with their questions. For the venue rep to be spreading the word of what had transpired is just wrong. They shouldn't be involving themselves any further than the services they are providing under their business contract with their client. That does not include gossiping about the client's personal business.
[quote="indydebi"].
However, she's not 7 years old anymore. No matter HOW she was raised, there comes a point where you, as my fabulous father-in-law would say, "look around! Figure things out!"
Soooooooooooooo true!!! I've been lurking and reading all the posts and I must say this community is GREAT!!
Dsevans---your cake is absolutely gorgeous!! You are a class act all the way!!!!
xstitcher--thanks for the updates! 
indydebi--you crack me up....love your posts!! 
Well...back to lurking.
I know I have been there as well and this is so funny because a fellow ccer and I are talking about the same thing as undercharging and we have learned our lessons no undercharging.
YES!!!!
And all the whole rest of us plus this entire thread and OP's awful encounter here bears witness--no reason for anyone to sell themselves short and under value each other in the process.
I mean no one expects to you go from fifty cents a serving to three dollars overnight. But Raise them gradually and on purpose starting now! Please!
When you hear people bad mouthing someone for 'charging too much' speak up!!!
But those articles are soooooooo informative! I think that will be a new career choice for me.
1. Save money on flowers - drive down highway on the way to the ceremony and pick the nature given freebies. Always in style!
2. The dress is really an overpriced piece of material. Buy a bolt of fabric, gracefully wrap around yourself. You can always have your MOB bedazzle the heck out of it once it is in place if you so desire. Just recycyle those projects you made in the 80s! Going green while walking down memory lane is always good. You now have something old and something new.
3. Invitations may set the tone for your wedding, but seriously, people just throw them away. Print up some pretty little flyers like a Rave Party. They will work just the same.
4. Have a potluck meal reception. Pick out only the finest china you will want, send your guest the piece they are to purchase for you and what they are to fill it with for your reception. You would not want them to forget the gift while they are busy getting your dish prepared.
5. The cake. Everyone knows the most important part of the reception is the cake cutting ceremony. Hotess has always been there for you along with Little Debbie and various other brands. Serve twinkies, dingdongs, ho hos, snowballs, whatever your favs are. Make sure they are all cut in half as the 50 cents a person is WAY to much. You can always try the thrift bakeries for an even better deal.
OMG, I think I should start planning red neck wedding and go in business w/ Tom Arnold!
She offered to pay the balance, and I told her that was very kind but there was no way I could load the cake and be there in time and after the huge ordeal from the bride and MOB I just honestly did not want to mess with it.... MOG said she understood, and she couldnt believe her son was marrying this kind of person. I also informed her that the bank had made the decision to prosecute this case as a fraud case after reviewing the contract therefore not only will bride have to pay me my money ( plus any fees incurred from it) but she will also be fined and most likely get jail time, though it could be suspended with community service.
I just got to this point and have to say, I have happy tingles all over!! I hope it doesn't sound condescending to say I'm so proud of you for not caving. Your integrity is awesome. You give cakers a good name! And now MOG knows the 'real' story, I am sure she'll be letting bridey-poo know what she knows. I am SO happy right now. I can't wait to finish reading the rest. It just keeps getting better. For once you are NOT getting the short end of the stick.
The OP said that she knows the venue rep kind of well and I think that the venue people thought they were helping out the OP because the bride had done such a rotten thing to her.
Personally, I think it's different if the check had bounced and it was a misunderstanding that the payment hadn't been made, even though with the contracts that should be virtually impossible. And I'm sure if that was the case it wouldn't have been made a big deal of that the cake wasn't there. The bride was intentionally cheating the OP out of her rightfully hard earned money so was the venue rep doing something spiteful to "help" the OP? Probably. Was it well deserved on the brides end? Absoultly. JMHO of course.
But Carol, if it was left up to MOB or Bride than they would have been trashing DsEvans and probably saying things like "That bird never showed up with the cake or she wanted more money and we were extorted for money we just didn't have after she decided to charge an extra $550 today!". I believe she said her husband's family had been in town forever and it was the type of place where reputations are pretty important. I believe that as ugly as these two women were in their actions they would have treated the OP the same way. It may not have been 1000% professional but from their actions they deserved exactly what they got. BTW she took the cake over the next day on her way to a friend's wedding. Just my 2 cents.
She offered to pay the balance, and I told her that was very kind but there was no way I could load the cake and be there in time and after the huge ordeal from the bride and MOB I just honestly did not want to mess with it.... MOG said she understood, and she couldnt believe her son was marrying this kind of person. I also informed her that the bank had made the decision to prosecute this case as a fraud case after reviewing the contract therefore not only will bride have to pay me my money ( plus any fees incurred from it) but she will also be fined and most likely get jail time, though it could be suspended with community service.
I just got to this point and have to say, I have happy tingles all over!! I hope it doesn't sound condescending to say I'm so proud of you for not caving. Your integrity is awesome. You give cakers a good name! And now MOG knows the 'real' story, I am sure she'll be letting bridey-poo know what she knows. I am SO happy right now. I can't wait to finish reading the rest. It just keeps getting better. For once you are NOT getting the short end of the stick.
Mog deserves a medal! Read on.
The only thing that would top this off (aside from hearing juicy details about the reception) is if the bride found this thread.
Please! Please! I was thinking the same thing. I know that's awful, but I was actually hoping for it! Or evil MOB! That would be even better maybe? I feel awful saying it, but man, it would rule!
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