A little background: The couple loves my cake, but balked at the price a couple of months ago at a tasting. My planner friend explained many times it could be less depending on design...they didn't want to hear it. So months later, here they are freaking out that they can't find any other cake they like as much as mine, and can I accomodate their $300 budget for their 300 guests? I wish I could post links to the pics. But one is a round tier set up with some sort of spacers, covered in chocolate bark, very artfully, and the other is wrapped in chocolate, I don't think it is fondant, with gold dragees. And get this...they want a small one for display AND the sheetcakes...all for that pitiful $300. After a couple of questions...this was my response:
There is no possible way I could do this. (bakery name) just quoted me $55.00 for one sheet cake, filled with god only knows what out of a plastic sleeve that serves up to 90 people, so 3 of those, that would almost feed her 300 would be about $165.
So she wants to pay me $135 more for a designed (nevermind how simple) and stacked cake and sheetcake? She's crazy...so unrealistic. I mean...not unrealistic, practically delusional. And the more I think of it, I bet the line of "couldn't find any better tasting" was a bunch of BS, more like "couldn't find any other sucker desperate enough for an order". I'll pass on brides like this...I have some integrity to maintain. Keep the good ones coming (planner name), there are gonna be "crazies" like this. And somehow a lot of them think the "cake lady" is the one to rip off. Not this "cake lady".
None of that was directed at you (planner name), but if they were sitting in front of me right now, I'd be letting them know, (very gently) how I take a lot of pride in what I do, and I couldn't watch my cake walk out the door knowing I was losing money on it so a Princess could have her dream wedding that she didn't budget for. Booooooo!
Dam*....I feel so liberated! 
Glad you stood up for yourself! That's great!
How can someone expect you to take a loss just so that they can have their dream cake?? That is just insane.
Here is a link to one of them...crazy!
http://www.sedty.com/up_ar/ar/chocolate_wedding_cake_bord.jpg
I would charge more than that just for the cake in the picture. choc. is not free, its rather expensive.
maybe she can go to walmart and order a 3 tiered white cake, then they can put some hershey bars around it... that may be more in their budget.
I don't get it, if you don't have much money... don't invite 300 people you have to feed. jez it makes sense to most people.
I don't get it, if you don't have much money... don't invite 300 people you have to feed. jez it makes sense to most people.
You'd think so, huh? I (like many of you) see too many people who make their gift-grab list and then plan the wedding around the list, instead of planning the list around the wedding (budget).
You go Jamie! I'm tired of people wanting the world for a measly buck. Where's my handout? Nope, paid for the wedding out of my own pocket, invited 75 people and had enough money to pay for everything I wanted (and still got gifts from the uninvited- so now what?).
Don't feel sorry for them for one minute.
OMG.....the planner just wrote back, and all she got out of that, INCORRECTLY might I add, was that I was quoting them back $439. She took my sarcastic comment about the bakery price and the difference and thought that was a quote....WTF?!?!? You have got to be kidding me...I don't even know how to respond. Honestly honestly stumped.
So did you let the wedding planner know how clueless she is? Please tell me you did. 
In a very sweet way, yes. She may gotten that figure from another baker which will start a whole nother issue alltogether if that's the case....I'll find that baker and slap her a new one! 
.
So, yes, I replied again with what my realistic (and reasonable) quote would be, and that it was non negotiable and was no where near a measly $439...
maybe she can go to walmart and order a 3 tiered white cake, then they can put some hershey bars around it... that may be more in their budget.
Ahhahahahahahahahahaha!
I don't know any planners personally but after a couple approaching me, had wondered if they're given a budget for a cake and if they manage to come under budget, they get to keep the difference. Has anyone else ever thought that?
All of the legitimate planners I know would be APPALLED at a planner who operated that way.
All the legit planners I know would be appalled as well.
I'm dying to know what she responds. Please don't leave us hangin'!! 
I don't know that they were doing that but it did make me think...
Seems to me, a legit planner would discuss with the b-t-b about the cake budget should it be outrageously low....a $100.00 budget for 75 guests and presented with a design comparable to a Sylvia Weinstock cake. Do the b-t-bs say something like, "okay, I've got $100 budgeted for the cake. This is what I want. Go find it!"? Seriously, maybe they would ask for it, but shouldn't the planner step in at that point and educate the b-t-b a bit on cake costs?
Unless, of course, a family member/friend was doing the planning and the b-t-b said something like, "I've budgeted $500(or whatever) for the cake..." and the 'planner' shreiks and says, "$500????!!!! I wouldn't pay that much for a cake! I can get one cheaper than that!" To which the b-t-b replies, "Fine, if you can get that cake. You can keep the rest. It was gonna go toward the cake anyway."
Wouldn't that be called "kick-back"? If a wedding planner has a cake decorator in her back pocket, they would probably make some good coinage by suggesting the btb use this baker who could do her cake for much less and keep the money, which I would think would be split amongst both parties.
I would hope up-n-up planners wouldn't do it, but in this economic era, I could see why they would. I don't agree with it, though.
She wanted one they could be seen cutting...ok, I offered the simplest of simple two tier, 6 and 8", no deco at all, just a ribbon around base. Then her stupid "sheetcakes" which I refuse to really call them that OR buy pans for, they can have 4 of those from my 12" reggular square pans to serve 288, by the time I get done with it, it will be about 3" tall unfilled and not decorated....I think it was reasonable. Still wayyyyy over what she wanted, more than double her budget, way over that.
I love the planner, I really do, she gets stuck in the midle of dealing with idiots sometimes. The other brides are great, they actually listen to her and have them go straight to me for the designing and $$ discussions.
It still blows my mind, 300 people, only $300 for cake including a tiered cutting cake...WOW! Who comes up with a number like that?
Haven't heard back yet, no...she'll end up getting Walmart or maybe the local bakery...which is fiiiiiiiiine by me! I'm sticking to my guns!
maybe she can go to walmart and order a 3 tiered white cake, then they can put some hershey bars around it... that may be more in their budget.
Ahhahahahahahahahahaha!
I thought the same thing!!! I almost said at one point "ya know, it's not like I'm sticking candy bars up against the side of the cake..."...LOL!
For that kind of budget, she should go to the store and buy the stuff herself to make some sheet cakes, slap some icing on them and be done with it. I don't get having such a huge wedding if you can't afford it.
All the legit planners I know would be appalled as well.
I'm dying to know what she responds. Please don't leave us hangin'!!
But she is a great planner...well, as far as my limited knowledge of planning goes, she puts together amazing events! I don't get it! Don't come to me with requests like this cuz it's just damned insulting!!! Use one of your other cheapy bakers if you have one. I'm her prefered and the only link and the only one on her blog that she refers to...so I don't know.
And the thing that makes me wonder, is the cake designer she used before, because that one moved, was very good and started out at $4.00 per serving for wedding cake, so either planner never used her, or designer dropped her prices way down a lot of the time....I'm dying to know myself.
To which the b-t-b replies, "Fine, if you can get that cake. You can keep the rest. It was gonna go toward the cake anyway."
Nobody, I know would do that. If they can save money in a wedding budget, they are going to keep the money because weddings can get expensive. Being able to keep $200-$300 or more in your pocket is a LOT of money. I'll tell someone to "keep the change" if the change is a couple of bucks .... but not if it's a couple of HUNDRED bucks.
I don't know anyone who does any of the things of which I spoke. I was putting it out there as a question...as in is this how it happens...that scenario was if a family member or friend was helping with the planning. I'm sure there are b-t-bs out there who aren't paying for the event themselves and couldn't give two shakes what any of it costs...."We'll just tell mom I need $500(or whatever) for the cake. You pay for the cake and keep the rest." may even come out of one of 'em mouth.
I was just trying to comprehend how the incredibly low number comes out of a planner's mouth to a decorator. One(this one anyway) would think if a person were to be calling themselves a planner, they would know their work...as in...know who charges what for what service and if there are any discounts for any of them. I was not dogging planners just confused about the OPs situation and how it could come about for any decorator dealing with a planner not necessarily just the OP.
The response Jamie came back with here....
"I don't get it! Don't come to me with requests like this cuz it's just damned insulting!!! " Was my initial reaction
_jamie_: your gonna have to change avatar from "I no makie sheet cakes" to "I makie sheet cakes, but I'm not happy about it!" lol!!!
Lol...yeah, no kidding. Well, technically these would be kitchen cakes, I forgot about that word! Lol!
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