to write an article for one of our newspapers doing their fall bridal section. (deadline 9/4/09)

If you were to do this,what would you want/need every prospective bride to know? What are some of the things that just don't get the proper coverage?

I would love to include as much info from as many of my cake family as I can.

If you would be so kind as to pm me or post here in this thread with whatever info you are willing to share I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks so much everyone.
Donna

Cake tasting!!!!!!! My husband and I didn't know to do that when we got married and boy I wish we had. Our cake and frosting tasted terrible!

SHOP AROUND!!! When we were in the process of getting married and during the cake selection process we just went w/ one of the cake shops that were included in the package. It was one of the well known ones in my area and thought Great we will have an awesome one of a kind cake (they have great tasting cakes - didn't know much about their designs yet though and assumed they would be great). I love flowers and really looked forward to it. WELL, when I asked for Peach Gerber Daisies I was told they only do white, end of story. What?? only white?? I was upset and ended up w/ real flowers on my cake and not the look I was really going for. Well, back then I was not into cakes as I am today and did not know enough to look for more of a boutique type place to meet my wants. If one bakery cannot do what you are looking for I bet there is another one who will be able to accommodate your request.

Try to undo all the stupidity that has been found in those wedding magazines about things like styrofoam cakes are cheaper, cakes are expensive because of the kind of pan you use ... you know the things that people one here get all stewed about because we know better...

These are all like what I am looking for. I totally agree with the dispelling of myths about dummies and them being cheaper, I also want them to know that it isn't so much the cost of ingredients that will make the price of your cake expensive, but the amount of hours it takes to design, and such.

Keep the ideas coming. I am starting to rough draft as we speak (type)

Thanks

I would say....the wedding day is widely touted as "the bride's day," and I think that's unfair. Remember that this day is about the bride AND the groom, and that the reception is to share your joy with your guests, so as the host and hostess, the bride and groom need to think about their guests, too. Sure, spicy rum banana coconut cake may be YOUR favorite flavor, but are most of your guests going to like it? Especially the children? Go a little less pricey on the decorations to make sure that the cake is delicious and appealing and maybe has more than one flavor, rather than going high hog on the decorations and being stuck with a whole lot of cake that nobody's eating because it's "that weird flavor she likes..."

And if the article's about more than just cake, here's another one that is CHRONICALLY overlooked: unless yours is an adults-only wedding and reception, think about the children. Kids get into a lot of trouble at receptions because they've got nothing to do. $40 for a babysitter to keep them occupied and a few trips to the dollar store for toys and activities, and you will have a rockin' reception without trouble from the kids. Especially if they get to have their own table--kids LOVE to feel grown up, as long as it doesn't get in the way of having fun!

Varika, what a great addition. I don't know exactly in what direction the article is going to take yet. I would like to include the idea of the sitter for the kids, I have done just that.

Thanks.

I don't remember who originally said it on here, but another tip for keeping the kids away from the cake, if that might be an issues. Assign one little kids (around 8, 9 or 10) to be the cake guard. Give them a dollar store sheriffs badge and tell them that it is their job to guard the cake and make sure nobody touches it until it is time for the bride and groom to touch it. If necessary, bribe them with an extra piece or two of cake!

PLEASE let them know that the cake shows/competitions are NOT reality. Cakes are not completed in just 8 hrs. And also let them know the cost of those cakes that they see on t.v. that they love so much. They are definetly not $250 for 300 people!

By the way that Toba Garett cake was $60 a serving that served 25 people1 And yes, I'm jealous.

Indydeb what cake did you see on Toba Garett's site for $25 a serving. I know I saw her cookies (believe it or not) for $15 to $25 a cookie, but no cake. You also might want to let your brides know that in the magazine.

Oh, ok. I don't think I did the math on that one. Her work is beautiful. Brides love that type of work, I don't blame them, I just bl;ame them when they want me to do it for $200 bucks! Please let them know REAL cost factors. Oh the other thing, please tell them to be realistic on budget and not to try to haggle prices.If they are trying to make budget, they need to scale back on size and most the time design. I can't haggle price, but I can show what I can do with in your budget. I see SO many bridal magazines encouraging brides to negotiate prices with the cake person. It just ain't gona happen over here!

After the bride's dress the cake is the second thing remembered by the guests! Yet, they want bargain basement prices for a stunning cake. Pans, electricity, rent, insurance, labor and the cost of ingredients not to mention my time! Add it up and it isn't inexpensive-neither is my cake.

Hey Indy,

If it is alright with you, can I use some of your wonderful responses to our questions here on CC?
You always have just the thing to say, I wish I could think that fast when it counts.

The subjects about the cake shows on TV will be a strong point in the article. I truly don't think that brides don't totally understand just how many hours go into designing, baking, and all of the TRUE expenses of their cakes.

I will be going back through some of the previous threads here and making a good combination of info for them.

Keep your information you want to get out to more brides coming. I will make sure that I mention that most of the article was a colaboration of my fellow cakers.

Thanks everyone!!!!

Another thing you might mention is that they shouldn't skimp on the delivery to save a few bucks. We've all read the disaster stories where someone has decided not to have the cake delivered.

Oh, and that good fondant doesn't taste bad. I always see questions on yahoo answers that say, "I love the look of fondant for my wedding cake, but I want something that actually tastes decent. What do I do?"

Encourage the bride and groom to have a small, but elegant wedding. A beautiful cake could be the center piece. Then take the rest of the money that would have been spent, and use it for a down payment on a house.

Yeah, I am making a Cake Boss show cake this week for chump change! Hee hee, actually my normal pricing, and I know I'm no Cake Boss, but if they think I'm expensive, I know they have no idea what the one on tv costs!
I SOOOO wish they would say the retail price every time they show a completed cake; that would really help... I have considered writing to some of these shows and pleading with them to do this!!

I found this on-line. It shows the cost of just 2 of Buddy's cakes.

The indricotherium cake he made cost $8000 and was enough to feed 500. That's $16/serving for a carved cake.

The 5 tier, sweet 16 bday cake they dropped down the stairs cost $3000 and had 200 servings. That's $15/serving.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090803/LIFE05/908030309/1095/Cake-Boss-has-found-the-right-mix-for-success


This one mentions $$$ for Duff's cakes as well:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-07-28-cake-boss_N.htm

http://blogs.discovery.com/tlc_cake_boss/
Buddy's blog (link above) shows cake prices in the $10-$12K range.