I'm so bummed out I could cry. Last Sunday a friend call me and tell me that the lady that was doing her son's wedding cake backed out so she gave my name the the other mother to call me. I am doing the desserts for the rehearsal dinner. Anyway, she called and we talked, set up a time on Thursday night for them to come over and taste. So I bake all day Thursday, chocolate, strawberry and yellow cakes with Mousseline buttercream (made them into large cupcakes). She was late, no bride with her and my friend did show up - but had to go back home to get the picture of the cake. It was all fondant and she argued with me about it and was in a big rush because it was her son's birthday. I had a folder for her with all of my info and she kept trying to trip me up on my prices; going back and forth till even I was confused! Plus they want to put real hydrangeas on the cake cascading down. I told her it wasn't a good idea, maybe silk. So she tasted a tiny edge of each cake and told me she was seeing another lady the next night too. Plus she kept saying how much to groom loves boxed yellow cake and my stuff is all scratch made. Well she rushed out before we even talked about other flavors, negotiating delivery (I was going to do it for free because it was just up the road). I don't mean to go on and whine, but it was my first wedding cake order and she was soooooo positive and grateful- the wedding is Oct. 3! She wanted me to write up quick prices and she said her husband was complaing of the costs. I was charging her $3 a slice and told her the fillings and everything else she was talking about was extra, plus it was for 200 and I tried to explain she would need extra cakes. I'm sure you've guessed by now she called me this morning and said she was going with the other lady, her husband liked her cakes better. Which I suppose means she was cheaper. She took my folder with her with my prices and all of my info so they probably compared the two. My husband doesn't understand why I'm upset and I know you don't always get the 'job', but I just needed to tell someone!

Colleen

just remember she will get what she pays for and in the long run she WILL wish she had given your cake a fair chance. dont be discouraged.

Girl don't worry it happens all the time your prices are good don't worry I'm sure the person that's doing the cake is going to use boxed mixes and it won't be nearly as good as yours or as pretty!! You don't want the head heck of having to deal with a lady like her she would have taken you on that cake and told others then if you would have gotten more busniess from it they all would have fought you on your prices trust me you don't want to deal with thathope you feel better

I'm so sorry you lost the wedding, but it sounds like you may have dodged a bullet. I have yet to do a wedding except for my niece, (which I did for free, so she didn't care what I did) so I have not had any kind of consultation, but if that is the way they go, I am not looking forward to them. Better luck in the future.

Let them write your prices down, don't give them all the stuff. Not knocking your scratch cakes, but I've baked for 46 years and not too many scratch cakes compare with the cake mixes, I don't think. I do my carrot and a few cakes from scratch, but have raves on my white and chocolate which are Betty Crocker. If you're doing the dessert table, then the wedding cakes will come, too. Just be patient. Maybe enter your work in some fairs or do some dummy cakes - you need some exposure to get noticed. Have the local newspaper do an article. Have stuff for them to try.

Let them have their boxed yellow cake!! If she was that much trouble just at the beginning, can you imagine how much of a pain she would have been come October 3rd. You're better off without this one, just look forward to your "actual" first wedding cake order!! Don't let her get you down. What goes around comes around!!

Totally understand! I've had at least 4 orders in general that the people never got back to me and you know why....Price? People want something for nothing. I find it very discouraging but I love doing cakes so I know I will find my clientele eventually...So far I've made next to nothing on the cakes I've done, and for all the work put in....
Don't despair, there will be more orders!

You will be very glad she did not go with you.

First....if she doesn't like the taste of your cakes, she will complain about it later. Wether they are good or not, scratch or not. Some people prefer box, and you will still find quite an audience for your scratch cakes, just be patient.

Second...if she is trying to hurry up, the bride is not there, and the consultation is not important, then how are you to please them? They will find something wrong with decorations later and blame it on you.

Third...your prices are fine. If that is their biggest concern, that's ok....because you will find yourself kicking yourself while you are trying to field their million questions that they didn't ask at the consult, and make a perfect cake that you could possibly lose money and/or sanity on.

The cakes will come to YOU....don't fret it.

Agree ... you dodged a bullet. This was a momzilla in the making, who was going to find fault with every little thing. She takes a tiny bite of cake, but spends most of her time trying to trip you up on price? Then you know where her focus was.

Not everone can afford me and that's ok.

What I also notice is that people, mostly dads, can't do the math. Back when stamps were 35 cents, a bride turned to her dad and said, "oh when we leave here, I need $70 for stamps." Dad went thru the roof! "SEVENTY DOLLARS!! FOR STAMPS?????" I said, "Dad, do the math. You're mailing 200 invitations and each one needs a 35 cent stamp. That comes to $70 no matter how you calculate it." He calmed down.

He's not looking at $3/serving. He's hearing $600 for cake for 200. ("SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS?? for CAKE?????" )

I call it "going math dumb".

I'd be positively thanking my stars to lose that order! I can't believe the obnoxious crap a lot of people in here put up with! Gah!

thank you all for your encouragement. I talked to my sister that had a florist business and she said the same thing. she also warned me to tell them the it is the florist's job to put the flowers on the cake, not to be responsible if the use real flowers and they stain the cake or someone gets sick from them. I'm not opposed to box cakes, use them sometimes and doctor them up.

what goes out comes back x3!!

colleen

Yeah the mom really sounded like a pill.
Chalk this one down to, whew, dodged the bullet!

I mean I can understand you being disappointed--but channel it into being disappointed she was not a worthy client rather than not getting the order.

'Sometimes non-orders are the best orders' thoughts for you.

I'ld be jumping for joy missing that order! And I know a lot of people who prefer scratch cakes over a mix, so I wouldn't worry about your cake not being good either.

I will gladly give you my bridezilla for next weekend! She LOVED my cake and my prices til her sisters in law told her she could have their food stamps to buy her cake from Walmart! I won't give her deposit back so I am making a cake for the rehearsal dinner. She wanted a groom's cake, but I refused to have my product at the same event as a Walmart cake!

I guess I should thank my guardian angel for watching over me! when they see and eat my desserts at the rehearsal dinner, they'll see what they missed!!

the Universe send what we need and apparently I didn't need that!

colleen

I had a pending wedding cake order and lost the order. Yeah, I was rather ticked, but after going back and forth with groomzilla and soon bridezilla, I was really glad I did not do their cake!

They wanted so much foo-foo stuff on the cake and to boot about 5 tiers high and when it came down to the total price for everything and I waived the deposit yadda yadda......."Then groomzilla became "picky" as to cake flavors and when bridezilla said, "well, I don't know".. that's when I knew I was not going to get the order. So, instead of me waiting for a "you got the job", or how ever they say it now a days, I told them to "shop around" and if they did not like what they were shopping around then to call me and I would see if I "still" had availability for their wedding cake.
And to boot, I even brought them "each" different cakes to taste.
I was a referral.
But it came down to they wanted "all" this cake and not pay one dime for it.
"Are you kidding me?!" I said to myself. I wanted to "advise" them of the great effort into putting together a wedding cake of their "pickyness".

So, yeah, I lost the order, but I was glad because I "saw it coming" that if I did do their cake, they would come back later and give me some flimsy excuse why they didn't like their cake and prob would have wanted a refund.

So, you win some and you lose some. Eventually, they always come back for a different cake. That's when you have the upper hand of either helping them with their request or telling them your too busy.
Keep your chin up! You'll be okay.......