i'm making some wedding cakes for the first time. i've never had a disaster yet with my other cakes....what do you do if you have a major disaster the day of the wedding and cannot deliver a cake??? i'm just worried, i don't want to ruin a wedding!

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do after the fact. You just have to prepare ahead of time to avoid any mishaps. When I transported my 3 tier, I got a large under the bed storage container and put some non-skid foam in the bottom to keep my cakes from sliding around. I had the convenience of it being a pillared cake though, so I got to stack it on location. If you are doing a stacked cake, I have heard that using the SPS method works well. Some suggest using a center dowel. Sometimes unforseen things happen though that are out of your control. You read on here occasionally about having to make sudden stops and cakes toppling. It is a scary thought for all of us who have to transport large cakes. Just try to prepare ahead of time. I try and take extra icing to patch any "scuffs" if possible, I take extra pieces of any piped stuff (just in case one happens to get broken). Prepare, Prepare, Prepare (and remember it's supposed to be fun).

I know I try to prepare myself for many problems, pack a kit to fix problems, but in case of a disaster, where you don't have time to re-do the cakes, you could go to your local bakery and buy cakes,cheesecakes, or cupcakes and decorate them with fresh flowers, puting them on elevated platters. At least she would have something to serve.

I refused to do wedding cakes for a long time for fear that the anxiety would take all the fun out of cake decorating. When I finally did one for a friend, it ws because she was able to construct it herself, on site. I was unable to attend. She didn't want fondant, didn't want a "dry" cake, and wanted cream cheese frosting for a wedding three hours away. She doesn't like buttercream frosting. Naturally, I ws practically giving the cake (and groom's cake) away. I explained the logistics of traveling with cake, which is unstable, and the fruitlessness of decorating with cream cheese that was supposed to hold up unrefrigerated all day! In the end, I made a moist white cake, put ganache under my fondant (which seems to make it travel better) supported each tier, didn't use a lot of filling, and met the driver with all three tiers plated and ready to be stacked. It made it there fine. She was happy. The best advice I can give is to go with what you know. First time wedding cakes are no time to try new consistencies or recipes. If possible, assemble on site! Use rubber shelf liner to keep cakes from sliding into each other. Use adequate support. Plan your design around things such as humidity and temperature, and distance to travel. Good luck!

I also refused to do wedding cakes for months then finally changed my mind when an opportunity to do a smallish 80 person wedding came up. I told myself "don't worry - if worst comes to worst they don't need to display it and can just use it as a kitchen cake". It went surprisingly well despite I couldn't be there to set it up and it went through a huge journey to get to its venue. I still don't enjoy doing wedding cakes (more stress than they are worth) but am doing another one in a couple months too. Just practice as much as possible before the wedding esp if it requires you to do something new (eg you have never done scroll work and the cake requires scrolls) and hopefully it's for a person for whom the wedding cake isn't a HUGE deal and would cry/freak out if the cake isn't perfect - people like that need pros to do their cakes

In my contract under "circumstances beyond our control" I have a paragraph describing what I would do if there were an accident on the way to delivering their cake, i.e. if the cake were damaged beyond repair.

I would provide them with one of my dummy cakes so that they'd have a display cake for photos.

I would then provide "kitchen" cakes to be served, purchased by me at no additional cost to them.

It's a good idea to have 1 or 2 "dummies" hanging around just in case.....I've never had to use them yet but you never know.

I refuse to deliver a cake already assembled even though I use the SPS system. Too much can go wrong and I do not want to be responsible for a brides day being ruined because of a lack of cake.

I am always a total nervous wreck until after it is set up. I pack my emergancy kit (and have had to use it) with everything and anything I may need. I have the entire back of my Pacifica lined with non skid shlf liner ( which has been a HUGE miracle itself) and have had no issues with cakes sliding anywhere.

The worst one for nerves was the one I did this last Friday. Stood 6 feet tall...I'm only 5 foot and the table was 3 foot..so 9 feet I had to reach up to and stack cakes. Plus I had to drive 60 miles in heavy traffic to a destination I had no clue where it was. I tell you, I was so close to vomiting from nerves....but it made it safe and sound and was beautiful!

Don't be afraid to do wedding cakes. Plan for any contingency that can happen. Pack your emergancy kit and maps. Allow yourself plenty of time.
It really isn't so bad.