Now i'm sure there are a few post on this subject but i need some answers fast and im freaking out!

I am doing my 1st 3 tier wedding cake this weekend and the client wants a family member to pick it up and transport it.

how does everyone transport their cakes. I was thinking of using a tall cardboard box with a door cut in the side but i am concerned where they will place this in the car?

The other option is that someone held the cake but i think the person picking up the cake is traveling on their own.

I have informed the bride that it was best for me to deliver the cake but she decided against it therefore i have told her that i take no responsibility for the cake once it has left me. Never the less i still want the cake to arrive in one piece!!!!!

advice much appreciated

I would package it exctly the way you would if you were transporting it yourself. If it all goes wrong she only has herself to blame. IMO if you do it differetly she could come back at you saying you had done something different to your normal practice and that is why the diaster ( hopefully not!) happened.
Just what i'd do but i'm not a business

First of all, print up a waiver to give to the person accepting the cake that once it leaves your hands, it is no longer your responsibility. Make sure you EMAIL the bride telling her about this waiver so she is fully aware of it. Then if she (or her designate) picks it up, you are covered. Make sure the delivery person signs the waiver. Give them a copy and keep one for you.

I always tell my clients that a wedding cake should NOT be transported on a back seat - that the cake MUST be placed on a flat, level surface. I always suggest that a mini-van or SUV would be ideal for transport.

Any cardboard box you put it in should be really rigid because people don't realize how heavy a fully assembled three tier cake is and they tend to pick it up by the box rather than support the bottom. I tend to slit two of the four corners all the way to the bottom and remove the top of the box. I place the cake on the bottom section on a piece of slip mat, then tape the sides back up, then cover the top with a clear plastic (taped on). They see the tape and they then know the box is not stable so they tend to take more care with it. I give them an extra piece of slipmat to put under the box so the box doesn't move.

I emphasize to the person picking up the cake that the cake should be picked up from the bottom because of the weight and they are to remove the tape first so the sides fall flat. Then they can remove the cake from the box safely. I suggest to them that the box is only to keep the cake clean and is not used for support.

I always tell them about safe driving with a cake - take turns slowly and carefully and avoid any sudden stops.

Often when they learn the care and thought that goes into transporting a cake, they make the decision to have me deliver it - even if there's an extra charge.

Good luck with your cake!

I agree with Classy Cakes... do everything she says to CYA...
Wavier, e-mails are most important for after effects... document it all!!
I always give driving instructions as well as carrying instructions & actually put them in the e-mail so that it is documented & can be considered in the final decision whether to have it delivered or not. Let us know how it goes :0)

I am sure if Leah saw this post, she would recomment using SPS- this is basically why the SPS was created, so clients could pick up their own. I agree, make sure they sign a waiver that once it leaves your facility, it's their responsibility. Also, I would take a few pics of it once you have it set up, so you have proof that it was in good shape before it left. I would not use a box- I transport all my cakes stacked, no box, and they turn out fine, unless I am going more than 30 miles, then I assemble on site, but that's very rare for me, as I am only 2 miles from every venue in my small town where I have delivered cakes.

I cringe at the thought of someone else delivering a cake for me, yikes. Depending on how the tiers go together is there a possibility of taking the tiers appart and transporting separately? Although that puts the responsibility of the deliverer to reassamble at the wedding, which is nervous in and of itself.
Is this like an honor thing for the family member? Can you tag along in the car behind and help on location?
Iron clad waiver is the best.

my contract says.. I DELIVER AND SET UP.. no if, and, or buts about it. I have free delivery in three counties and then the delivery charge is applied outside that area and it goes up the further i have to go.

Make sure you do that waiver of liability. good luck.

I deliver ALL of my cakes. No exceptions.

I will only let someone pick up a small two tiered cake, but no bigger. I agree with all the other posters. If you go ahead with this, make sure you've got that center dowell down through all the tiers. Make sure their vehicle has a flat level space. I about had a coronary once when these people cake to pick up a small two tiered plus two half sheets and drove up in a pickup truck. Fortunately, it was an extended cab and it all fit in there flat. This even went on a fairy to one of the islands. But, it got there okay.