Questions, a bride what ribbon on her cake.

1. Do I supply the ribbon or she does?
2. Cake iced in buttercream, what type of ribbon would be best to avoid the ribbon from getting saturated with the icing (grease)?
3. How much do you charge to rent cake platters? Where can I purchase them? Do I need one or the cake board will be sufficient to display the cake? The bride wants a 3 tier cake 6, 8, & 10.

i always have the bride provide the ribbon (it will be stated in the contract of course). this way she knows the exact size/color/price etc. i've found that no matter what ribbon is used, grease still gets on it. so there are a few things you can do to prevent it. you can use contact paper on the back of the ribbon and that way when you put it on the cake, the ribbon doesn't actually touch the buttercream. or you can just go ahead and rub crisco on the back of the ribbon...that way it is a uniform, one color look and not splotchy. the only warning here is that it will darken the color of the ribbon a bit. for the cake platters part, i've always been able to use one provided by the reception hall/rest./etc. that way it just stays put and there's nothing to rent/return, etc. i'm sure you could google them though and find some that you could own/rent out. just make sure you include an equipment section in your contract to protect you in case your platter goes MIA

thanks for answering the question about the ribbon. I needed that info for a bride!

I've used ribbon from my local florist before. It's not cloth ribbon but more of a synthetic thing... very slick and sort of feels like plastic. It did not absorb oil at all. It was very inexpensive. Something else to think about. =)

A similar question...not meaning to hijack, how do you stick it to the cake? I've been wondering. I always thought (before doing cakes) that you'd just stick a pin in it but now I'm wondering if you use a bit of glue or what? Or a pin and just be REALLY sure the servers take it out? I wouldn't think that would be safe but can't think how else to do it.

Only fondant ribbon is food safe.

And if by cake platter you're asking about a cake plateau, then thats a rental item, obtained from a rental store or the florist.

Thanks for the info.