Hi Everyone,
Just wondering if you get someone to sign off on the wedding cake when delivering to reception? if so, who?
And is it a seperate form to the contract? I can't imagine there being much written on the seperate form?

Your advice and experience would be really appreciated.

Yes I always get mine signed off and it is seperate from contract. As often when delivered to venue only hotel staff around I make someone in authority sign that cake was delivered in good condition and discharging me of any responsibilty. It has time as well as date and I always take a photo before I leave. I learnt the hard way.

ditto what jillyscakes said and I too always take a picture

I do the same as jill and patty. Here is what mine looks like:

Delivery Confirmation


The cake for the _____________________________________________ wedding has been delivery to ______________________________________________. The cake is assembled and is in presentable, undamaged condition. I accept all responsibility for the cake while it is in this establishment.

Signature: __________________________________________________

Date: __________________

Print Name: _________________________________________________


I acknowledge that the cake must remain in a room with the temperature of 75 degrees or lower. Initial ____________

If I choose to move the cake from its delivered location, I accept all responsibility of any damage that may occur. Initial _______________

I have received the cake cutting instructions. Initial _____________

I have received ___ kitchen cake(s). Initial _____________

I never got a sign off. More than once I've delivered a cake and it was just me and the DJ in the entire building.

As a caterer, I would not sign off on anything that I had nothing to do with on the ordering end. I would have no idea if its even the right cake, right size or anything else about. My staff had strict instructions that we sign off on NO product or services from other vendors. Ever.

I can't get anyone to sign. I take pictures from several angles to prove "it was fine when I left it."

When i first started, I tried to get signatures upon delivery, but like some of the others stated, sometimes I am the only one there. So I too take several pictures of the cake, even if it is just with my iPhone.

Nope, I would just take pictures. It can be very hard to find someone around who is willing to take the responsibility of signing off on the cake. And, say you finally find (for instance), the groom's cousin, who signs off on it. If the bride has a problem, is she going to care that Cousin Erwin signed off on it?

Maybe I'm over cautious, but I have the contact person at the venue sign and I take pictures of the cake before leaving. Better safe than sorry.

I also don't make people sign off. I put it down, take a bunch of pics, walk out. I've never had a single issue with this.

Just to play devil's advocate: does taking photos really prove that the cake was fine when you left it? Sure, it proves it was fine at some stage while you were there, but does it really prove that you didn't take the photo, then knock it over yourself?

Just wondering if anyone's actually been able to use a photo to prove they didn't ruin the cake somehow.

I've never had a problem to need proof for. I take pics at the
Venue and would never "knock over" my own cake or anyone elses. If I took pics and and that accusation was made, I would just laugh.

Come on, if someone delivered an improperly stacked cake, and the manager signed saying that it arrived, but it fell, he wouldn't be responsible for a decorators poor stacking. So in the same way a signature won't completely hold up.

No, and it has never been a problem for us. I don't see the point because the person who signs for isn't going to be the person who ordered it. We take pictures and twice it has helped us prove that the dents in the cake happened after we left. It is also in our contract that we are not responsible for the cake after we deliver and set it up.

The knocking it over yourself scenario is highly unlikely. I think that if you did knock it over by accident, you would quite possibly be more mortified than the bride!

Yes, This is prearranged with the bride to have someone there for set up who is responsible for over seeing her details while she is taking her vows. I get a name and phone number of the person & we coordinate to be there at the same time.
I get 3 copies signed one for the person signing, one for me, & one for a box under the table for the bride. I also leave extra business cards as well as take pictures. This way everyone involved with the cake has some form of a way to reach me, proof that it was set up & looking good when I left, knows what parts of the cake are to but put in the box under the table for return, and it also list each tier & flavors of the cake & filling for the server.

I actually got into it with a venue manager when I tried to do this. I used to have the venue sign off, that it was on the right table and in "apparent good condition", and my form even said that the venue is not liable for quality of cake or decorating, but he would have none of it. I asked his coordinator to sign off on the cake and she pulled the manager into the discussion.

This guy said that if I was going to insist that I have him sign off then he was going to insist brides not use me. This was back in the beginning of the business and he had me in tears because I really thought I was doing the right thing and was trying to be super nice about it. Being more experienced, he didn't want responsibility for a cake that he didn't make. Apparently he had some bad experiences with cakes tipping over or something, not sure why his pants were in a wad, but I decided that it wasn't worth it, and scratched the sign off sheet.

I just decided that it was my responsibility to make sure the cake could withstand both road and reception conditions, which includes minor bumping, etc. So far so good! I can see his point, (although not his attitude) so I decided that unless I was going to require a bride's representative present, which I probably won't do, I was just going to have to deal.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it! and thanks pinkpiggy78 for posting a copy of your delivery form.

No problem. BTW, I always try to tell the bride that I will need someone to sign off on the cake during the tasting/consult. I also tell them that the person signing is not verifying anything but that it is delivered in acceptable condition... nothing about the design, size, etc, because they may or may not know the details of the cake. I always take a ton of pictures as well and would definitely leave the cake if no one was around (but this has yet to happen).