Does anyone charge for each gumpaste flower, if so how much? Or do you just figure its apart of the cake?

Thanks for any input you can give me!

I generally charge per-piece, and the price depends on the flower, since some are a lot easier.

You can get a rough idea of what to charge by pricing the same type of gumpaste flower online. A lot of cake decorating sites sell premade gumpaste flowers. I buy most of mine and just upcharge about 10% to the client.

cai0311 - how long does a gum paste flower last? I was debating buying some but won't need/use the amount that you have to purchase right away. Thanks.

I pack mine away in egg cartons and plastic boxes lined with batting. The ones I made last year still look perfect. I made a million when I was learning. They looked great, so I kept them. I will probably never use them but I have a ton.

Gumpaste flowers last forever.

10% markup? I hope that you're including the shipping in that amount. I charge at least double what I pay, sometimes triple.

I take the total (including price, tax, shipping...) and add 10 - 20% to that and that is what I charge the bride. If there are a lot of flowers to put on the cake (which means more of my time) the mark up is 20%, otherwise just 10%.

Remember to always buy a few more than you need incase something breaks. I charge the client for these extras even if I don't use them on their cake.

I make mine & charge per flower. Something like a carnation would be much cheaper than an individually wired lily.

How do you know when it's better to buy vs making them yourself? Example: I can purchase pre made 20 med sized calla lilies (1.5" x 1.5") for $22 (plus tax). I have a wedding cake due this fall that requires 9 of these. Should I make them or buy them? I aloud for $27 worth for the flowers. I will need to buy petal dust or something (ideas?) to colour them purple. Or I could buy 16 (2" x 1.5") for $20 + tax.
Not sure what size you should use on a wedding cake (3 tiers), do you normally make them different sizes?