I have a bride who came to me with her friend last year for a tasting so they could "get everything figured out early." Thankfully, they both hired me. Bride One already had her wedding and I was told that my cupcakes were better than a famous bakery that has it's own TV show (toot toot), by a guest who got to have them at a wedding the previous weekend.

Prior to Bride One's wedding, Bride Two contacted me and wanted to schedule another tasting because her fiance and her couldn't figure out what they wanted (he wants traditional, she wants lemon/rasp or choc/orange). I made a remark about "oh, it's great that you'll be able to try them at Bride One's wedding" HOPING it would persuade her that she didn't need the second tasting. No such luck.

NORMALLY I have a stash of extra cake flavors in the freezer for random tastings, but since our new baby came in January, I haven't been taking many orders and so I don't have that little stockpile. Not to mention having fillings just laying around.

I am irritated and told her kindly that I didn't know what I was going to have time to make because I have two orders for the weekend that I will be working on. ANYWAY, I will just wing it, but in the future I will definitely make a point to brides that ONE tasting in complimentary. ANY OTHERS WILL BE CHARGED. I will also include that in my contract.

For the time being, I think I am going to take a break from wedding cakes, at least...with four kiddos and a husband who works an odd schedule at times, I don't have time to constantly be cleaning my house and finding places for my kids to go when I need to meet with brides. Just venting, as there really is no point to this post...lol.

Sometimes it's good to just get it all out so there is a point.

I don't think Brides realize how much you have to go thru to do a tasting and I am in agreement with you as far as if they have a second tasting it they should definitely be charged.

I like how some of the other pros on here do it though, they charge for the tasting and then apply that if an order is placed. That also kinda sets up policy that tastings aren't just freebies as well.

Sorry for your frustration...keep your chin up.

No second tasting for free. If they want more cake, they have to pay for it.

I have brides that want certain flavors that I don't provide for tastings, such as Italian cream. If they ask how they will know if they like mine, I tell them that they can order a small cake or cupcakes.

Shoot, I NEVER do a free tasting! If the bride books with me, I take it off their order as a discount, but they pay up front, no exceptions! So a second tasting, no big deal just another tasting! I am a stay at home mom with two, and a working hubby, house cleaning, bill paying, construction expanding my little commercial kitchen...it aint free for me, so why for them!? LOL!!

Nope! No second free tasting. By doing that, your going into your finances. Why would you want to do that?

Am I understanding this correctly that this is her first tasting for her actual order?
If so then she she should get the same treatment her friend got as does any other order. But if she did have her own individualized tasting for her wedding order then yeah the second tasting would be charged for.

As for the samples if you are already baking that weekend you could take the scraps from leveling off the tiers if you handle them carefully and cut round pieces of cake the size of a cupcake or a bit larger and fill and stack those up to make a sample. You would have to be careful not to break them, but it works.

If I read it correctly, I don't see how it's the second tasting. The first bride came with the friend, who also happened to be engaged. The first bride ordered the cake. Now, the second bride is requesting her tasting/consultation to discuss her wedding and help her make decisions. I know it would have been nice to kill 2 birds with one stone and a new baby makes things more complicated but I'm sure you figure it out. Good Luck!

Yes, I think that is what is going on here. In her mind, she's not asking for a second tasting. She feels that her friend got the whole experience, and just because she was a guest at this tasting doesn't mean she doesn't want her "own" time with you.
I've had this happen several times this year so far. Mostly with siblings. Sister 1 gets a tasting and has sister 2 come along, then sister 2 wants her OWN tasting and sister 1 comes along. So they both get 2 tastings, but in their eyes, only one tasting was "theirs." Irritating, but I can see where they are coming from.
Everyone wants the whole tv show "experience" these days, and its up to us to suck it up and provide it, or someone else will.

FWIW, here in SA (and prob other countries, I'm sure), tastings are either R250 which comes off the deposit when you book, or free for bookings for cakes over R1000 (ie expensive cakes!).

Perhaps that will help for future. Only do free tastings for orders over x-amount, or charge and if they book you, then they get the tasting fee off their deposit.

Well, they're both separate orders right? If they hadn't been at each others tastings, you would have ended up doing two separate tastings. I wouldn't have a problem with it. I charge $35 for to-go tastings, and if they book it goes towards their deposit. If they don't book, I'm not out any cost of materials.

It sounds like they came together to the appointment, but both brides did a tasting at that appointment, so this would be the second tasting. I'd tell her that you could sell her some cupcakes since you can't make one of specific flavors (who has the recipe for batter for one cupcake?).

Incidentally, has she ever tasted lemon raspberry before? Or chocolate orange? It drives me crazy when people ask for tastings for specific things, since there's no way they don't know what that tastes like. If they've had your cake before they know what the quality of it is, which in my mind is why you do a tasting in the first place.