I am doing my first wedding in less than a month and need to coordinate delivery/set up info with a country club. The order is for 200 cupcakes and a 6" mini cake. Just so I cover all my bases, exactly what should I confirm besides an appropriate delivery time and proper delivery entrance? I'm very new to this so any info/advice will help! TIA

I usually get the name and contact information for the on-site venue manager as well as the wedding coordinator (if any) just in case there are any last-minute issues.

Do you have liability insurance? If not I would ask the venue if this is a requirement, as some venues will not allow products to be served from uninsured vendors. If you do have liability insurance you should be fine in this respect.

I just asked the same question a few weeks ago. The response I got, was that they call the catering manager (or wedding coordinator) and coordinate it with them. Questions to ask include if there are any steps, which doors to deliver thru, who will sign off on the cake once delivered, etc.

I would also make sure they have a large enough table for your cupcake display. Would not be fun to get there & all of a sudden find there is no place to put the cupcakes because the cake table is too small.

Just make sure that you talk to the right person who WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU DELIVER! http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/07/delivering-tip-talk-to-right-person.html

Thank you so much for the feedback- it is all so helpful! I do not have liability insurance, so hopefully that issue will not come up!

Oh Jason...you who live in litigious California. Not all wedding sites (I've never met even one) inquire about the insurance of a cake vendor who only has a contract with the bride. I can't imagine that Carly will even be serving the cupcakes or 6"...she just will be setting up and even then I cant see any nexus that would give rise to liability of the venue. Also Penn. has a very fine cottage food law in place.

But onto the question at hand. Carly, I always make a dry run of the delivery route including driving and walking from my car/van to the exact location of my cake set up. I even ask to see exactly where the table will be and exactly the size of the table.

If the venue has an experienced manager they will have taken into account little things like the background of the cake table so that your cake, cupcakes look at their best. If my cake is meant to be viewed from all sides, I ask where the couple will be standing so that there is plenty of room especially if the brides dress is voluminous. If I am there to cut the serving slices, I make sure I have sufficient room to either remove the cake to the kitchen for dismanteling and serving, or if it's all to be done in one place, then I make sure there is sufficient room for platters to set the sugarflowers , ribbons, topper, etc,upon when removed from the cake, and a place to set each tier as I dismantle. And if there is a top layer that is to be saved, then I make sure arrangements are made for that (box, who's responsible...god love the bridesmaids, and where it will be set aside.

I rest a lot easier if that's done at least a week in advance. Granted, I live in a small town and don't have to travel far to do all this but even when the reception is at the bride's home, I find that her family is reassured that all these details are attended to.

Good luck and enjoy the ride

About 25% of the venues we've delivered to have asked us about liability insurance, and I'm assuming they would not have allowed us to deliver if we were not insured (the only venues who have asked us about this have been relatively upscale hotels, so a country club might do the same).

If anything, a cottage food law would make it more likely that a venue would require insurance, since presumably there would be more home bakers. Looking at liability from the venue's point of view, if something goes wrong with the food at the venue (whether it's the fault of the baker, the caterer, the venue's own food handlers, etc.) the customer is likely to sue anyone and everyone involved. If the vendors do not have liability insurance, the only one left with deep pockets will be the venue, and they will bear the brunt of the damages.

Based on my own experience you have a better than average chance that everything will be OK on the insurance front, but a 5 minute phone call to the venue will basically eliminate this particular risk.

You should definitely check on the licensing and insurance issue...I have some venues who never check and others who require a copy of your business license and insurance be kept on file, so it's unpredictable.

Thank you- looks like I have to get some things in order much sooner than I had anticipated. Better safe than sorry.

It's not just California. Many venues I delivered to required a Certificate of Liability Insurance (which, BTW, is NOT just a copy of your policy .... it's a legal document that has to be issued by your insurance agent. THese didn't cost me anything but some CC'ers have indicated they have insurance companies who do charge for them. I worked in commercial insurance at one of the largest companies in the world for 15 years and our company never charged for them.)

My procedure was to call the venue a day or two ahead of time and tell them "I plan to deliver at 4:00 .. does that work with your schedule ok?" I'd confirm which door I should use, that the table would be set up and ready, did they need a copy of my health dept license and a cert of liab ins, and if so ... how did they need the cert made out and who to fax it to? (who/what entity exactly is covered so the agent knows how to fill it out).

If I had any equipment that needed returned, I'd ask them if they would hold the equipoment for me to pick up on MOnday and I'd confirm that I'd have a container for them to put it in. If no equipment, I'd let them know that, too. (They always LUV hearing that!)

Don't leave anything to chance. There is a story somewhere on CC about bride who had no wedding cake because the venue refused to let the unlicensed, uninsured cake lady in the gate.