Do You Provide Clients With Cakes That Feed Exactly Their Guest Count?
Decorating By GlykaBakeShop Updated 15 Mar 2013 , 8:41am by Crazy-Gray
Oh boy, did a bride and I make a bad decisions once. 
I made a 7 tier cake for this awesome lady, and she still orders something every once in awhile. But she decided she wanted a different cake/filling for every tier. And then I thought of the brilliant (<----said sarcastically) idea to make a framed menu to put next to it. We were both excited. So there sits the cake, with a framed menu next to it, and I get my pics and go home.
Fast forward a year later when she comes to get her anniversary tier. Come to find out, there was no proper service that night, guests were left to their own devices when it came to the cake. So what happened? Yeah, most of them took several slices from different tiers.
Bride and groom never got a slice. She wasn't mad, in fact she was happy that they liked it so much that it all got devoured and got lots of compliments, but I use that incident as an example now when people start getting carried away with choosing flavors. I tell them it could be a fun thing to do, or it could make people take more than one slice, so if you choose to get many flavors, watch how it's served.
Good Lord, what a bunch of pigs! I tell people that when you have two flavors people tend to choose one and they're happy, but when you add a third there's something about it that makes people want to try it too. That's something else to figure in to how many servings are needed, but it still doesn't mean that you need 100% of the guest count. In my experience the biggest factors are age range of guests+open bar+other desserts/food
Since I do mostly celebration cakes I do cakes according to guest count, 30 people coming to little Timmy's birthday party = cake to serve 30 people.
Occasionally they will request a larger or smaller cake depending on their guests but for the most part it's just straight guest count.
Oh boy, did a bride and I make a bad decisions once. I made a 7 tier cake for this awesome lady, and she still orders something every once in awhile. But she decided she wanted a different cake/filling for every tier. And then I thought of the brilliant (<----said sarcastically) idea to make a framed menu to put next to it. We were both excited. So there sits the cake, with a framed menu next to it, and I get my pics and go home.
Fast forward a year later when she comes to get her anniversary tier. Come to find out, there was no proper service that night, guests were left to their own devices when it came to the cake. So what happened? Yeah, most of them took several slices from different tiers.
Bride and groom never got a slice....
This happened to friends of mine who were guests at a wedding....there were 3 tiers all different flavours ,and most guests decided to try a taste of 2-3 flavours...bearing in mind in the UK the cake is not always the main dessert, but for after dessert; as in this case. Only about 75% of the guests got any cake, and neither did the bride and groom...they were mortified !
slightly off topic a bit
i send a little honeymoon cake out all boxed ready to go with the cake because so often the b&g don't get a slice for whatever reason or they don't remember having any--or what it tasted like because they were so busy being 'bridal' (similar to postal only wedding inspired ;) --i just make it out of leveling scraps or leftover batter--pop it in a 6" box--done
after a big momentous day like that--nothing better than a big sweet sugar rush when you finally get a quiet moment
just a thought
My sister always orders so much more cake than she needs because she wants the cake to look dramatic. I just made her a 12 x 4 square to serve 20-30 people! Her wedding was 100 people and she ordered a 14" 12" 10" 8" 6".
follow up: 20 people managed to eat more than half a 12" square. damn!
K8memphis that is such a cute idea, and very thoughtful!
Ellavanilla I just did a party cake 8-10-12, less than 50 people ate it all except for half of the 12". I was glad I overdid it on the sizes in the end!
slightly off topic a bit
i send a little honeymoon cake out all boxed ready to go with the cake because so often the b&g don't get a slice for whatever reason or they don't remember having any--or what it tasted like because they were so busy being 'bridal' (similar to postal only wedding inspired ;) --i just make it out of leveling scraps or leftover batter--pop it in a 6" box--done
after a big momentous day like that--nothing better than a big sweet sugar rush when you finally get a quiet moment
just a thought
I didn't realise it was you who suggested that before!! I read it here on CC and adopted it a year or so ago and it's my favourite part of the wedding cake!! I always leave it on the top table with a little note, usually as a surprise :) Thanks K8 :)
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