Hi everyone! I am so excited I could barely sleep last night! I did a Bratz birthday cake for a neighbor about a month ago, and last night their adult daughter came over and asked me to do her wedding cake! She said her parents raved over the birthday cake and how it tasted so great and was decorated so good. It totally made my day! So anyway, she's getting married March 19th, so I figure I've got lots of time to prepare. She needs a cake to feed 200-250 people. She wants three tiers, and said maybe a sheet cake to have just in case they run out. She's going to bring by a picture of the cake she wants in a couple of weeks - she hasn't decided yet what she wants. I told her when I get her picture, I'll make a sample cake, like one tier, so she can taste it and see it and decide for sure if she wants me to do it. She knows this would be my first wedding cake. I have done tons of birthday cakes, shower cakes and a couple of anniversary cakes, but nothing as big as a wedding cake. So this is where you guys come in!!! I need all the tips and advice you can give me about getting a wedding cake ready. How far in advance do you start baking? Do you freeze your cakes? How easy or hard is it to assemble a tiered cake? Do you generally cut and serve the cake, or do you charge extra for that? I'm giving her a great deal since this is my first and also since I'm trying to get a business started, so I want to get some name recognition. She asked me for business cards because she said she knows several couples at her church who are getting married in the next year or so. I don't have any cards made up yet, but I've got to get that done over the holidays. Anyway, I asked her if she'd talked to other decorators about pricing for what she wanted and she said she's been told around $500. I told her I'd do it for $200-300 depending on exactly what style she decides on. I know that's a pretty great deal, and I don't want to undercut myself, but I'm terrified of charging an exorbitant amount and not producing perfection! I know I can do it and do it well, I just have this horrible fear of screwing up! So, can anyone share with me your "Wedding cake timeline"? Thanks so much! I know I'll be annoying you all with tons of questions in the next three months, so please bear with me through this!!
Tracy

You sound like y ou're off to a good start! But, I think you are vastly under-valuing yourself! I live in a small town and i consider myself to be quite reasonable price-wise. My bottom line for a cake this size would be in the $300-$375 price range. (Fondant icing is an extra charge!) I do not charge for the top tier either, since it is usually not served! Before you get the pictures from your bride...try to do some research into what supplies will cost you in your area to actually make a cake of this size.

The assembly is not as complicated as it looks, Wilton year books have some pretty straight forward guides for this info. If this is your first wedding cake though, I doubt you have any of the seperators, stands or such. Make sure you factor that into your price, you could actually come up losing money on a first cake!

I usually like to have a deposit of at least half the cakes value when the order is placed, that way not so much is coming out of your pocket before hand. (balance due 3wks. before wedding!)

I do not cut and serve the cake as a rule, but have on request "assisted". Yes, I charge for that time!

Good luck, I know you'll do well, just look at it as several smaller cakes that come together in the end to make one big one!

Congratulations!!! Some suggestions I have are:
Check out this pricing matrix. It is a very handy tool to make sure you are accounting for all your expenses and time. It also calculates the amounts of batter, icing, cake mixes (if you use those) that you will need, etc. I think it's a really cool tool. You can change the price amounts of items based on your area.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-5711-pricing.html+matrix

Once you know the style she wants that will help us help you much better as far as construction and things like that.
I think most people here bake on Wed or Thurs. then fill and ice the next day and then decorate on Friday for a Sat wedding. That way the cake has time to settle and you give yourself a window if something needs to be re-done. I also find it help if I have things like the crisco measured out the night before I'm going to make my icing. I also sift my powdered sugar and things like that the night before too.
When you deliver a cake always bring your tips and icing and tools in case you need to make any repairs on you get to the site.
Once you really know what kind of cake you are dealing with you will be able to look up a wealth of old posts (they are fantastic for research!) and then see what questions you have after that.

Good luck!

Thanks dodibug for the link to the pricing matrix, I may have to check into that myself!

I would never go under $2/serving for a wedding cake...

My first wedding cake was a freebie, it was my gift to my brother-in-law, I didn't want them to have Wal-Mart sheet cakes, and I thought that would give me a good chance to practice one that I wouldn't have to be so nervous about messing up, since it was free. It turned out okay, but there were flaws, as well as a lot of lessons learned. My 2nd wedding cake, 1st paid one, they wanted fondant, which I had never fooled with. They wanted 3 tiers, and they wanted it modeled after the Modern Bride magazine cake. I too was terrified to charge too much, scared that my being new at it, may end in disaster, so I charged $150 for a 6, 8 , and 10 inch cake covered in fondant.(The Wilton kind, that tastes aweful and is expensive!) I may have cleared $10 on it. Another lesson learned. I think that you should definitely charge the higher of the $300 quote. The cake I made came from a box and it only fed less than 100 people and my costs were near $150. If given the chance, you may tell her that you'll have to get back with her on a more definite price once you figure out how much $ you're going to have in materials. Be sure to post once you get the picture for more help.

One thing that I was going to add too is wait until you see what they have in mind before you quote them a price. They may bring you some crazy picture!!! Don't ever be afraid to gather yourself and set your price based on the cake instead of "giving them a deal". I only tell someone a price in the first conversation if it's a simple cake, plain jane decoration plain jane cake. Anything even remotely different or that may take extra time, I tell them I will get back to them and I set the price while thinking of time, materials, etc. I then am also able to give them different options if necessary. So take a deep breath and wait for that picture!!! Then plan accordingly. DO NOT underestimate planning. That will be your best bet!
Congratulations and good luck!

Thank you all so much for your feedback and advice. I'm starting to kind of kick myself for going ahead and giving a price estimate before I know exactly what she wants. Lesson learned, I guess. At least I quoted her a range of $200-300, so I'm definitely leaning more to the $300 part. I also decided with hubby that if she decides to also have a sheet cake, that will cost extra. The $300 will be for the wedding cake only. I still think it's a great deal and that they won't mind the charge, especially since they've already asked around and know it would be at least $200 more anywhere else. But yes, from now on, I will be charging per slice, depending on the intricacy of the design. So for future orders (hopefully there will be some!), is $2 a slice pretty standard for wedding cakes? Or is that considered more of the low end? Oh, and a cake question, for wedding cakes do you use a different (nicer) cake than what you would normally do for birthdays? I usually just use a mix and add extra vanilla and butter flavoring, but should it be something more special for weddings? And do you use a simple syrup on wedding cakes since you have to bake them a few days in advance? I've never used a syrup before, but I usually make my cake the day before I need it. Thanks again!

Sorry, I thought of one more question....If I do end up doing a sheet cake for her to serve, do you decorate the sheet cake or is it just plain icing with a shell border since it will be in the kitchen and no one will see it? What would you charge for a sheet cake in addition to the wedding cake? I would use two 12x18 cakes together (or maybe just do them separate - what do you suggest?). Thanks! Sorry for all the questions!

Do you want to make a scratch cake or doctored box?? I can post a denser cake that I use which is a doctored box.

You only need a simple syrup typically on scratch cakes. Making the cakes ahead of time---you can bake, wrap really well (I do mine in plastic and then foil and I've heard others recommend then putting in garbage bags), the freeze. Take out ahead of time to decorate (usually almost a day for me).

As far as sheet cakes and stuff, my best suggestion to you is to just wait and see. I know you are excited but once she shows you the design and set up you will be better prepared to decide how many that will feed, THEN decide how many servings you will need out of sheet cakes. And probably a white cake with a shell border would be fine, unless there is some detail on the cake that she would want to match.
Also, I would definately charge extra for the sheet cake.
Good luck!!!

Congratulations, I don't see why you would charge that little, your cakes are beautiful. I know it's your first wedding cake but still it's gonna be a lot of work , between making it and delivering it. you should charge $2.00 a slice which will bring you to $400 and say the sheet cake is included ( so the bride feels that she is getting something for free). I know it's hard to be firm especially with your first cake ( look who's talking I give cakes for free) but I red that if you underprice you don't get appreciated that much.

Definitely charge for the sheet cake! For the size you're talking about (2-12x18's put together), my base price is $65 (plain or with roses only). Also, if she's looking to stretch # of servings, that is what the GROOM's cake is for.

The price per slice will vary from place to place...I don't charge QUITE that much ($2)...people here just wouldn't pay it. But, don't under-estimate yourself OR your abilities. If she wants Wal-Mart prices, I'm sure you can give her directions.

Once again, I live in a small town-only about 5000 people, and this is reasonable pricing here...price according to your area!

If you wanted a doctored mix, this is what I use. It makes a very dense cake but moist and flavorful. The batter will be very thick too (this freaked me out the first time I used it).
My fav flavor with this is the white chocolate pudding mix. YUM!!!

http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1972-45-Durable-Cake-for-3D-and-Wedding-Cakes.html

mamafrog - Thanks for the recipe! I'm going to try that out. I may try it this weekend for a family birthday cake I'm doing. And thanks for all your advice!

gmcakes - I didn't think to ask her until after she left if she's planning on having a groom's cake. I would think it would be preferable to a sheet cake (unless you just want to save money). If she chooses a full sheet cake, my thought was to price that at $75 if it's just plain icing and shell border. I usually charge $40-45 for one 12x18 decorated. Thanks for your help!

cuillere - Thanks for the compliment on my cakes! I'm so hard on myself. I know I can do it, but I start to doubt myself and my abilities. I've got to work on that! If I do the wedding cake for $300 and she also wants a sheet cake, I'm going to charge probably $75, so I can make up some ground there for undercharging for the wedding cake. I know it's going to be a ton of work and I'll probably wish I were getting paid more, but it will also be nice to get the first one under my belt, and hopefully all will go well and it will boost my confidence enough to charge more for future orders! Thanks again!

I use that recipe too! My favorite flavor is French Vanilla! I have had great results, would definitely recommend giving it a try!

gmcakes - By French Vanilla, do you mean that flavor cake mix or that flavor pudding?

I use both the french vanilla mix AND the french vanilla pudding, very rich but so yummy!

I agree with you, the french vanilla combo is good! With that one I use whole eggs instead of egg whites.

Congratulations on your wedding cake order! I think that you should charge at least 2.00 a slice. I think that is a very good deal. And if she chooses a fondant cake...I would charge more since the supplies would be more expensive. However...I do understand wanting to give her a good deal...sometimes it is worth it to get your name out there as well as the experience. Good luck and keep us posted!

I wanted to offer up another recipe for you! I use:
1 box white cake mix (I love Pillsbury)
1 small box white chocolate pudding mix (you can really get creative when using the white cake as a base
1 1/4 cup milk/water mixture
1/2 cup oil
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract (again you can get creative with this part)

I don't think it turns out as dense as mamafrogcakes recipe so it just gives you anohter option depending on the type of cake she wants!

I also love this buttercream recipe from baking911:
http://www.baking911.com/recipes/cakes/buttercreamtami.htm

dodibug that one looks good too. A little more liquid than the one I use. I'm going to try that sometimes b/c the one I use is quite dense. Thanks for posting that!

Your welcome! I really love that recipe. I also only use Pillsbury. I tried it with Duncan Hines and didn't like it as well but maybe that's just me! One thing I do is let the eggs come to room temp and it seems to help the cake "rise" and I let the cakes rest about 5 min. once I get the batter in the pans before I put them in the oven. I seem to get better results if I do this! I want to try your recipe because I need to get a good pound cake like recipe that I'm comfortable with. I'm glad you mentioned the thickness-I would have thought I messed it up somehow!!!

dodibug: thanks for the advice about the eggs being at room temp, will have to give this a try! I use the same recipe mentioned (for 3-D/tier) and love the results! I have even used it for carved cakes.

mamafrogcakes: I too use whole eggs (always!), for all my white cakes!

Oh, that is interesting about the room temp eggs! I'm going to have to try that!

And gmcakes you make sure and let us know what she comes up with for the cake!

I read about the eggs somewhere but it really seems to work!

I made a family birthday cake this weekend and tried out the Durable Cake recipe that you all posted. It tasted great and got a lot of rave reviews! I filled the layers with seedless raspberry jam and used regular shortening-based buttercream to cover and decorate with. One question about the cake, though...Is it supposed to be so flat? The first batch I mixed up and divided between 2 9-inch pans. They turned out like a regular 9-inch that had been torted already, so I made up another batch and put it all in one 9-inch pan and it came out normal size. So is that right or did I do something wrong? I only used egg whites and I used them straight out of the frig. I've read about letting them come to room temp. and I usually try to do that, but I was pressed for time this weekend. Anyway, it was still delicious and very dense, more like pound cake, but still very moist.

dodibug - I'm with you on the Pillsbury mix! It seems the majority here prefer DH, but I've always gotten tons of compliments when I use Pillsbury, even when I don't add anything extra! A lady told me in the grocery store once that she always adds vanilla extract and butter flavor to her French Vanilla cake mix and it makes them taste more "homemade". I've been doing that lately. Don't know if it makes that much of a difference, but I figure it can't hurt it!

Thanks for all the wonderful advice ladies! I can't wait to see what kind of design the bride chooses. I'll be sure and let you know as soon as she brings a picture by!

Congratulations on your first wedding cake.

After you get together to discuss the style of cake that they want, adjust your price accordingly.

If she mentions the price quote that you gave her earlier, just tell her that that was a base price without knowing her choice of cake.

Don't stress over the flavors, she will tell you her flavors.

Good luck and don't forget to post pictures.

To get a fuller cake you'll need to measure your batter. A 9in round will take 5 1/2 cups of batter per layer. So it's just over a box of Pillsbury per layer.

Thanks dodibug! Usually, the cakes will rise some, but I don't know if it has something to do with the extra stuff this recipe calls for (sour cream, pudding, etc.), but these layers didn't rise AT ALL! I thought that was strange, but since it's a denser, more pound-like cake, I guess it doesn't rise like the others. Thanks for the advice! I'm sure I'll be needing much more in the next couple of months when the wedding gets closer!!

I haven't used the recipe with sour cream so I'm not sure if that's what's keeping them down! Someone else will definitely know better. The wilton site and yearbooks have the chart with the batter and approximate icing amounts. I use these all the time!