Was just wondering how everyone got their first wedding cake order. Who was it for? Did you give them a cost break since they were your first order? I have my first potential wedding cake and would love to hear the story of your first and how you handled the details.

Oh and if you have the picture of your first one post them I'd love to see them.

I actually have received 2 orders for Wedding cakes, but they are both down the road. (one in June, and one in September) These will be among the first I've done. Both Customers approached me after seeing and tasting my cakes, and asked me to do them. I'm a little nervous about it, but I know I will pull through. I've got plenty of time to practice.

I will post pics when they are done.

Hi,
My first order came as a refernce through my neighbor's daughter. She worked with the bride's mother. I was still new at this, so I pretty much stumbled my way through it all. I undercharged, just because I really didn't know what I was doing. I finished the top layer at the reception area with the mother and aunts looking on. I was so nervous. My husband said he had never seen my hands shake so much before. But, it all came out alright. The mother added $30 at the end. I guess it was either a tip, or she knew I had undercharged for the cake.

Good luck with yours!!

Kitti

That cake is stunning!!! Why isnt in your photos!!??
It's beautiful...

are those buttercream roses??

My first wedding cake was for my sister-in-law, who was the most laid-back bride I have ever seen. Thank heavens! I was brand new to decorating and she wanted a fondant covered cake incorporating daisies. I had never worked with rolled fondant before, but I managed to get all 3 layers covered and piped with polka dots (The 14" layer kept me up to the wee hours of the morning.)

She was having a garden wedding and wouldn't you know it was the rainiest, most humid day of the year. The cake, of course, began to sweat like crazy under the plastic tent rented for the reception. I have never felt so nervous at a wedding in all my life.

But all ended well, the sun came out by the time the ceremony took place and well-meaning guests raved about the cake and even asked how I got the cake so "shiny!" Too funny!!

I'll have to look around for that photo...
Good luck on your first one!!
Diane

Was for our Pastor's daughter. I was good friends with her and she asked me to do it. It was 4 tiers with vanilla or chocolate fudge cake with raspberry buttercream filling. Covered in buttercream icing. The wedding was at the church (outside) so I was able to make the cake at the church and then just have it assembled the next day. It was covered in buttercream icing (white) and then had pale blue scroll work on the side that matched the brides maid's dresses. There were fresh flowers that we arranged on top of each layer.

Shanna

I had started making cake for not yet a year, it will be a year in April. Well the cakes that I was making were three-d type cakes, when people started buying them from me, I did one to take to work, I work for a newspaper, I am a graphic artist. One of the editors emailed me about the cake (my basket of leaves cake) and wanted to do a story on me, So just before Christmas I had a full story on the front page of a section and some in the inside of the paper, I was happy with it and it was in full color! We'll the same day my story broke I had a lady call me and said she liked my beach cake that was in the story as well, and wanted to know if I would do a beach theme wedding cake for her in April, I told I had never done a wedding cake before and she just laughed. I am nervous for my first cake, but she seems real laid back and that makes it even easier. sorry for rambling, but I am so pleased in how everything has gone for me.

Thanks
kgunn

Well, I have been decorating cakes for about 15 months now and I was blessed to be able to do 5 wedding cakes last summer.

These were all for friends of some sort...some close friends, some distant friends. My first one was a rushed wedding, the bride and groom decided to elope and needed a cake in a week. I totally undercharged for that one!

The 2nd cake I did, I asked my friend, the bride if I could do it, and of course she said yes. I only charged her $150, that was mainly to cover my supplies and gas to drive 2 1/2 hours to the reception site. It was my gift to her, that's why I deeply discounted it.

Also, as far as pricing goes, I am just now getting to the point where I feel comfortable charging full price for wedding cakes. I was always so scared that I would mess something up or that it wouldn't be as professional as a bakery, and truthfully I wasn't all too happy with 2 of the cakes that I did. I was also interested in building my portfolio so I wasn't too interested in getting rich off these cakes. I looked at as an investment into my portfolio. I wanted to show other people that I have done a variety of cakes, including wedding cakes.

Just make sure that you don't lose any money on the deal. If you decide to deeply discount the cake, at least recover the cost for the ingredients. If you want to charge more, then go for it! Wedding cakes are time comsuming and stressful, but they are fun!

Good luck!

(I believe that I only have two wedding cakes shown in my photos)

My first wedding cake for someone else was a gift to the couple because my husband and I knew they were a very tight budget.
This July I will be making the cake for my husband's best friend wedding. My husband wants the cake to be gift (so no charge) but they want to pay me for at least the ingredients. Since it's a small cake I have no problem not charging them since they have done soo much for us when we did not have money I just don't feel right making them pay (even though they could afford to pay for the cake). For example, my husband's best friend payed for my engine head to get machined down when we were having car troubles because the place that did the machining only takes cash and we could only put it on a charge card. We paid him back for it a little later, but the hoser never cashed the check, he refused to cash it and told us to use that money to buy tires for the car instead. <Sniff> He is such an good friend to us that is why I cannot charge him for this cake...sorry for the ramble. When I get that cake done I will definetly post pics. It's supposed to be the Glow Endures cake on page 101 from the Wilton Wedding Cakes Romantic Portfolio book. I am just borrowing the design on the cake since we are not using the fountain or anything else. It's going to have a 12", 8", and 6" round tiers, and the icing decoration is going to be lavendar and the base icing is going to be white. I'm anxious on how this one is going to turn out- time to start practicing on this one.
The attached pic is the cake that I made for the couple on the tight budget that were our friends.

I did my first wedding cake 12 1/2 years ago. I´m a trained confectionary but only did the normal german wedding cakes (marzipan roses and cake covered with marzipan ) during the apprenticeship. After the final examination I went back to school, as I know that this sort of cakes wasn´t the kind I would like to do. In December 1992 on of my best friends got engaged and ask me to the wedding cake, but, as she is from England, please in the english style. I had never heard of anything fondant or gumpaste, so she had to buy books and I knew I found "my" kind of decorating. I had 6 months to figure out how to do all those pastes, modelling, piping etc. and for sure I didn´t made it until her wedding. I only took the cakes over to the UK and bought fondant there in a cake- shop. So she only got a fondant covered cake with fresh flowers from me, but it was the beginning of my passion for this craft. Unfortunatly I haven´t got a picture of that cake, not even off all the funny situations while trying to mix fondant (3 handmixers break down and 1 started burning ...).

My 1st actual wedding cake was for my daughter. It was supose to have 5 satilites (ms) at 3:00 am the morning of the wedding I said she is only getting 4. That was before I knew to do dummies. We had a cake for 400 and only 150 guests. The big problem was that I had my parents from CA and the grooms mother decided not to do the rehearsal dinner and I had to do that also. I haven't posted the pic of this cake yet but I will

The first wedding cake I made was for my sister, it was my gift to her so I didn't get paid. It was a great learning experience, and led me to my first paid job later that year. I charged $1 a serving for that one (oh how times have changed!). I had no idea I would lose money on that sucker, but I still had a great time doing it. I don't have pictures (worth posting) of my first paid cake, but I do have one of that first wedding cake for my sister.

My first was actually for my parents 40th wedding anniversary, so it was totally a gift. It is posted in my photos. I did it in November 05
after doing cakes for about 8 months. It turned out great for no lessons!!! LOL

I got my first wedding cake order TODAY!!!! It is not until Sept. 16th so it will give me plenty of time to brush up on some things. But I know it is gonna make me SOOOOO sick to my stomach until I get it done.

I did a smaller cake for my husband's grandparents and it turned out pretty good but it took forever for no reason other than I am just SLOW!!!!

I have to transport this one too.. luckily my husband will be off that day so he can drive and I can hold it still...

I will post a pic when I do it!! WISH ME LUCK!!!! I have only been doing this since June 05'..

****My first paid job were cupcakes in the shape of a soccer ball for my daughters Kindergarten teacher. I had made cakes for a halloween auction and she saw them asn asked me to do the CC's after that!!!

I *think* I may have gotten my first wedding order for this June. It's for a friend's sister. We haven't worked out the details, but she's inviting 200 guests!

Jennifer, a word of advice for transporting - invest in those non-skid shelf liners for underneath the cake - they are a Godsend!! (Whatever you do, don't hold it in your lap - I had a few close calls)

I got my first wedding cake order a couple of weeks ago. The brides dad is selling my car on his lot and I had given him my card (cake decorating) and he said "my daughter is going to be getting married and I will have her give you a call". Well lo and behold she called a couple of weeks ago and is getting married in April. It is just a simple 4 tiered square cake with only fondant ribbon for decoration and she is supplying the fresh flowers for the top. So, I priced it pretty low, she had gotten a price of $900 from an area bakery. I am also going to get the grooms cake. Not only that but she gave me her friends name that owns the local bridal shop and told me to take cards.

I took a cookie bouquet and a big stack of my cards and she said she would recommend me to the brides. So I hope by doing this one reasonable, it will lead to more cake orders.

My very first wedding cake was a chore. It was a wedding gift for a very dear friends daughter that I knew since she was 1yrs old. Well to say the least it took me months to figure out how to do it. Ive done to many as gifts so have decided to finally charge. My 2 first paid orders are referals from someone that is doing chair covers one for May and 0ne in June + my sons wedding in June. Click on my photos and find the one with the ants crawling up the side. I tried to attach but its not small enough.