I just started decorating cakes and have a baby shower cake coming up. Its a friend of a friend so I don't know the person to get my materials back directly. How do you do it when its a 2 tiered cake with cake plates and/or columns? Do you charge them for it and just replace later or do you ask for them back? If I ask for them back how do I get them? They will come and pick the cake up so I am just unsure how to go about this. Please help! Thanks!

I would ask for a deposit and draw up a contract that says they have to return them by a certain date and they will get the deposit back otherwise you will keep the deposit.

You need some type of contract that lists what items will be in their posession. They will need to sign saying that they are responsible for these items...

They need to give you a "deposit" on these items, theyshould pay you this when they pay for the cake.

Also have in this contract a certain amount of time allowance for the return of you items...some people do within 72 hours while other doe up to a week.

You should probably do an "inventory" of your items and also have a price list of them, what it would cost to buy another one.

Good Luck and Congrats on the baby shower cake!