WOW, absolutely unbelieveable!!!!! $300 for 450 servings???!!! A cake that size from me (and we're talking VERY basic buttercream decoration!), would start at $1012.50. The complicated cake it sounds like she wants would run more like $1500!!! I priced the cake I'm making for my daughter's birthday next weekend, a small 3 tier fondant covered cake that should provide about 36 PARTY servings, and that would cost anyone else $125 for the work it involves - some people have NO IDEA when it comes to all the blood, sweat (and sometimes tears!), not to mention money that we sink into these cakes 
Man, I can´t believe she wanted you to make that cake for $300 max. I think she is in for a rude awakening the day before the wedding when she tries to squeeze in baking a cake with rehearsal dinner, practice at the church and anxiety spells before her wedding day. Maybe she´ll ask each person at the reception to bring a cupcake of their own and that´ll be the cake! 
As for the amount of money she is paying for food, my sister is getting married in Spain (that´s where we are from) and $34 would be a bargain. That´s probably how much my parents paid for the food when I did my first communion a looooooooooon time ago. She is paying double that price (drinks included, as much as people want), lots of appetizers and 4 course dinner including dessert (I´m making the cake) and she couldn´t find a place that would do it for any cheaper. This is for 150 to 160 people. So yes, we´re hoping that everybody that says it will come to the wedding, it will show up. If not, I promised my sister I would hunt them down until I found them. 
Inma
Ps: Please, keep us posted.
The bride just needs to sling some Wal-mart cupcakes on the table and be done with it. Maybe for a few cents more, they can airbrush some of their hideous colors on it too.
in the places i have done cakes for . also a cake for 450 pp would be around 3000.00
I know what you mean! I am tired of people gladly accepting my cakes for free but when it comes to having to pay, they want to call the lady down the road who has done them for years! Granted she is better, but hey, she has been decorating cakes for as long as I have been alive and I have just been doing this a couple of years! Not that I have anything against her, I just don't think its right that people want to use me for a free cake!
Oh lordy, it just keeps getting better with this chick. Now she wants to know if she can borrow my pans and supplies to make her cake!!! Judging by the slightly scared one she had, I think she may be starting to realize just how difficult doing cakes can be. Serves her right, IMHO. Of course, I s'pose I could RENT the equipment to her for say, $300??? 
I understand how you feel. Since I started taking classes in 2003, I took free cakes to work all the time. I would continue to take free cakes in hopes that someone would finally place an order with me and actually pay me for it. Well it back fired. So at the end of 2005 I made it clear to them that I wouldn't bring anymore free cakes. All cakes needed in 2006 going forward would need to be ordered and paid on the date of delivery.
This method worked a little b/c every now and then I get a couple of orders from them but not has often as they actually buy cakes.
I guess I'm going to be the devil's advocate here. I'll start by saying that's I'm a newbie and not a professional at all. BUT, I've worked in office environments all my life and have btdt when it comes to the office politics of parties and party planning. In my experience, you NEVER bring in food unless you are specifically asked to do so. Most places I have worked the parties are either paid by the bosses, petty cash, or co-workers take a collection to pay for the food and/or cake. ANYONE who volunteers to bring in a cake for free, even if they went to wally world is doomed to be expected to bring in food for free (of ANY kind) w/o compensation of any sort. That's just the way it works. I don't think your co-workers took advantage of you any more than if you brought in Dunkin Donuts every Friday and silently hoped that someone would reimburse you for them some day. I say stop the freebies and, if someone asks, just tell them that you are busy with your cake baking/decorating business and no longer have the time to bake any freebies.
Oh lordy, it just keeps getting better with this chick. Now she wants to know if she can borrow my pans and supplies to make her cake!!! Judging by the slightly scared one she had, I think she may be starting to realize just how difficult doing cakes can be. Serves her right, IMHO. Of course, I s'pose I could RENT the equipment to her for say, $300???
You are kidding !! LOL She actually wants to make her own wedding cake?? I could see an experienced decorator doing it, if they could handle the stress, but come on.
How did you respond to her....this is getting interesting 
Oh lordy, it just keeps getting better with this chick. Now she wants to know if she can borrow my pans and supplies to make her cake!!! Judging by the slightly scared one she had, I think she may be starting to realize just how difficult doing cakes can be. Serves her right, IMHO. Of course, I s'pose I could RENT the equipment to her for say, $300???
You are kidding !! LOL She actually wants to make her own wedding cake?? I could see an experienced decorator doing it, if they could handle the stress, but come on.
How did you respond to her....this is getting interesting
Back in this thread Evermton told about this gal going to bake her own cake. "They're just flour, eggs, and sugar and ANYONE can squirt some frosting on it."
Everemton, if you loan her those pans I will personally find you and kick your royal butt. OMG I can't believe she had the nerve to ask. Please, please, please, keep us posted on this growing saga.
Diane
For real!!! this lady must be nuts...around here (Toronto) plates for a wedding run anywhere from $95 to $120 per person!!!! I can't believe the nerve of her...HA!!! I'd love to see her make her own cake!
How dare she ask to borrow anything especially frome you. i'd direct her to a supplier so she could see where the money goes to just bake and decorate one cake. after buying pans, ingredients, tips bags, colors...yall know what I mean she is crazy..
I've just read this whole thread and oh my goodness! My cake was at least $300 to feed just $150 - and I knew I was getting a deal as a bride. My gosh, has NO ONE SEEN "FATHER OF THE BRIDE?"!!!!! I mean, yeah, it was a movie - but that prepared me and my family for the wedding to be expensive and I certainly knew the cake would be at LEAST $300 (I knew I wouldn't have that large of a wedding or that elaborate - although it did turn out to be more elaborate than I expected).
When is this wedding? You HAVE to post the cake - in the "WORST CAKES" section!? <insert evil laugh here> . I can't believe she asked to borrow pans - I would definitely tell her that you can't loan out pans - I wouldn't even rent them to her as she will probably damage them in some way. Just tell her that you've paid a lot of money for your pans and need to keep them in absolutely pristine condition in order to create your exquisite cakes. You can't risk loaning them out to anyone. She'll probably dent them, burn them, get the cake stuck in them.... oh the horror of what could happen.....
PLEASE KEEP US UPDATED!! 
BTW - loved the smiley expressions you put in your post... I made this face 
and then this 
. I made this face when I read that
Although I'm new at cake decorating, I don't hesitate to tell people how much a cake would cost if they ask me to do one. I bring cakes to church if there is a special occassion only. By word of mouth I get orders from friends once in a while and I'm happy with that 'cause I'm done giving out cakes for free!
OMG this girl really does have nerve..I personally agree..no lend, rent, or borrow her anything..let her see how much things actually cost.. and let her then spread the icing.. and i bet it would be thin too.. I sure hope I get to see the end of this post and what happens..but I'll bet she has someone do it and pays bigger bucks than $300
Oh lordy, it just keeps getting better with this chick. Now she wants to know if she can borrow my pans and supplies to make her cake!!! Judging by the slightly scared one she had, I think she may be starting to realize just how difficult doing cakes can be. Serves her right, IMHO. Of course, I s'pose I could RENT the equipment to her for say, $300???
Hey I have to see how this turns out. ID love to know what the cake looks like when shes done. After all of my disasters FOR YEARS. I took lessons and still am not up to standard.
I would have to tell her it would probably be cheaper to buy the pans than rent them from you. I can picture her in the kitchen now
OOOOOOOOOhhhhhhh Man...just read this entire thread and was so sad when i got to the last post...I am DYING to find out what happens to this bride-to-be!!!!
Well, I also say don't lend her anything!!!
Please keep us updated....still laughing...and laughing.....and laughing.....
DO NOT RENT THE PANS OUT TO HER!!! She said such rude things to you! You should not be treated that way! Don't put up with it. You could always tell her you need them that weekend now, because you've booked another wedding. 
I can't wait to hear the end of this!!!
I wouldn't loan/rent my equipment out to a could have been client turned weekend wedding cake designer/decorator. and neither should you. Furthermore I don't believe for a second that she will attempt to make her own wedding cake. She'll probably ask around and insult a few more decorators with her assinine ideas about what it's worth and then settle on Wal Mart or a comparable bakery. More power to her! I hope you can get a pic of her cake though to share with us. These cheap-skates sure have nerve.
Everemton - I am sorry, but I really have to retract my previous post about taking the girl down and off with her head and all that. She really is too stupid to take down......
Martin Luther King stated:
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
Stupid, stupid, stupid she is on purpose stupid. Okay, okay, now this is my new take on your situation, since she is on purpose stupid and PT Barnum stated: "a sucker born every minute" then you must charge her at least $500 to RENT the pans with another $500 for DEPOSIT for a total of $1000.00 with the stipulation that in order to get back her deposit she must get your pans back to you the very next day after the event - :lol OMG, I am laughing my head off here.
After all - she is very dangerous according to Dr. King and you should be able to benefit from her sorry attempt to just squirt frosting on a cake.
Perhaps we should send this woman some salt and pepper. I know she will have to "eat crow" before this deal is over.
Diane
Ok...I have to add my two cents. All else aside...I would imagine this cake will be stacked layers...I don't think I need to say anything else on the subject! Just wait until she tries to do that with no experience!!!
Oh...and there is NO WAY I would loan or rent my equipment for any price.
Make sure you update...I'm dying to know the outcome of this one!
Please keep us up to date on this!!
Once I was talked into doing a 8 tier cake for my sister in law's step-daughter. I told my sil, since she was family, I would do it just for the cost of the ingredients which at the time was only around $65. 2 days before the wedding the bride brings me a check for $50 and a couple of plates that i needed for it. She said since she bought those she would just take it out of the price. I was furious. I didn't turn the cake down because I had already bought the stuff to make it. (I know better now!) anyway, long story short, I don't do "Deals" anymore, unless it's my own offspring!
ok i got to say it i hope it does not offend any one. Is she blond.
she is so stupid. may she thinks if she waits you will give in. DON"T DO IT!!!
I have take scholl classes for cake decorating and i still not that good for people to see them and i know how much stuff cost to just make a simple cake. Can't wait to see what happends.
You don't have to be blond to be stupid.
diane
Oh lordy, it just keeps getting better with this chick. Now she wants to know if she can borrow my pans and supplies to make her cake!!! Judging by the slightly scared one she had, I think she may be starting to realize just how difficult doing cakes can be. Serves her right, IMHO. Of course, I s'pose I could RENT the equipment to her for say, $300???
You should definitely charge her a rental fee if you loan her your pans. If she asks why, then say b/c you have other orders that you will need your pans for and if they are not available at the time I need them then I will have to charge you for declining those orders. 
I can't believe she has the nerve to ask could she borrow them. I personally would not let her borrow them. This will give her a chance to see what it actually takes and COST to make a dang wedding cake for 450 guests. She is out of her mind.
She would spend at least $200 getting the supplies. What is she thinking? I'm a little upset about this b/c she can charge $34 per head for dinner but doesn't want to pay for a quality cake. How dare she?
She is blond, but seeing as I work at a Salon/Day Spa, I have no clue what her "natural" color is. Maybe all that bleach has soaked through and messed up her brain??????
There's no way I'd lend her my pans. Her latest is wanting to know if I thought it was ok for her to just do a small cake for the wedding party and buy Walmart cake for everyone else. HOW CLASSY. Should go great with the filet mignon she's serving for dinner.........
Oh that would be lovely.... that's like snubbing the guests!!! If she's going to be THAT cheap - she should just get a dummy cake and serve sheetcake to everyone - and who cares where she gets that from - Wal-mart or wherever.... I think people will know it's grocery cake though - you expect better cake than that at a wedding. Any idea why she is being so cheap on this particular aspect of the wedding? Oh and when is it??
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