I just have to vent to people who will understand!! I had this huge wedding cake to do this weekend and everything was going great. Borrowed my friend's Expedition since this 46" long cake was not going to fit into the back of my sports car, drove 15+ miles to the delivery site and everything started going downhill from there. There was a truck parked directly in front of the door and when I asked if it could be moved, all I kept getting were these blank stares like they didn't know what I was talking about. 1/2 hour later, we started taking it in and couldn't get people out of the way!! Started setting up and there were kids running all over (you can imagine where this is going). They were using the disposable cameras that had been put on the tables (mind you, this is 3 hours before the wedding and when I left, there were only 2 cameras left that hadn't had all the pictures used) and took who knows how many pictures of me setting up and everything else going on. I had told them a week before the wedding the length & width of the table I would need and of course, the table wasn't big enough so the back half of the cake had to go out in the kitchen (which wasn't a big deal). I went to my "happy" place and got the cake all set up and got quite a few pictures all while these kids, who were 9-10 years old & old enough to know better were running around the table and really getting me angry and this woman kept coming over and touching the cake (you can really start to understand what is going to happen now). I told them before I left that they needed to keep the kids away from the cake and to keep the doors closed by the cake since the wind was blowing so hard. About an hour after I left, I get a call asking me to come back. I drove all the way back and the doors were all wide open and the kids had been rough-housing and fell against the table. DIASTER!! The bridge had fallen and amazingly, there wasn't too much damage. One of the 8" rounds had been damaged so I repaired best as I could and turned the "bad" side to the back. While I'm repairing this, the kids are playing toss with the topper and out through the window it goes. Naturally, the groom's arm broke off so ending up gluing that back on with some icing and turning that to the back as well. All this time, the same woman is still coming over and touching the cake, so now there are finger marks on it as well. My blood pressure and patience had hit the limit so I grabbed her arm and told her as politely as I could not to touch it again. I left again and didn't hear anything, so it will be interesting to find out what happened next. I have been decorating for almost 18 years now and have never had an experience or disaster like this. AAAAHHHHH! I'm attaching some pictures so you can see what it looked like before. Note that the table the kids were running around was in a corner.

Holy cow that's a big cake!!! Sounds like a nightmare experience at the reception site!!! I can't believe you kept your cool. I can't imagine things being much worse than that!!

Wow what disrespectful people! Very nice cake!

Pretty cake too bad you had that problem with the kids. The parents or whoever was watching them should be ashamed of themselve.

First let me say your cake looks wonderful.


Wow, some people just don't understand how important the cake is at a wedding. Why was she touching the cake, and the kids. I think I would have lost it.

I would love to know how everything turned out.

So sorry to hear your ordeal..
I'm curious why did that stupid woman kept poking or touching your cake ? She' never seen a cake before ? Those kids are their parents responsibility..On such an important occasion, we would think that parents would be considerate enough to make sure that their kids would be at their best behavior so they won't ruin someone else's special day.

That's why at my wedding kids were NOT allowed at the ceremony AND reception.

I would be out of my mind crazy mad if that happened to me!

I can't believe that no one working at the hall stepped in. You would think that they would care.

ugg that's frustrating!

That cake is amazing!

Gorgeous!! People can be so disrespectful! Sounds like the guests had been for too long. And you can't keep kids still, especially at a formal affair. I hope your cake survived to the cutting! It really is gorgeous!

OMG--I would have absolutely EXPLODED on the stupid woman AND the ratty kids!

I don't see how you held up under that pressure...I'm totally SERIOUS--I WOULD HAVE TOLD EVERYONE ACTING STUPID TO GET THE HELLO AWAY FROM THAT CAKE--

And then I would have had someone BRING me either the bride or groom and politely but quickly have told them the situation, and explained that I'm (You're) not responsible for the cake after you leave it with them.

I'm sorry you had to go through that, but your cake was absolutely beautiful!

--Knox--

Very pretty cake-- unbelieveable situation! Where were these kids' parents? What were they doing there anyway? Its a wonder the cake didn't end up on the floor!!! Glad that's behind you and great job!

Beautiful cake! This was one of the cakes a bride was looking at for a wedding this month but they decided on another cake. You did an amazing job! At least you have pictures before it was destroyed. I hope they didn't do any further damage after you left.

Debbie

Oh, I definitely would have lost my cool!! Who's kids were these anyway, probably the lady that couldn't keep her nasty fingers off the cake, huh?! She can't control her children or her need to touch food...GROSS!!! I think if I were the bride, I would be extremely P****D OFF ! No, I definitley don't need to be around that kind of situation, I have a TON of patience.....except when it comes to my cakes BTW, your cake looks beautiful even without the back half. I wouldn't even have known you had to stash half of it if you hadn't said anything. Kudos to you though for keeping your cool in such a horrible situation! I probably wouldn't have even come back to fix what the little demons messed up either. Well, great job!! Maybe the bride actually got 1 or 2 pictures from the cameras and what would be really sweet is if someone got some video footage of the hoodlums!

What a beautiful cake! I can't believe that woman. Why did she have to keep touching the cake? Would she want someone else's fingers in her food? I mean really!!! And those kids?!?! You're right, they are old enough to know better. But, where were their parents? And what about the staff? There should have been someone there to intervene.

There is nothing worse then bratty kids.

and

Nothing better then a beautiful cake!!

great job!
you were patient....i think i would have LOST it!! LOL!

i would definaltly have said something to the bride or groom, and let them know that you would hate to see the wedding not run as smoothly as possible and that you would definatly reccomend that someone watch the "little angels" around the cake. and as for the lady touching it, you should have said in the most polite was as possible that the cake is not a petri dish for her germs and that she should wait for her own piece of cake if she wanted to poke it....you have a lot more self control than i wouldve had in that situation... but i would definatly have said something and let them know that once it was set up it was their responsibility and that you are not liable for what happens afterward, if they didnt plan enough to have someone watch the kids then its their own fault.....

dear god there would have been some dead little children ! Why in the world do people expect cake to be so darn sturdy. I mean anyone who is anyone has had someone yell at them one time or anther in their life about walking to hard or stomping while the dang thing is in the oven. Much less decorated with fluffy icing i am sorry but they might have been taking me to jail . GOd Bless you for all your patience because i would have blown !!!!!!!!!!

It's a beautiful cake but you're far nicer than I am. You probably should be nominated for sainthood, I doubt that I would have gone back to fix their cake and probably would have blown up at the woman for touching it the first time.
I don't understand why everyone was using the cameras before the wedding, what about the bride and groom? There won't be any pictures of them.
As for the kids someone needs to stuff them in a closet. Seriously, why were they being bratty enough to throw the topper out a window and where were the parents who should have yelled at them. I would think that when they knocked over the cake the parents would have gotten them to knock it off.

I would in the future make them sign a contract that they have to sign that states if a cake is ruined because of a guest or an outside person I will repair as well as I can but that, that is a "Extra Service" and will be charged appropriately. I would also add that if I have another deadline that will take priority.

Those are some very ill mannered kids who should have never been allowed in the reception room and I am sure that after the wedding the bride was in tears about all the pictures wasted as well as the damage to the cake. If I was her I would have made the guest who's children they were feel extremely bad and than that woman who was touching the cake I would have charged all of them the price of it.

It's a shame that happened.

The good news is that the bride and groom will have hundreds of pictures of the kids running around to back up your accounting of the way they were behaving!

I can't imagine that none of the adults who were there took the time to make the kids stop horsing around. That would have been a good job for the lady who kept poking your cake - she obviously needed SOMETHING to do!

Laura.

AWESOME CAKE!!!!

I probably would have been to scarred to leave in the first place or I would have found the Bride or Groom & advised them of the issue & let them know what could happen if they didn't have it addressed & advise them I was leaving...
If it gets destroyed that's not your responsibility. Your not a wedding planner or anything your just the cake decorator!

Like everyone else I love the cake and think you should receive some kind of patience award! And the parent's of those kids should be ashamed.

Yukisaru your comment made me think about something that I'm dealing with in my "other" life and that's having to think of every conceivable possibility for something happening (going wrong) and covering it in my "team rules" or for the cake world in a contract.

It reminded me that the place that did my wedding cake had someone in the reception hall sign on my behalf saying that the cakes had been delivered and set up and were in good shape (except for one small thumb print). At the time I thought it was silly. Now I see that that's really not the case!

WOW - that is a very nice cake!!! I have to agree with the above - knowing there were hellions running around and a woman with sticky fingers, getting ahold of someone important to the wedding party before leaving would've been a good idea. (and I agree, the bratty kids probably DID belong to the woman who kept touching it) Hindsight is always better than foresight though. You did a wonderful job - it is too bad there are so many disrespectful people out there. We all know how much hard work went into that cake.

cowspot_me

First off, I am so sorry you had to go through this....and since torture is against the law.......... I got this really great contract from a member of CC and on it there is a line that states:

Contact person at Delivery Site: _______________

I would add it to your contracts to help you with this type of problem in the future. When there is a contact person, you can pass the problem......such as sticky fingers and kids

BTW, your cake was lovely!

I would have been losing it! At least you are still sane enough to type, glad it's all over for you

If I ever open my own place you can guarantee that my contracts will be at least 5 pages long, you never know what will happen so it is best to prepare for the worst. I have a history of if something bad is going to happen or completely unlikely it will happen.

GIRL!!!! Let Me tell you .....You are a MUCH BETTER person than I am DEFINITELY!!! there seems to be more than one person like that today on this website.....I would of been calling the bride and groom.... explaining the situation and telling them I was not going to be responsible for any problems that occured with the cake after I left and that I would not be available the evening for any retouches because I had plans already.....but let me tell you it's a very nice cake...so big...how many people does it feed.....? Hope this never happens to you again....P.s. I'm really not this mean, I'm actually pretty nice...just having a bad day today....anyway...love the cake...

That has got to be the most cake I've ever seen for one wedding...holy cow! Very pretty! How many did it serve (assuming it survived?)

I'm thinking it was such a good thing you took a picture of the cake totally set up and in great condition before you left! That photo right there would save your rear if they decided they weren't happy with what happened. It would all be dumped in their laps, not yours!

I would not have gone back and repaired!! You're much nicer than I am. Sounds like it was more of a circus than a wedding.

Listen to these ladies, they have good advice about covering your own self in regards to the business aspect. Your time and hard work should not be left to a bunch of monkeys.

Thanks for all the support! I knew I could count on all of you! I think my blood pressure is finally starting to go down. Still haven't heard any more about the cake. I'm sure I will when they return the supplies. I still can't figure out why that woman kept poking at the cake. I figure it can be one of two things - 1. mental problems or 2. The cake was originally supposed to feed around 400. They only needed to feed 100 so the bottom part (except the 1/2 rounds) was foam. Maybe she felt the need to confirm that. Who knows??!! My friend kept tapping my shoulder and reminding me to "Bloom Where You're Planted" and keep my mouth shut. Around my small town, there aren't any halls who actually have someone responsible working there. They usually just give you a key and it's the responsibility of the renter to clean up when they are done. It's also very rare for any of them to have air conditioning. Welcome to northern Maine!

Mookey, I love your comment about the petri dish. I'm going to remember that one!

Maybe I should have, but I didn't charge them for the repairs. I am going to include that in my contract from now on. Another life lesson learned, I guess. I'll let you know how it turns out!

It sucks that you have to have things like that in a contract, maybe I should have been born in a better more respectable time when all weddings were FORMAL and NO ROTTEN KIDS were allowed to come. No one has respect any more for anything or anyone. I guess that is why we have contracts and lawyers.