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help my 1 st bride is questioning me so much about pricing

post #1 of 28
7/5/05 at 8:46am
Thread Starter 
and her wedding is on july 23rd 2005
she ordered 2 6" cakes about 2 weeks ago..said she was gonna call me to let me know if i was gonna do her cake
then she calls after a week asking me to do her wedding cake
She want to know why the prices are different
i told her party cakes and wedding cakes are charged differently
any tips please!!
I was so excited this was gonna be my 1 st wedding cake but with all this questioning and stuff i don't even care if i get this order icon_mad.gif
Am i crazy to react like this
I am so glad i have somewhere to go when things go bad ......thank you

AShiana
Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
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Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
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post #2 of 28
7/5/05 at 8:52am
She's calling you two weeks before the wedding and wants to know why you are charging a different price? Huh? She's lucky to find someone willing to do a wedding cake on short notice. Make her pay big time for the short time frame, but make it all worth it by making a beautiful and tasty cake.
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post #3 of 28
7/5/05 at 8:59am
Thread Starter 
actually i am charging her$2.25 a slice
that's the average in my area for cakes
the diffrence in pricing is that i charge $22.00 for the party cake
and she thinks that's how it should be for the wedding cake
so she thinks for the 6"8"and 10" i should charge her basically $85
icon_mad.gificon_mad.gif
Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
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Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
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post #4 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:00am
Stick to your guns, and explain to her that most wedding cakes take more skill and work etc. Maybe even suggest that she price wedding cakes from other bakers just to see that you arent the ONLY one who charges more on them ( and remind her that yours is homemade!) If there is stacking involved then there is that factor...as well as simply the STRESS of making a wedding cake...it's expected to be a little more perfect, and if you mess up , you can bet an angry bride will say you ruined the most special day of her life! There are special plates used not always just a cardboard circle and there is set up..if it is large and has to be moved in parts YOU will have to go and assemble it there...so a delivery type charge or set up fee is not unusual...you might have dowelling to do as well...so many things that of course wedding cakes are going to be more! icon_biggrin.gif Hope this helps at least a little
To do what you truly love is to never work!
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To do what you truly love is to never work!
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post #5 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:02am
Yes, wedding cakes are more that a birthday cake. Different techniques, decorations, torting, filling, etc. Everyone charges this way, an 8' birthday cake is not the same as a 8' wedding cake. What exactly does she want to know? price only?
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post #6 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:04am
Also, isn't a party cake usually 2 layer, and a wedding cake 4 layer? Plus all the extra work of stacking, dowel rods, etc.... If you just explain that to her, and do what PP suggested, telling her to call other bakers in your area and she will see your prices are fair. Not to mention, she most likely wouldn't be able to find anyone else to do it two weeks before the wedding! Most places require a few months notice, don't they??

Melissa icon_smile.gif
www.freewebs.com/melissascakes
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www.freewebs.com/melissascakes
http://www.shopteacher.org/
http://www.mycoolschool.ca/
http://tcarsondesigns.com/
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post #7 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:08am
I say let her try that pricing with a bakery. If she wants a plain cake with nothing on it, no filling --NOTHING- sell her that. If she wants a wedding cake she has to pay like everyone else. I am sure that she check the prices with other places. She thought that since you bake from home then it should be REALLY CHEAP. Not so. Stick to your guns and don't back down!
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post #8 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
thank you guys for all the responds
we have been going back and forth for a while now
i told her i work on weekends and i need to know as soon as possible
some people are just not understanding you have a live to besides cakes
i don't think it's worthed for me ..even though i want to do a wedding cake


Thanks
AShiana
Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
Reply
Baking is a skill that can be taught....One catch...you have to love it!!


Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
Reply
post #9 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:25am
Make sure that if you do make the cake. Get a contract and a deposit.
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post #10 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:32am
Tell her that if she doesn't commit by (insert date here) she will be paying the $2.25 per slice and a rush fee! She's hoping you will drop your price to get the job. Don't give in.

Debbie
Hope your day is a piece of cake!
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Hope your day is a piece of cake!
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post #11 of 28
7/5/05 at 9:46am
With a 2 week notice I would get full payment. And if you don't want to flat out tell her no, just price her out, inflate your price in other areas: delivery, decorations, etc. Dont forget to get deposit for your equipment. I would charge actual replacement cost. Then tell her to compare prices. She sounds like bad news to me.
"If you are influenced by the opinion of others, you will have no desire of your own."
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"If you are influenced by the opinion of others, you will have no desire of your own."
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post #12 of 28
7/5/05 at 10:28am
be real careful with this bride. she will look for any mistake. you must remember that you are in charge, don't sell yourself short and remember just like she asked you someone else will too. there are many more fish in the sea. good luck
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post #13 of 28
7/5/05 at 10:51am
True what Melissa said about also more layers and it being too short of notice. I agree with the majority that this woman sounds like trouble and for your first wedding cake I wouldnt try to make it for someone like that. Actually I believe it is best to do a donated cake for advertising and practice for a first one. Or doing one at cost for a good friend or something just to get the feel of it.
To do what you truly love is to never work!
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To do what you truly love is to never work!
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post #14 of 28
7/5/05 at 11:19am
I agree that prices are different. I have heard a lot of brides though talk about how they think if they tell someone it is a wedding cake they get quoted a higher price. I think we should all be careful of that. That is not what we do but we need to not let it sound that way either. I tell them tiered cakes are priced differently than layer cakes. If someone wants a tiered birthday cake it started at the saem price as a wedding price and goes up depending on the design they choose. I think it keeps them away form thinking all wedding stuff is higher when I tell them tiered cakes are different. A lot of other types of businesses are higher just because they say it is a wedding.. like florists and stuff. Just a thought.
Tiered cakes are more work, require special skills.. etc there are lots of reasons for a price difference that way.
Bonnie
www.InspiredOccasions.com
http://inspiredcaker.blogspot.com/
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Bonnie
www.InspiredOccasions.com
http://inspiredcaker.blogspot.com/
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post #15 of 28
7/5/05 at 11:26am
Bonnie:
I think that is a very tactful way of saying it. It is absolutely true, we are not charging more simply because it is a wedding, it's because it's more work!
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check out my myspace. www.myspace.com/ginacakesaz
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