am makeing my first wedding cake in October and the bride wants a 4 tiere square cake and fresh roses in between them red roses and I live in
Northern California I really dont know how to price my wedding cake I really dont want to charge to much but she getting fresh flowers and I know the roses could be expensive?

Do they have a Wal-mart there? Or a Sam's Club? If so the roses won't be very expensive. If you have to buy from a florist it could be costly...however can't get them from a grocery store or something?

Why don't you avoid the hassle of preparing a cake AND providing the flowers by asking her to get her florist to supply you with them at the reception instead?

You shouldn't have to be responsible for both...you're a baker, not a florist!

I would let my clients know four things:

1) I don't have the means to get them wholesale, so they will be extra $$$, in comparison to what their florist will charge

2) I can't be certain that they will perfectly match the flowers the florist will be using, because they will come from a different source

3) I don't want to risk damaging the flowers/cake if they are stored together in the fridge or during transportation

4) I can't be sure what chemicals have been used on flowers. Some are not intended to touch edible surfaces.

Don't take on two jobs if you can't handle it!

I would definetly ask the bride to provide the flowers if they are going to be fresh so that they match what's in the bouquets and other floral arrangements.
Most full size roses will have a head size of at least 1 1/2 inches (width of flower looking from the top) if they are just slightly opened buds, so take the size of the tiers that you are doing and divide each side by the approximate size of the rose head to determine a minimum of what you will need.
Example:
2" size head
14 " tier
measurement of one side, divide it by 2, take that number and then times it by 4 (4 sides to a square) equals the minimum amount of roses that you will need
You will be surprised at how many might be needed.
Plus I would ask for a couple extra just in case some don't look as nice, or so that the cake does not look "bare" or have "holes" in the floral arranging.

Mouse, Antonia, that is good advice and information, thank you both, I'm putting these posts in my collection. Janice

hey- I have that same problem. Not with the wedding cake Im doing though, because its for my sister- and it's a present! lol. anyways, with most cakes I do for friends, and people I know- its hard to put prices on them if you are not used to cost's etc. People are always asking how much it costs to make this that and the other, but they rarely relise just how expensive they can be, and how much work is involved. I totally agree though- its a hard one, Id make sure you do your research, because I always seem to never make anything on top! good luck!
mel.

i was told if you use fresh flowers you charge what you paid for them ,no discount or added charge, it may help to tell her to get them in the same delivery as her bouqets so they are the same.

And what about the time it took you to source the flowers? And picking them up? And storing them? And delivering them with the cake? And then assembling them?

C'mon guys...don't forget you are providing a service, and services take time...and TIME IS MONEY!

Don't feel bad for charging people. Every day you go out you are charged, the newspaper on your doorstep, the gas in your car, the pizza delivered to your front door...that's business!

Just wanted to mention that I originally wanted fresh roses on my wedding cake and the florist was telling me how he "stretches" his money and flowers............ If you take an opened rose, you can fold back the outside petals to make the rose look even bigger so it looks even fuller. I ended up not going with that look because I could not afford all the additional roses.

I have to agree with some of the other post that if that is what the bride wants then she should have the florist bring the roses for the cake.

Also another thought that the bakery for my wedding only supplied the wedding cake and the florist actualy decorating the cake with the fresh flowers.

Betty

If you do decide to supply the roses, I'd at least show her an example of what quality your florist is going to provide, so there aren't any surprises.

List of Non-toxic flowers
http://cakecentral.com/article18-List-of-Non-Toxic-Flowers-for-Garnishing-your-Cake.html

"Which flowers are the safest? The answer is twofold. First, no flower is safe to eat or use on or near food products unless it has been organically grown. This means no chemical herbicides or pesticides have been used on or around the plant. Rose fertilizers that contain systemic toxins are included in this category, as are any fertilizers of the weed-and-feed variety.

"This also means that edible flowers that are brought home from nurseries and garden centers are not safe to eat or use on or near food products unless they have been grown organically or sustainably (without toxins). ...

"Secondly, for some people, eating pollen can trigger allergies or even asthma. To be safe, remove the pollen-bearing parts of each edible flower (the pistils and stamens). The sepals or calyx also should be removed from all flowers except the viola-violet clan (pansies, Johnny- Jump-Ups, violets and violettas)."



There's more if you go to the link, but I can't post all the pictures