Before I Crack Somebody's Skull, Help Me Respond To This
Business By SweetThistleCakes Updated 11 Oct 2006 , 3:12pm by birdgirl
"Wedding cake baking has to be the biggest sham perpetuated on brides"
I'm too angry to even post the origins of the email
do you even need to respond??
Unfortunately there are many people out there taking advantage of brides, including some wedding cake bakers.
There are also many brides that by the time they get to the ordering of the cake have had it with being taken advantage of. Lets face it they are even taken by the people that are said to be helping them out.
Yes many think that a cake is just a cake, and if that is how this person feels then let them book on down to the grocery store and see what they can get. But come to me and want custom everything and 3d this and that, then yes you are going to pay.
Oh and what really burns my butt, is when they come asking about gum paste flowers and when you quote them a quote that is less then fresh they are still like that much?? Its only sugar
Yes, weddings have gotten out of hand but it's not the cake. It's hundreds and sometimes thousands for a dress. And then THOUSANDS spent on receptions. Maybe people need to go back to cake and punch receptions! I think we need to start a revolution. 
I had a "bride" call me and say how frustrated she was and she didn't have much money and she had been calling all around and no one would help her. Found out she is having her reception at one of the nicest places in town, starts at $17 a head. She can certainly afford to pay for a $300 cake. People just don't understand all the work that goes into producing something like a cake.
I'm sure all wedding vendors say the same thing but I say if you are on a budget then the whole event will reflect it. Don't just try to get a bargain from me!
Whew! Glad I got that off my chest. To the original poster, I wouldn't even dignifyit with a response. You know what you do and what it is worth.
Oh and what really burns my butt, is when they come asking about gum paste flowers and when you quote them a quote that is less then fresh they are still like that much?? Its only sugar
Haircuts. You're not paying by the pound for a haircut (a trim can cost the same as a full gotta-get-a-new-look cut). You're paying for the talent and the time of the expert and the professional.
Doctor visits. You're not paying the doctor by the hour. It's the same $75 office visit fee regardless of how much time you spend there.....5 minutes for a follow up or 30 minutes for blood work. You're paying for the talent and the time of the expert and the professional.
Wedding Cakes. You're not paying for a twinkie dipped in canned icing. You're paying for a custom designed one of a kind creation made just for you......the talent and the time of the expert and the professional.
Too bad some people just can't figure this out.
I'd like to know how much she spent on the flowers, dress, reception, etc. My daughter got married a little over a year ago and I got her cake from a women that mostly only does wedding cakes. My girl got the cake of her dreams and I felt like I was given a wonderful price. this was before I even did cakes. what really floored me was the cost of flowers..... and no way I would EVER insult someone's art......a wedding cake especially is a work of art!!!!! I am fummmmmming with you If it was that big of a hardship she should have gone to the grocery store!!!!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Here's the dialogue. It was in reference to the attached cake I did this past weekend for a wedding of 325 people
"Unless you arranged the flowers on that, that doesn't impress me at all.
It's more impressive as a flower holder than it is as a cake.
Heck, it's more flowers and support structure than cake.
Four small cakes covered in some fondant, with one of the layers mishapen due to poor handling, don't impress me much.
Check that.
It doesn't impress me at all
Wedding cake baking has to be the biggest sham perpetuated on brides..."
"Wedding cake baking has to be the biggest sham perpetuated on brides"
I'm too angry to even post the origins of the email
Ha..I think celebrity wedding planners are, they not only charge the brides per the hour like a high priced laywer, but the get a % from every vender the bride uses!
If they want to cut back...why don't the cut back on wedding planner fees? Or not charge a kick back so the brides can actually get the weddings they want?
Ok...now wedding planners are going to bash me....tee hee...
I know they have to put up with Soooooooooooooooooooo much S***T from the BRIDEZILLAS!! and now I just saw the show where they had that guy John, the GAYZILLA...who kept on saying..."Give me my day, it's my day!! Boo hooing all over the place and saying he was going to hit his wedding planner!!! Well....it was HIS PARTNER'S DAY too...what about giving HIM ...HIS DAY!? UGH...why do people get to that point???
Hmmm... Ok. Interesting.
Was this in the context of slamming the entire wedding industry as a whole? Or were they singling out the wedding cake?
I agree that the wedding industry as a whole has created a big mess where people feel so much pressure to have "the perfect wedding" with all the things that you "NEED" to have in order to have a wedding, and I do believe and KNOW that many wedding-related services pray on that frantic time you have being in charge of planning a party for your family (been there! LOL).
If you are in a position to respond, have them look into the cost/profit margin of other wedding services such as DJs, Photographers, Videographers, Wedding Planners, and Reception Halls, even Dresses. It does not cost a DJ even 1/3 of the cost of what they charge for a wedding reception. (I'm only using this as an example! I have DJing friends! No angry DJs please! LOL)
Excluding the equipment which they already own, and the business-related expenses that ANY small company would have (insurance, advertising, etc): They may have to purchase or borrow a few CDs - let's give it $30 for that. Driving Costs $20?. Dry Cleaning the tux? $20. Charging $1200 or more for 6 hours of actual working time (that's a common rate charged around here). Hmm. That seems to work out to just under $200 per hour!
And someone had the nerve to say that wedding cakes are a sham!!!! When most decoraters are not pulling in ANYWHERE NEAR that per hour after the cost of ingredients!
Wow...how in the world would I keep myself from going ape sh*t on this bride? 
I think I will have to get back to you all on this one...
Here's the dialogue. It was in reference to the attached cake I did this past weekend for a wedding of 325 people
"Unless you arranged the flowers on that, that doesn't impress me at all.
It's more impressive as a flower holder than it is as a cake.
Heck, it's more flowers and support structure than cake.
Four small cakes covered in some fondant, with one of the layers mishapen due to poor handling, don't impress me much.
Check that.
It doesn't impress me at all
Wedding cake baking has to be the biggest sham perpetuated on brides..."
Um...is this what she or he ordered????
Did she not get what she ordered.
The writer of that email is the biggest sham! ugh!
I just saw your new post with the pic and dialogue.
Was this someone commenting on the brides pictures somewhere or a direct email to you or overheard somewhere?
how about "I'm sorry this cake is not to your taste. The bride selected the theme and chose to have flowers incorporated on a simple cake. It is her style, for her wedding."
Grrrr. I'm sorry you had to be the target of someone's dimented pre-conceived attitude. The cake is beautiful.
The snarky jerk is not the recipient of this cake or any cake I ever make. I would never do biz with him. What had happened was that I shared the picture of the cake and that was the reply I got. Ironically, the trouser snake is getting married next week.
Im just getting sick of having to defend my work
So he's upset about the money being spent on the cake for his wedding, and probably everything for his wedding, which was probably completely out of his control.
Thank goodness, or the poor bride-to-be would probably be having $1.50 dry Kmart bundt cake.
They are talking out their a$$....plain and simple. There are certain things that people don't bat an eye for when paying and other things that just don't seem 'worth it'. These are the same people who want the best, most moist, tasty and beautiful...but for no more than $1 per serving.
Reasoning with them will never work. I just love how all the brides have blown thru their budget by the time it comes time to order the cake.....but they seem adamant that they have the BEST cake! WTF???? What kind of drugs are they serving these bridezillas that they all assume the wedding cake is the one area they get to 'get a deal' on.... the one part of weddings that is totally overcharged..... huh? This is a bunch of hooey.
Get a realistic budget and stick to it - and you have to break it all down. There should be individual budgets for everything: venue, flowers, dress, food, cake, music, etc...... not just an overall $20,000 and then you run out before you have all your bases covered.
He's a fool... and I wouldn't justify his stupidity with a response.
Im just getting sick of having to defend my work
You shouldn't have to. It wasn't his cake he's never had one of your cakes...and hopefully he never will.
If you want to you can send him a snarky email back..."apologizing" for HIS baker..hahahahaaa!
You should find out who his baker is so you can foward his email to them!
What a tool...how DARE he attack you when you have NOTHING to do with his event...
and I don't see any..."MISSHAPEN" cake.
How about telling 'em:
Bite My Butt - there is no way you could do better even with the help of say Colette Peters you Jerk.
Or would that be too rude???
BTW I love the cake, the flowers set against the pure white cakes to me makes this an elegant cake.
what really floored me was the cost of flowers.....
Flowers! Oh NOW you've got me going!! When my daughter got married, she was in the Army in D.C. so mom is planning the wedding in Indy. Wedding in Oct.
First, when I walk into the florists and tell them that I'm ordering flowers for my daughters wedding, I get this "big sigh!" from her and in an exasperated tone she asks me if I've ever planned a wedding before. I adopted my "mom" voice and said, "Honey, I've planned and coordinated more weddings than you'll ever be involved in. Here's the list of what I need." So right way, I'm dealing with attitude! (my attitude doesn't count, by the way!) 
The bridesmaids are going to carry one single long stemmed rose. Cost? $15 each! Now I'm no big math expert, but I happen to know that a dozen long stemmed roses do NOT cost $180 in October! They don't even cost that much on Valentine's Day! Bridal bouquet? $150
Delivery fee? $60. I pointed out her front window and said, "See that church there? The one over there? Right across the street? you know .... that one over there? That's where you're delivering them." Too bad. $60.
I went to another florist (in my small hometown), walked in and asked, "How much are your long stemmed roses?" She told me $5 each. I handed her the quote from the other florist and said, "Here's what I was quoted. If you can beat it, the business is yours." She was working up the quote and said, "Oh, I didnt' know you wanted a ribbon around the rose." I said, "I am NOT paying $10 for a ribbon!"
Bottom line is the 2nd did the entire thing for about 1/2 the cost. My daughter had a beautiful cascading bouquet of roses for only $75.
That original florist will never be one of my floral referrals for any of my brides today. She had attitude when I walked in and everything was a "this is the cost...take it or leave it". Well guess what! I left it!
My daughter was going to be getting the "sham" on those flowers except she happened to have a mom who worked in the wedding business. So don't EVEN give me any crapola about custom designed with everything on it being hand crafted wedding cakes being a sham! 
(can you tell I get passionate over this?) 
I'd write back to this guy, who commented so rudely, in a very professional manner (no sense letting him know he's p@^!ssed you off, since that MUST have been his intention!).
Thank him sweetly for his obvious concern for the wedding industry and brides everywhere, warn him to carefully consider the budget for his own wedding so he doesn't get taken advantage of as well, and thank him kindly for taking his business ELSEWHERE, as you will not be available that weekend (or any weekend).
I HOPE he wasn't conversing with you because he was interested in a cake from you...!! NOT the way to open a sales dialog with a vendor.
I'm shocked that anyone could be so rude!
Just a "flower holder"??? Has he seen the price on custom pottery lately?
I always love the comments about "it's just cake and some icing"
...And a BMW is just a bunch of METAL and some GLASS
...books are just ground up trees
Is he an attorney? Well..it's JUST GIVING ADVICE...I mean, how much can THAT be worth? What a sham. What a crock. What's this country coming too? 
I better stop...LOL
HOMECOOK, you are hilarious!
A few thoughts...
Obviously the guy is a fool. I can't excuse anyone insulting anybody's work, and especially when it's gorgeous. He sounds like a cheapskate that only thinks highly of himself. (Obviously I don't have a problem insulting people. )
Secondly, I think it's easy to start defending cake decorating by pointing to the other endless expenses of a wedding, but in my eyes, I don't want to sound like the people that attack cakes.
"It's just a cake with some eggs and milk" has a similiar ring to "It's just flowers" to me.
I don't need to justify my prices. And the truth is, even most cake decorators charge more for wedding cakes than they do for birthday cakes.
Can the flowers, dress, reception, etc. be outrageous? Absolutely, but they can charge as they please. Just as we end up having to defend our cakes, they end up defending their work as well.
My sister in law thought that $25 was a reasonable price for my son's Jimmy Neutron cake that I did. That's what she thought people would pay for something like that. 
You don't need to defend your work. You do amazing work. There are just jealous people out there who's sole mission in life is to criticize everything.
Angie
A friend of mine got married last novemeber. Her dress cost $3000, the reception was $75 a person (250 people) food was trerrible her cake was made by a friend of the family at a discounted rate of $500 and it looked and tasted like s**t. total wedding cost to her parents $45,000. 4 months later she is spending $10,000 on lawyer for her divorce.
I also vote for "wedding planners" as the biggest sham.
I think "husbands" would be the closest second.
Cake.....definately not. This is honest, hard work that should be rewarded and lauded.
HAHAHAHAHAHA - ROTF...hopefully I won't have to use this line on any brides...but it'll be nice to have in my back pocket!
Wedding Cakes. You're not paying for a twinkie dipped in canned icing. You're paying for a custom designed one of a kind creation made just for you......the talent and the time of the expert and the professional.
I would'n even take the time to respond, your time is precious.
The problem today is that couples forgot completly what the wedding is about. If you ask them they will tell you that they want everything to be perfect and fairy tale like. Helllooooooooooo??? What about God's blessing?? I think that a wedding should be about that and the rest come in second place. That's why the divorce lawyers are getting richer and richer. It just make me so upset that the whole thing is just a big circus to show friends and family how much they can afford and they start their marriages already in debt. Sorry got ti get it out of my chest! 
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