I'm a bit miffed by a chepo bride... - Page 2

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! Do not do that cake!!!
Anyone who is having 200 people at her wedding can pay $200 for a cake. She is not your child -YOU are not responsible for giving her one.
I had less than 75 people at my beautiful wedding, the total bill was less than $700 - dress, hall, minister, flowers, everything - $350 of that was for the cake.
If it is important to her, she can pay for it; if it isn't then do you want to make her a gift of something she does not value? YOU are of value, your cake is of value. Someone who believes that is the person you want to make that first wedding cake for...

Don't do it! Stick to your guns - $1 pp is crazy low - you should be STARTING at $2.50pp for basic buttercream! I go up to $4.50 or higher for fondant and filling, and I don't do this for a living. If you really want to do the cake for experince then then give her an invoice for $1.5pp or whatever you are comfortable with for a "real" price then enter in a discount to bring it to $1 and state it is a promo deal or something. But if she can't afford $200 to feed cake to 200 people then let her bake it herself.

$1.80 an hour is absolutely absurd. I agree with some of the others, let her go elsewhere and see how much everyone else is going to charge. When she comes back to you, you could even explain that if you had done it for what she was asking you would have been making less than two bucks an hour. I know weddings can be expensive, but asking someone you barely know to all but work for free, that's not ok.

It sounds like you are really anxious to do a wedding cake and that is understandable. Your work is great.

My concern would be that as word got around then everyone would expect a cake for the really cheap discounted price. What are you charging for the cake in April? How are they going to feel if/when they find out that they paid $1 pp and this lady paid so much less? Is that fair to them and are you shortchanging yourself?

Cindy

Oh I think this is so funny.....non-disclosure statement......hahahahahah
JanH wrote:
Let's see if we can get this lawyer for $1.80 an hour......hahaha.

Gosh people just kill me...try getting your taxes done for $1.80 an hour, or the lawyer above for $1.80 an hour. How about a day care sitter for $1.80 an hour. Better yet, let's ask a stylist to do your hair for $1.80 an hour. Oh and one more thing.....they are all new and just starting out, do you think since they are so new we could get them for $1.80 an hour?

Does anyone see my point here?

I understand the budget and can appreciate that. But also - she will get beautiful and tasty cakes from you for $1 pp and will not be able to get that at that price anywhere else. Again, if you want to give her a special price out of the goodness of your heart (which I know I would end up doing as well - do as I say not as I do LOL!) I still think you should show it as a one time discount so she and anyone else who asks knows the true value of your cakes.

Your problem is that if you are trying to eventually make money from this you don't want to sell your self short. You do wonderful work, it is a tough decision. Good luck!

Your work is simply beautiful, you are more than capable of creating a beautiful wedding cake. Don't sell yourself short. How much is the other lady paying per slice? Stand your ground with the price you quoted(which is still low).

I agree with Cindy, it sounds like you are really eager to do a wedding cake. However, I think you are going to end up feeling taken for granted of, even at $1.00 per serving (which I agree is already ridiculously low).

Even if these people are minimalists, she sounds manipulative to me. If she is so minamalist she doesn't need a cake, or a relative can make a simple cake (they are already bringing the rest of the food), or they can go to the supermarket. She came to you because she heard you were already planning to do a wedding cake in April. And the way you described the way she approached you I think she hoped to get a rock bottom price because you go to the same church, know each other, are new, or whatever! As I read this thread I kept thinking of another recent thread titled "the wedding cake from h-ll". It was about a cc'er who would give away cakes to brides at her church who couldn't afford one, and it snowballed into all the brides thinking they were entitled to a free cake. I think you are setting yourself up to be known as a cheap place to get an awesome cake- because new or not, your work is great! As I keep reading at cc "DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT!!"

Last piece of advice before I get off my soapbox. If you decide to go through with this I would advise you NOT to give her the grocery list to shop for materials. I did this for my first big cake and will never do this again. The customer didn't purchase everything on the list (easy mistake), they purchased a cheaper brand than what I specified, and most importantly, I needed some last minute items I didn't account for, which came out of my pocket because she had already purchased what I told her to buy.

Good luck,
Kathi

My thoughts- You need to set your own prices and haggling is just not an option. I would personally rather do a cake for free than have someone tell me what they are willing to pay for it. Why? Because I refuse to have someone tell ME what my cakes are worth.

So, if you know this lady and want to help her out and get some exposure at the same time, it's your call. If your intentions are to establish yourself as a cake decorator, I must agree that being known for your "cheap cakes" is not a good start. You did your research, and you know you're not being unreasonable.

I am horrible about charging people for cakes, so I have done them as gifts, but now that outsiders want to start purchasing them, I have to establish pricing that I am comfortable with, and stick to it. So, if she's not your friend and you don't feel obliged to make her a discounted cake, then don't do it. If, on the other side, you just want to do a wedding cake and get the experience, then this might be your way to do it.

Your cakes are wonderful.
Good luck.
Angie

Just do what you feel comfortable with.

okay, i quit reading everyone else's response to give my own so i'll go back & read the whole thread in a minute

here's what i've got for you----

i'm not real sure where STL is, but i live in a small town (oh it's really small) & i'm doing a cake for $1.00 a serving & i'm not going to make a dime off of it, so if i have someone willing to buy from me w/out any classes taken & she knows this--plus i told her flat out i will not do roses for her, only cause i can't do them yet, then i think you should stick to your price --- i'm really afraid that you are going to be VERY UPSET with yourself if you don't....i'm not sure what all she's wanting but even at that price, stay away from expensive filling & time consuming flowers--my HUGE mistake is that my bride wants pound cake & i told her 'no problem' well......i forgot just how much goes into a pound cake--yep i'm gonna be broke

good luck & if it helps, call Publix (if you have one) & compare your price with their's--i did & i know she's getting a great deal with me, even if i did a box cake, cause heck they taste better than grocery stores do!



edited to say--if you truly feel that she can't sfford the price, then do what's in your heart, but i heart tells me that my time is also very important & i'm taking this time away from my family--just a thought

I agree with everyone here BUT I don't see anything wrong with doing a favor for a friend as long as you let her know the true value of the cake and let her know that she's getting a discount and you normally wouldn't be able to do a cake for that price. As it is your first wedding cake, it's a great opportunity to add this to your portfolio, the experience will be great, and you get to help out a friend. She's not going to be able to get much of a cake anywhere else if her budget is so small and she doesn't have much time before the wedding. So if your inclination is to help out a friend, by all means, do it. Just be sure that at the very least, all of your expenses are covered and there's at least something left to compensate your labor / efforts. If you think you'll have fun and enjoy doing this, then you should. If you think you may end up with any sort of resentment over it, then you shouldn't. Go with your instincts on this one. And in the future, be sure to charge what you're worth because your cakes are awesome and you could get A LOT more for a cake like this!

I'd pass this one up and wait for an opportunity where your talents and product will be appreciated for what they're worth.

I wholeheartedly recommend setting firm boundaries around your pricing early on in your business. Expecting a fair price for your work is 100% acceptable and you never, ever need apologize for it. Nor do you ever need to be taken advantage of by a customer (and I think this woman is trying to do so).

Good luck to you! I'm sending wishes of good customers your way.

This thread is not about me, BUT, wanted to share this.

Almost the same thing happened to me, except I was dealing with the GROOM'S mother who was a casual acquaintance of mine. I figured the sheet cakes, etc at 0.50 (like you) and she asked was there any other way we could go to get a cheaper price. I said "Yes, you need to buy a W------(superstore) cake because I won't do it any cheaper. They did and paid MORE for that cake than they would have for mine. NEVER AGAIN!! Your cakes are worth more than $1.00 per serving!! Stand firm!

Beth in KY