Oh, but it gets worse. Did I mention that I went online and looked up the reception hall. Turns out the "recption hall" is actually a mansion and costs $6,000 just to use the facility!

DONT DO THE CAKE!!!!
1. she sought you out for the job. You didnt offer to make her cake for her. So why give it away for free.
2. My wedding was 2 years ago in San Diego. I had less than 100 people and I still paid $400 for a 3 tier BC cake with simple decoration .I am sure it would have been more but it was a set cost that my reception site had with the bakery. She is CRAZY if she wants it all for $200.
3. I would only do a cake at little or no cost for someone that i was very close with. It seems that you and the bride are just an aquaintance am i right? My best friend is getting married in a couple of months and i am making her cake, but i think the difference is that she is paying me for all supplies that i use. plus her mom plans on taking the cost of the supplies and giving me triple that amount for my time. But they are like family andknow what i sell my cakes for.
Please rethink this whole thing. Stick with the April wedding!!! make a few practice cakes from now until then and take them to tux shops/ dress shops on their big sale weekends. you will get your name out there and still work on making a beautiful cake for the April wedding.

Here's a better idea for someone who isn't interested in paying a lousy $1 per slice!!!:

oh my gosh that is just to funny.

Love it.

Ooohhh, remember the twinkie luau wedding "cake."

Probably get that for $.50 pp if you shopped the outlet store!

I found it:

http://static.flickr.com/15/22220464_11b3b4012c_o.jpg

oh the more i read this the madder i get

CANDY BARS COST MORE THAN $.50!!!!!!!

You could suggest that she put your information in her programs for the wedding in exchange for the discount. That would be free advertising for you and IMO that would make up for the cut in price.

JanH has it right, the Little Debbie snack brownies are 4 for a buck!

Don't do it. Some people are so cheap. She is trying to take advantage of you. DON'T LET HER.
June

WOW!!!

I'm exhausted just reading all of these posts! I wish I could remember everybody to respond to for all the great input. I've sat down at least twice before know to write a response. Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond ... it doesn't make my decision any easier though... but after much thought and consideration here is what I plan to do:

I'm going to write up an estimate for time for mixing, baking, making icing, making the RI snowflakes, and decorating, assembly and delivery. Let her know what the price I think it should be (more around the $1.25 pp) and let her know that the price I'm charging $1 is fair and give her a list of those places I called and their prices. I did not call Walmart/Sam's Club, etc... but I can, and let her know that I can't go any lower than the $1 per person, it's already a bargain at that price. It just isn't worth my time at $1.80 per hour. Plus the interruption and disruption to my life, and home with 4 kids and a hubby. My daughter's birthday party is that same Saturday too. So. if she would like to get some plain sheet cakes from somewhere I'd be happy to do up some RI snowflakes as a gift.

Does that sound to unreasonable? I don't think so. I'm still offering something and at that for nothing, but letting her know that I'm not cheap either.

Thanks again... I will post pic's if she decides to go with me though. I don't think she will.

- Paula

PS - As for my April bride she will be the SIL of my babysitter's mom at church. She doesn't go to church with us and we've not discussed price but I don't think at all that they'll balk at $1 pp. I think I'll do $1.25 and if the balk I can come down. That wedding is only 100 ppl.

I guess some of my fear came to from knowing that we all go to church together and I want to do the 'right' thing but yet I don't want to be cheated either. I guess I felt as though I was being cheated or I wouldn't have posted my message here for feedback. She wouldn't work for less than min. wage, and I shouldn't either, even if I were in training I'd still be paid. Also my husband's family were founding member so we're not going anywhere else, and we'd always see each other. I hate tension and bad feelings...

Thanks again all...

OK now I'm falling off my chair laughing... I had not seen the page 5 of the posts with the dough nut wedding cake and the link to the twinkie/Little Debbie Luau cake! HA HA HA!!!! Wonderful. I feel so much better about my decision. She can take it at the $1 pp bargain basement price or not at all!

Thank you all so much!!! for the feedback, and the laughs!!!

- Paula
(I'm still on the floor!)

Boy what a long thread! When I got to the donuts, almost fell out of my seat! How absolutely funny!! You have gotton a ton of advice and it looks like you have decided what to do. If this had been a friend, it would have been easier to do this as a gift, however this is not the case, you have to charge something. So if you are comfortable with the dollar and want to do the cake do so and hopefully it won't bite you in the end.

On the couple who asked to be "sponsored:"

I had read that idea in one of the popular bride's magazines quite a while back. Seems like the idea stemmed from "those that have money keep money" type thing. Yeah....

That seems kind of (ok--very) tacky to me, though. "Ok. Now let's think of everyone in the world who might be willing to give us our stuff for free. Ok. Now there's Joe the florist. Yeah. You know he's so desperate for business he'll just shower us with roses for nothing. Especially if we say we'll 'advertise tastefully' for him...And then there's this cake lady I know of..."

In theory, I guess it's an ok idea. But then I think sometimes those magazine publishers are just sitting there in their corner offices with nothing better to do than to save Buffy and Thad a few thousand MORE dollars. How fortuitous.


--Knox--

I would rather have some pissed off people at church that turned their nose up at me every sunday then to get ripped off that bad on a cake. I wouldn't do it for $1.~ PP at all!!! I'd give her the bottom price of $2.~ PP and be done with it. If she doesn't want to pay the $2.~ per person it's not worth your time and troubles. If she thinks she can get a cake for $.50 cents per person, then let her have it, Walmart Sam's and grocery stores and other bakeries will laugh their butts off IN HER FACE when she comes in and says "I need a cake to serve 200 people but I only want to pay $.50 cents per person to feed them".... So yeah let her go find her own cake, stick to your guns and give her the rock bottom price of $2.~ bucks per person and be done. If she doesn't come back it wasn't meant to be, think of it this way God does everything for a reason, sometimes that reason isn't to see how "christian" you can be and how nice you can be and how easily you roll over because of where you meet someone... sometimes it's a reason to get you to stick to your guns and stop shorting yourself and ruining yourself... If you make that cake at $1.~ per serving, you will continue to get business from every bride you attend church with and they will all want that same price and you will end up losing more then you are gaining. Don't feel bad or less religious about doing what's right. And what's RIGHT here is charging what should be charged. They are in the wrong totally for even THINKING let along ASKING you to take less then $2.~ PP to start it off!!!!! Just tell them like it is... you can't do it for less then 2 bucks and like it or lump it find someone else that will do it for 1/2 a buck....

Not to highjack the thread but RisqueBusiness wrote:

Funny, my son had to evict a couple on his rental property for nonpayment of rent. The wife was extremely upset because it interupted their vacation cruise plans!

Hmmmmm ----- is it possible priorities need adjusting with some entitlement thinking when raising our children.......

OK - HERE'S MY ACTUAL REPLY TO THE BRIDE ON HER CAKE. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DECIDES TO DO. ALSO I POSTED A PIC OF THE CAKE SHE WANTED. IT WAS DONE BY PGray315. (THANKS FOR THE IDEA) HERE'S HER LINK IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER CAKE.

  http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_56270.html

I sat down tonight to rework the numbers on your cake. (It is now 12:43 AM) As I said the ingredients alone will cost about $60-75. I tried to put together a spreadsheet to estimate my time involved. Attached you can see my findings. My basic worksheet has a formula for figuring the hours needed to complete said type of cake. For cakes feeding 200 it figures based on 24 hours to complete. I decided to look at it deeper and I can only cut out about 2 hours of time since the cake is fairly simple.

Please know that I really want to do your cake but I cannot afford to do it for less than minimum wage and at $1 per person that makes the pay right around $5.45 per hour at 22 hours as you can see. Minimum wage is currently at $5.15 per hour. I am a little bit more skilled than just minimum wage as I'm sure you would agree even though I'm a beginner. If I cut the price any further it will be less than minimum wage. The price should be more around $1.25 pp or $1.35 pp. I called around and spoke to 3 different bakeries with prices ranging from $1.35 pp to $1.65 pp and $1.85 pp. I myself paid around $1.15 pp for 150 ppl 8 years ago not including delivery and set up. My instructor charges $1.25 pp and she's been doing this for years.

Anyway, to my point. Again I would really love to do the cake as you well know, please don't be upset with me for this decision. However I cannot if less than $200 which is very fair and very reasonable. I understand budget too and I'd like to offer an option. Sam's offers full sheet cakes for $38 and half sheet cakes for $18. If you wanted to get a full and a half, both plain cakes from them I'd be happy to furnish you the Royal Icing snowflakes to decorate them with. You could simply have Sam's write on the smaller cake NAME & NAME. I know this is not the tiered traditional wedding cake you would prefer but it is an option. One other thought,.. You could also get the full sheet cake from Sam's Club for the $38 and we could still do your tiered cake for $120. (The ingredients costs only drops to $50 for just the tiered cakes... it might be just a bit less than that but not much.)

Please understand that I really want to help and would love to do it for you but I cannot afford to work for less than that. With my husband being the only full-time income and me just part-time we're strapped for cash too and while it may seem like we have a lot we get a lot from family too as I know you get from yours as well. Don't trade that for a million! The most important thing about your wedding is your wedding and your are getting to married to Brad, and the cake and the dress and the hall etc.... will not be what you remember, you'll remember what a wonderful day it was that you got married.

Please let me know what you'd like me to do. Thank you for your interest in wanting me to do your cake. Please don't be upset, I don't want this to become a sore spot because I still would like to help you somehow get something in the way of the cake you'd like. Thank you so much,

Talk to you soon!

I think that sounds great although it's really none of her business how strapped you and your husband are. I myself would've put it a little more plainer and left out the personal info on myself and just said Ya know I wanna do this cake but I can't for less then $200.~ I'm sorry but that's the way it is but I can help you with another option yadda yadda yadda But I can't say much because I tend to ramble on and on as well and give out more info then needed lol

um yeah..you didn't have to go into ALL THAT DRAMA explaining your position.

You told her 200 bucks...

I do admit that the alternative solutions were great. I would have just given her the price and the alternative solution and that would be all she wrote..

To be honest with you, I started to read the second paragraph and stopped...

Just TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

lol

There was not need to over explain your situation. You gave her a price. A fair price and the next step was her's to take.

Sorry!!!

I do hope you get to do this cake and she doesn't jerk you around for the money!

stlalohagal,

Well, that says it all. Well done

You certainly went above and beyond what any other baker (local bakery, Wal-Mart, etc.) would have done to accommodate the bride in getting the cake of her dreams.

Also, you were very kind in offering to provide RI stars, and your answer was gracious yet business-like.

You have handled the entire matter in a manner that speaks well of your upbringing, and I hope this gives you some measure of inner peace and comfort.

Please keep us posted, if the bride decides to book you and "go class" instead of mass produced.

Sorry, but you are charging way to little, this is going to come back to bite you.
June

You're much more detailed than I'd have been over this lady's drama. You can't haggle your doctor's office visit fee down. You can't haggle your attorney fee down. It's not a yard sale...you can't bring your prices down and "bargain" for the best deal. Trust me, even if this woman goes with a frozen slab cake with icing from a bucket on it, they're certainly limited to the details that they're allowed to do on their cakes (at least, I know that's how it used to be.) Stand firm. Don't explain what's going on, why you're setting your price at whatever. She doesn't deserve an explanation. This is a business transaction. Furthermore, it sounds to me like you'd be better off without even doing this cake anyway. There will be other cakes for you. Trust me on that. People will willingly pay for a delicious, well-decorated cake. Good luck...but I think that you'll be better off if she does the Sam's/Walmart route.

Amy