A contract is a contract. If the contract stated chocolate Kaluha, then she should have gotten chocolate Kaluha. I really like the red dress analogy.
I would ask for a full refund. The order was wrong. Period. The cake is an entity. It's not like the buffet where you can say, well, the meat was wrong, but the potatoes were good... All parts of a cake work together to create an artistic and gastronomic experience. An experience that the bride and groom have chosen to compliment their event, and their menu.
Even though I am now a hobbyist, I still have a contract, because good fences make for good friends and neighbors. I must refer to it a million times when I am doing a wedding cake! If I made such a mistake, nothing less than a full refund would do, if it was not what they ordered.
As a consumer, I'd feel uncomfortable getting a free cake from someone who has a beef with me. I've heard too many tales from the bakery folks who used to work for other restaurants, caterers, etc. It would stand your hair on end!
if they actually cut and served the cake and it was eaten, i don't htink they are entitled to a FULL refund. Partial, perhaps, but not a full one.
I can see how Mahzooka would be upset.. she originally posted to get an opinion on how the bride should handle the situation.. not an opinion on the Bride's reaction. And since she probably was not expecting people to comment on the bride's reaction, it would hurt and be upsetting hearing negative things about a loved on. I think we can all agree we don't like hearing negative things about the people we love. I do agree that everyone is titled to an opinion, and this community is wonderful in so many ways
however on this one, I think it got off topic. The issue is with the cake.. not the bride's reaction.
I was reading all six pages just to get to say this. Glad somebody else was thinking like me. How ridiculous that some people here are being so dismissive about this bride's feelings - and without even being asked!!! So what that she was in a bad mood for a while because her cake was wrong! I'm sure she didn't need lectures on how to feel. Did you all expect this girl to just go tell her cousin that she had no right to be upset because her priorities were all out of whack (in your opinions)??? How rude! This girl just wanted to help her cousin find out what her entitlements were for receiving the wrong product she ordered. Some people are very sensitive to details- doesn't make them bad people. I'm sure if my cake were wrong I would be upset too. But if anybody came up to me trying to tell me to get over it at the time - there would be some cake in somebody's face. I mean, why rub salt in the wound if somebody is clearly upset? Helpful advice is needed at a time like that, not rude words of criticism.
As for her cake....I'm sure the decorator made an honest mistake and should be contacted regarding what happened. Your cousin should receive a sizable discount and perhaps an anniversary tier made correctly. That's what I would do - just to leave a "good" taste in my customer's mouth.
Just my 2 cents: She didn't get what she ordered period.
I'd ask for a refund of at least 50% and a redo of the anniversary cake in the flavors they should have been.
I'm sure it's an embarrassing mistake a decorator is sure to make but it's not the bride's fault.
At least she sought the opinion before going off on the decorator.
The bride and groom did not know that the cake was wrong until they actually cut the cake. What are they supposed to do at that point - NOT serve the cake and tell all their guests why?? I'm in agreement with at least a 50% refund (if not more) but for those of you who kept stating that "the cake was cut and served"...blah, blah, blah..... imagine how you would feel at that moment if you were the bride.....IMHO - they really had no choice at that point but to cut and serve the cake - it's one of the highlights of the reception. Stop bashing the bride for being upset and kudos to her cousin for coming here and seeking advice.
Wow this thread and everyone's opinions makes me actually (can't believe I'm saying this) admire my sister in law.
My brother and her got married a few months ago, and the wedding reception had many things wrong with it. First, when the MC was supposed to introduce the bride and groom for their "walk in" to the reception he said MY NAME instead of hers...YIKES...don't know WHAT he was thinking but my bf was not happy the MC had my name in his head either! Then the DJ played the wrong song for the "first song" - terrible! On top of that we had live entertainment which did not show up...but it was okay cause the caterers were so late that dinner was delayed an hour and a half and so we wouldn't have had time for it anyways! The cake tasted like it was still frozen...the only thing that worked out was that there were professional fireworks done at the end of the wedding and that really made up for everything...but throughout the ceremony my SIL had a huge smile on her face and nothing upset her...didn't even mention anything about anything...wow...if it were me...I can picture a garbage dump with an MC, DJ and caterer beaten up and thrown in...LOL...oh and the makeup artist didn't use hypoallergenic make up so her face completely broke out by the time it was time for pictures....
Back to the topic though, I think that this completely constitutes a 75% refund...50% for half of the cake (flavour + decoration = full cake) being wrong...and 25% for the pictures of cutting into the cake being somewhat distorted due to the "shock"...also in terms of an anniversary cake...I thought people just use those for show if they have a party but actually cut into and eat a new fresh cake???
As the cake decorator I would be totally devastated if I was the one thing that kept the brides day from being totally perfect.
It doesn't matter what everyone else at the wedding knew and didn't know..........it was HER wedding, not theirs.
I'd be mortified as a decorator if I did that, but what wedding is truly perfect? It seems that there is always a snafu, sometimes big, sometimes small. At our wedding, 10 years ago, the DJ didn't show. He tried calling the house (DUH, no one was there!) My husband gave him good directions, but he apparently couldn't find the place. I was surprised when I was told, but friends of ours went to the house, got our stereo and CDs and played DJ for the night.
The wedding is one day, a marriage is a lifetime.
This bride paid for a service and I believe part of that service was not delivered - the flavor she ordered. However, she did feed the cake to her guests and they ate it so she does not deserve a full refund. I also do not think she should get a refund for pictures, that is not the responsibility of the baker. Please are human, they make mistakes. I am sure the baker will be embarrassed by her or his mistake!
I only read the first page of responses, and according to them, I am in the minority, but if I was that bride, I would have been soooo pissed about the cake.
First of all, I personally HATE raspberry. If I cut into my wedding cake and got raspberry filling inside when I was expecting chocolate, I'd freak out. I wouldn't want to eat it, I wouldn't want my husband to feed it to me. What if this bride felt the same way? That takes away a big part of the reception that she won't ever get back.
Second, the decorated was paid (I'm fairly sure) a pretty penny for that cake. She/he signed a contract to give those people what they paid for, and didn't deliver. They deserve at least a partial refund for that.
JMO
Erin
The one thing I don't get that I see stated in a lot of posts (this topic and others) is the concept that the cake was eaten so you should not give a full refund back. I really don't get this statement.
Do you really expect somebody to not serve a cake just because the baker messed up their order? Are they just supposed to pack up the cake and bring it back to the baker and say "This isn't the cake I wanted so I want a full refund. Here's your cake back. I guess you can just toss it or something."
If they realize it's wrong at pickup, eat it, and then expect a full refund, that's one thing. But these people had no idea until they cut into it. What were they supposed to do then? Not eat any wedding cake? That's absurd.
The one thing I don't get that I see stated in a lot of posts (this topic and others) is the concept that the cake was eaten so you should not give a full refund back. I really don't get this statement.
Do you really expect somebody to not serve a cake just because the baker messed up their order? Are they just supposed to pack up the cake and bring it back to the baker and say "This isn't the cake I wanted so I want a full refund. Here's your cake back. I guess you can just toss it or something."
If they realize it's wrong at pickup, eat it, and then expect a full refund, that's one thing. But these people had no idea until they cut into it. What were they supposed to do then? Not eat any wedding cake? That's absurd.
if you sued over something like this, the first thing the judge is going to ask you is if you cut and served the cake. if your answer is yes, you won't get all of your money back. Believe it or not, there was a similar case like this on one of those judge programs here just a few days ago, and that was the big factor in the decision.
This bride paid for a service and I believe part of that service was not delivered - the flavor she ordered. However, she did feed the cake to her guests and they ate it so she does not deserve a full refund. I also do not think she should get a refund for pictures, that is not the responsibility of the baker. Please are human, they make mistakes. I am sure the baker will be embarrassed by her or his mistake!
Did I miss something? What is the statement about the refund for pictures about?
Diane
There was a previous post that suggested the bride should ask the baker to give her back more money because the pictures during the cake cutting must have looked bad.
Also - yes, if the cake is THAT bad and you are that upset that it is wrong and expect a full refund, you should not serve the cake to your guests. People left with the cake in their bellies and so a service was done.
I am sorry if people find that wrong, but if you go to a restaurant and eat the whole meal and then tell them it was wrong, they won't give you a full refund.
I still think the bride should get a partial refund but by no means should she get more that 40-50% - the work was still done, the ingredients were still used and the time was spent and the guests were fed.
The one thing I don't get that I see stated in a lot of posts (this topic and others) is the concept that the cake was eaten so you should not give a full refund back. I really don't get this statement.
Do you really expect somebody to not serve a cake just because the baker messed up their order? Are they just supposed to pack up the cake and bring it back to the baker and say "This isn't the cake I wanted so I want a full refund. Here's your cake back. I guess you can just toss it or something."
If they realize it's wrong at pickup, eat it, and then expect a full refund, that's one thing. But these people had no idea until they cut into it. What were they supposed to do then? Not eat any wedding cake? That's absurd.
Diito!
Ok, I didn't go back and read all the 100 posts, but basically, I am getting that the bride ordered a certain type of cake.. the cake was not the cake that she ordered.. the photos were not up to par and the bride is upset.
I know you are all going to dissagree with me on this, but that is NOT services rendered. The contract was for a certain cake, that was not what was served. Also for photos, which also did not work out. I think that the bride should be reimbursed everything but the cost of the cake. (The actual cost.. meaning supplies to make the cake, developing of the photos, gas for the delivery)
This was not a small matter of ivory vs. offwhite. This was a complete error. Who cares if the cake was served or not. Someone said what was she supposed to do, tell her guests they couldn't eat cake? I agree totally with that.
She had a right to expect the cake to be what she ordered. If I being a vegetarian ordered a veggie burger from a restaurant, and ate it.. then found out they had made a mistake and fed me meat.. would I not be entitled to a refund? Even though I ate it?
I realize that the company I work at is a huge corporation now, but we were founded on the basic principal of 100% percent customer satisfaction or a full refund on request. That is what makes customer loyalty.
my 2cents.
Divaricks, sorry. I just went back and read all the posts once again and found what you were talking about. I totally overlooked it before. I thought you were talking about my comment on photos and I didn't want that to be taken wrong. No, money should not be refunded for pictures.
I think the thread has gotten a little off topic and as we have said before, it is hard to interpret what someone is typing in comparison to saying it verbally. We tend to put emphasis in different places with our voices as compared to our wordage.
I hope, Mahzooka, that you let us know how things turn out.
Diane
now I don't have a business and I've never made a wedding cake but I've read enough here to know that there is more than just the flavor that is decided upon when ordering.
There is color, size, decorations and set up. All of THESE requirements of the contract were met. The bride and groom couldn't even tell it was wrong until it was cut. With that said....she deserves a refund but not in full since it wasn't the wrong color, wrong decorations, the wrong shape and there was enough to feed the guests. The baker made a mistake but it wasn't a total loss.
I think at least she deserves about 40% back ( and the cost of the expensive filling upgrade) as well as a new anniversary cake in the right flavor.
My opinion.
mommachris
Mahzooka
I guess perhaps, and speaking for myself I was trying to say that in the big scheme of things, while it is a big deal and she is due a refund of some sorts, the important point of fact is that she is happily married to a wonderful guy. She's a new bride and I hope in 5 years that this is maybe something they can laugh about. Worse things happened to me-my m-i-l changed my s-i-l's dress from black to purple because she was 13 and the bridal shop didn't tell me. She showed up at the wedding in a purple dress when everyone else wore black. I see that in my photo which hangs on the wall everyday, the florist sent the wrong corsages and my bouquet fell apart. Now it's something we all laugh about. I went to pursue some action against the florist but was told that if they wore the corsages, even though they were not wrist corsages they owed me nothing and they gave me 20% back on the cost of my bouquet.
Your cousin should have called or had someone else call on her behalf at the wedding and try to get in touch with the baker, if not she should call right away and perhaps a full refund can be given. It was upsetting to be sure but I think what most of us were trying to do was to tell her to make the call and see what can be done now but to also remember that her day was a happy day as well and if this was the biggest problem she enounters in her marriage than she's going to be fine.
BTW, I certainly hope that you will reconsider not posting here. I had someone pm that I "must be retarded" if I couldn't figure out the SMBC from the Confetti cake book. I have a daughter who is retarded and while I was upset about that stupid person, I didn't respond but didn't let that stop me from posting here and learning and asking questions. 99% of the people here are great but there is some who are not. Just like most people who you run across in general, it's no different.
Alright... I've read. And now I need to just say... I think she is entitled to a refund for the cake portion of the cake. If you know what I mean. The decorator still did the right work. And for me... the cake portion is usually not the bulk of the charge. Design costs a bit. It was the cake that was wrong. And of course a topper on their anniversary in the right flavor as said many times previous. As for whether or not she should be upset... she has every right to be. I would have been. As for ruining everything... it shouldn't. But, I certainly understand how she felt. I was disappointed in my wedding cake for my first marriage. It was ugly. But, it tasted great. It kind of put me in a sour mood for about 10 minutes and then I moved on.
As for what she should do... I have made this mistake before. And I have offered a refund or free cheesecake. Which they are very happy about. I think she should let the bakery know in a kind way. After all, they are probably going to be mortified. I was. And immediately offered to correct it as best I could. Just contact the bakery and see what they will do about it. And let us know... we do care.
Regardless of whether the wrong cake flavor 'ruined' her wedding or not, what was delivered was not what was ordered and agreed upon, therefore some sort of compensation is in order. I am glad to hear it was decorated as ordered so the pictures will not reflect the snafu. I think 50% refund is appropriate and fair.
The baker needs to be more careful next time 
. I do not, however, think that a full refund is fair - let's be realistic here. I'm sure part of the brides dramatic 'ruined' reception routine was due to the fact that logically, she knew she could pitch a royal hissy and get a complete refund....... I would not be able to justify that. I think the color or style being wrong would be worse, personally....
I also love the idea of a freebie cake in the flavor they ordered and/or an anniversary cake gratis but I don't think that's enough. JMHO
** and I do feel bad for the baker.....we are all human and we all make mistakes.
I know you are all going to dissagree with me on this, but that is NOT services rendered. The contract was for a certain cake, that was not what was served. She had a right to expect the cake to be what she ordered.
I stand by my full refund. She did not contract for a service, but for a product. The product was incorrect. She probably spent hours deciding in flavors/fillings/decor. If you were contracted to cut and serve the cake, and you did, even if it was the wrong cake, you would still get paid for your cutting/serving. But the cake was wrong.
How do you cut a cake with a large ceremony and then deny your guests some of that cake?!?! A gracious bride must serve the cake! Hello, it's a centerpiece of the reception!
Whether or not the judge would rule in her favor because she served it, is beside the point. I make what they order, or they get a full refund. It's either right, or it's not. No gray area.
Rather than get involved in the whole debate going on here, I'd just like to know the outcome, did she contact the bakery? Are they offering her a refund? What was there explanation for the incorrect cake?
I'm a curious bunny and am interested in the outcome! 
At the risk of beating a dead horse (it's definitely dead, here, just in case we're wondering)...
Does it even matter, any more, really?
Maybe we should suffice it to say we all hope it works out for this bride, whatever happens, and that she gets whatever refund or free cake is due her (not up to us, anyway--and like I said, I'm sure the baker will be delighted to fix the situation to the best of their ability, albeit after the fact), and that she lives happily ever after.
And (however significant or insignificant a detail it was), may the wrong flavor in her wedding cake be the *worst* thing that ever happens to her.
Thank you and good night. 
I guess whether it matters anymore or not depends on who you are and what part of this world you are standing in.
Diane
I'm the one who mentioned that the pictures of the cake cutting were probably bad, but I NEVER said the baker is responsible for refunding ANY of the picture money, ONLY the cake. I was just trying to point out a few different reasons why hte bride may have thought that it ruined her reception. I was using the look on confusion on her face when they cut it instead of the smile. I do not think that the baker is responsible for refunding that. Whoever thought that's what I said read my comment wrong.
I think we can just say ..... we agree to disagree...
I think it could of ruined their wedding....
What if they were allergic to raspberries...
They signed a contract..... why doesn't this matter now?
If it were me....the baker...I would be sooo sad ...and upset at myself for this mishap 
I would offer all of their money back. It was my mistake not theirs. They signed a contract with me....therefore my screw up I lose the money....
Please don't get mad at this lovely group of people.......and don't leave we all can help each other in some way at some time 
Christi
it really doesn't matter what any of us think...whether she should get a full or partial refund. what matters is that if there was a contract...and i'm sure there was...what did it specifically say about refunds whether full or partial.
the bride needs to look at that and go from there. she is definitely due a refund of some sort.
Haven't had a chance to read all 8 pages of this post, but I think that your cousin is entitiled to at least 50% discount and a new anniversary tier. I have been married 18 years and I do remember the details of the day, down to the cake. If they ordered a specific flavor then that's what they should get. People have favorite flavors or there may be an allergy to flavors (hopefully no one was allergic to raspberries!!). Whatever the reason, the couple is entitiled to get what they ordered, despite how pretty the cake provided was and what the guests may or may not be aware of. Your cousin should contact the baker and make them aware of the situation, taking the anniversary tier and a copy of her order with her to the bakery. 40 lashes? No,but a calm reasonable discussion with a resolution good for your cousin is in order.
Yeah, she married the love of her life, but after planning and paying for a celebration to match their feelings, if something goes wrong then there is nothing with feeling upset.
As cake bakers/decorators we should tke responsibility for the product we create and be just as gracious (if not more) when rectifying a mistake as we are when we make a cake perfectly
(didn't mean to be so long, I guess today is my opinionated day )
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%