http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2008/07/06/lisovicz.budget.weddings.cnn

Get ready for the onslaught of phone calls wanting the "cheaper" fake cake with accompanying sheet cakes after being plugged this a.m. on CNN. Do people not realize the time, effort and energy put into the fake cake is the same as what we'd do for a real cake, minus the baking??? I quote the same price for fake/real cakes.

Good lord - you'd think they would poll some 'bakeries' before putting that information out on the air.

Just like those 'bridal tips' how to save money on your wedding websites blah blah blah. They just have NO idea the amount of work involved.

I also charge for a dummy layer or full cake and I charge a rental fee for my dummies just in case I don't get them back.

One way that I could conceive it to be cheaper for all involved is IF you make sample cakes for a bridal fair, and have them on hand.... they could rent what is already made and then order sheet cakes. But, they take what we made, not what they may have wanted. If they want what they want, ya, I agree... same price for real or fake. same time to decorate.

Hmmm..Interesting story...Fake cakes are almost as expensive as real with materials and labour so why not just get a real cake!! I charge the same as well....I wish TV shows would get their facts straight first before they air these stories!!

That's funny and not in a good way. I can just hear a phone call now, "Well on CNN they said it was cheaper!".

I was so proud of my anchorman when they reported this last night on local news...the narrator said, "and people will never know" to which he looked directly at the camera and replied, "YEAH they will...you can't EAT styrofoam!!!" WOOOHOOOO! LOL

The way to stop that is to email CNN... let them know the error of their ways... in fact, I think that Robin's site would be the one for everyone to send the correct information... she is so open to suggestions.

I have to make 10 cake dummies for photo shoots in the next month. Honestly, If somebody wanted to rent one of those, I'd rent it to them for $150 for the day and then make them sheets cakes for $2.50-$3.00 a head, depending on the flavor. It would be cheaper, not a lot cheaper, but cheaper, and you wouldn't get " your own" wedding cake. It would be the same one everybody and their brother saw in Southern Bride and Groom, but if it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother me. Fake cakes are a heck of a lot easier to transport.

I think we as decorators should take it upon ourselves to write places when they put out these articles. If The Knot puts out an article saying brides can save money on this and then they get 85 emails from decorators around the country/world saying uhh no you can't, then maybe they would stop publishing lies. Or at least complete the sentence. You cannot go to a custom baker and have a cake designed and made special for your ocassion, just on styro, and save money.

You CAN however, order a fake cake online, cross your fingers that the right one arrives, and stick that out at your reception... http://www.cakerental.com/index.html

It takes the same amount of time to decorate a dummy cake as it does an edible cake. And costs probably more to get the materials to make a dummy cake then it does to buy the ingredients to make an edible cake. What are the chances that the exact dummy cake a bride wants is going to be sitting around your shop? And what about frosting 3or 4 sheet cakes (I hate baking full sheet cakes)? AGH!!! so frustrating!

Actually, its the KNOT that was reporting this, but it is true. What they ARENT saying, and is what I tell my brides that YES you can rent a fake cake from me, but you have to pick a cake I already have on hand. And they have to order kitchen cakes from me, no Costco or BJS. It really DOES save them money and shoot, you already have the fake cakes just SITTING there!!

But I am finding most brides what their own cake, and I don't see this trend turning wide spread. What IS saving a lot of brides in our area money is all the illegal bakers who are charging 1.50 a serving for a wedding cake. We have those coming out of the woodwork! I agree, they are getting what they paid for, but at least they are getting a wedding cake for less then 100 bucks a lot of times. As well as a "friend at my church" is doing their cake for free! Iam seeing that trend more and more now...

you guys are never gonna believe it. when i was helping my friend out with her wedding cake, the baker actually said that dummies would be cheaper! go figure. i was like, what???? are you just saying that because you like making fake cake and hate baking? then get another job. okay i didn't say it to ehr but i was thinking it and thinking of all you CC'ers.

My mom and I got in a fight about this last night and we rarely fight.

I was immediately defensive which I think caught her off guard.

I told her yes they are cheaper if a bride is willing to take an identical fake cake that other brides have.

When we rented fakes back in the 90's the first question out of a bride's mouth was "how many others have used this cake?" When we would say "20" she would laugh at us and say "I want my OWN cake".

Well being the first one on that fake design cost her full price because we couldn't guarantee another bride would like it. Many brides actually tossed their fake away or returned it beyond repair so another bride couldn't have "their cake". - I can't blame them. Many brides like to be unique in every way and don't want to be the 20th person with that fake cake, or have 19 other's after her use the one she had. They get extremely territorial over it.

I can't tell you how many times while teaching (I teach on the sales floor since we don't have a classroom at my store) how many brides will scurry from the wedding aisle over to the Wilton aisle (the next aisle over) and start whispering their ideas to the person they are with if they think another bride is eavesdropping on them to get an idea.

If they don't want to share a wedding favor idea there is no way on this earth that they are about to share a fake cake.

On the other hand, there are many brides who are ok with fake cakes, don't care about who many before or after them have used a fake cake, will share ideas all over town when asked on what she's doing to make another bride's planning easier.

Honestly though... I would love to get into the fake cake rental business. I don't need the health department to inspect me, I don't need to worry about tastings, baking, high electricity bills etc.

The idea of doing fake cakes appeals to me more and more when I see it discussed.

I saw that too and went, "Oh, for crying out loud, not again," (eye roll)

The only times I have had brides calling to price shop and asking about the fake cake/sheet cake arrangement, and I give them a quote, it works out to them saving ONLY about $30.00 for the whole wedding cake setup, based on my pricing.

I say, "For the $30.00 extra, you might want to just spring for one beautiful big tiered cake to serve all your guests" I've never booked a single wedding with a dummy cake setup after we look at what it costs; they either go with all cake, or they shop somewhere else.

I wish the shows who spout this stuff would do the math or contact a baker and get the actual $ these brides *could* save, before they repeat it, like you're going to get half off your cake by doing it this way.

pthbbbthhh!

Back last summer, I had a bride to call regarding a "fake" cake. She had been told that she could save lots of $$$ by choosing this option. She tried to read me the riot act when I told her that I charged the same for cakes...real or fake. She didn't like that much, but you know what, it's MY business, MY time, MY energy, and MY name on the line. If you start the whole "cheaper version" of the wedding cake, it's the same as a good referral. The word will spread, and actual wedding cakes (THE bulk of my business) will go to pot.

A letter writing campaign may be in order....I don't remember who suggested that, but it's a great idea!!!

Back last summer, I had a bride to call regarding a "fake" cake. She had been told that she could save lots of $$$ by choosing this option. She tried to read me the riot act when I told her that I charged the same for cakes...real or fake. She didn't like that much, but you know what, it's MY business, MY time, MY energy, and MY name on the line. If you start the whole "cheaper version" of the wedding cake, it's the same as a good referral. The word will spread, and actual wedding cakes (THE bulk of my business) will go to pot.

A letter writing campaign may be in order....I don't remember who suggested that, but it's a great idea!!!

I would really like to know where they get their 'information'.

If they are talking to someone like Sylvia Weinstock - yes I think a fake cake with kitchen cakes could cost less than a real cake. Because you could be talking about 100+ hours of decorating time... even without flower making say - 40 hours of pure assembling and decorating with a real cake would need to be done in the last few days prior to the wedding. That could mean a LOT of overtime for staff. It is a fake cake you could spread that time out over the whole week, therefore saving overtime labour - but also increasing labour for the additional kitchen cakes.

For the average bride who's entire cake can be completely by one decorator in say 20 hours - there is NO saving.

The Knot should speak to decorators that cater to the average bride... not the decorators that cater to brides where price is no object - you are basically comparing apples to oranges (not based on quality but based on time spent)

My local station ran a similar story just today. I'm writing the reporter and saying:

"Ms. Sweeney,
Just FYI. I read your article online and I know this is mentioned to brides often as being a money saver, but fake cakes are not cheaper. There are still sheet cakes that have to be baked and iced to serve the same number of guests. There is still a "cake" that has to be lavishly iced, decorated and assembled. Then you're adding specially made styrofoam pieces. So it's more icing and more supplies. This does not make for a cheaper cake."

I don't know if it will help any, but something has to be said.

I'm new to the whole fake cake notion, but what puzzles me is that over here, one big photo moment in a wedding is where the bride & groom get to cut the cake. If it's a rental, what happens?? Surely it can't come back with a big old knife wound in it??!!

I sent CNN an e-mail. Not only are they doing a great disservice to bakers, but DJs too!

OMG! "Plug in an iPod"?!?! Who's going to do announcements? On what system?

The two things that should NEVER be scrimped on are food and entertainment. Why aren't they recommending the elimination of wedding favors? Something that's feasible without affecting the "quality" of the event?

We do fake cakes all the time But each cake is made for that bride and usually the top tier is real to cut for photos. Then they can have sheet cakes with more flavors and filling choices because I will not do a refrigerated filled cake. My fake cakes are a tad cheaper than a real but that is only if they return the cake after the wedding.

In the humid Iowa summers I trust stryofoam a lot more than real cake at an outdoor reception. I can also decorate a fake cake alot faster than a real so for me it does take less time when they are fake.

Sorry to be the baker with the opposite opinion.

I got married almost 3 years ago, and the cake was part of the package at our venue. They had just gone from a fake cake to real cakes a couple of months before our wedding.

For them, the fake cakes were cheaper because they had 5 cakes that they re-used over and over. They decorated them each one time and used them for like a year or more (it wasn't real icing, not sure what it was)- just replacing the top layer with real cake for the cutting...

So this information isn't totally off base if you're not using an original design and freshly decorated cake.

It's okay to do fake cakes.. I have nothing against them. It's the proliferation of the notion that they should magically be SOOOO much cheaper than a real cake. Someone charging $75 for a 4 tiered styro cake and providing sheetcakes for next to nothing is a problem. Charging a dollar less per serving or something like that.. not so much of a problem. And if you are renting out already made styro-cakes then that's a WHOLE other ball game.

That's what I always wanted to know indydebi. I had a dummy sitting around and after a few weeks it looks dusty and fondant doesn't dust well (fyi).

I don't normally post on this side of the forum as I am not in the decorating business, I just joined here two years ago when I wanted to make my daughters wedding cake.
I saw this post today and had to respond.
I ended up making our daughters cake because the only two bakers in our area would only make a cake that had one edible layer, the rest ALL styrofoam and we had to order sheet cakes for serving. I could NOT get them to make the entire cake as an edible...that was not their policy!!
So...I joined here, talked a lot, practiced and learned and she had a beautiful one of a kind cake and I have a new hobby.
Good luck trying to get people to understand...they just won't.
Taigen
P.S. just wanted to add that no I do not sell cakes to anyone, I only make a few cakes a year just for the fun of it and to keep practicing. Maybe one day I will but I really didn't like the stress of it much.

When you view the video, there is a link to post your opinion and comments. Now is the time to voice your opinion! We may be able to do fake cakes and sheet cakes slightly cheaper, but it's not a substantial difference as The Knot wants to put out there. They make it sound like a bride will save hundreds of dollars. I wouldn't have a problem with the option being put out there for brides if the price was accurately reported. And I don't understand exactly what The Knot gets out of reporting this misinformation. Do they really sell that many more magazines or something? They've been reporting about this for quite some time.

I didn't see the comment option, so I sent them a very "friendly" e-mail.

debbie! can you tell us your comment??...the page won't load for me anymore