I need to back out of a wedding. The contract and deposit has been signed and paid. The wedding is still seven months out. I need a closing "statement". Do I say good luck with your plans? To me that sounds bad since I have to back out. I plan to have a list of other bakers, do I just say here is the list, Good luck? Thanks!
I would apologize profusely, and not only give her a list, but contact some of the bakers yourself first to see if they'll honor your price quote. They might be willing to do that if you're "delivering" a client to them with no effort on their part.
"Dear Ms. Bride... Due to circumstances beyond my control (or whatever you want to write about why), I will not be available to do your wedding cake. I'm returning your deposit in full at this point. I regret that I won't be able to be a part of your wedding, and I'm including a list of bakers who would be willing to honor the price that I quoted you for your cake. I appreciate your understanding, and please contact me if you need more assistance."
I think you should just provide her a list, your apology and a full refund.
I wouldn't be thrilled with another baker calling me asking me to do a cake for the same price as they were. It's not your contract with them, it's not your business what they choose to quote your ex-clients. They might be more expensive, they might be less expensive. They might be more qualified cake makers, they might be newbies. That's something the bride and groom can work out on their own. They found you, so they must have done some research on their own, right?
The list of other cake makers is enough. Don't tread beyond that point. 
Yes, I agree with everything except asking to honor the same rate.
Someone had a baker cancel on them and the wedding planner suggested that I might be able to offer the same rate. It was crazy cheap...like $300 or something like that. This was also during the holidays. My normal rate for that cake that was emailed to me was at least $700.
From the email...it sounded like the baker flaked at the last minute for no reason...so you are actually at an advantage because you will probably still have good "word of mouth" from the client. I politely told the client no thank you., I have to charge at my regular rate. Obviously she didn't book...lol.
It still wouldn't hurt to ask if other bakers would charge the same as you. They might actually have charged her less, so they could be making a profit on it, you never know. If they say they can't honor your price, then ask them how much they'd charge for the same design so that you can give the bride some info and save her some legwork. She'll appreciate your effort more than if you say "I can't do your cake, here's a list of other people, see ya."
As a bride, I would really appreciate the list but while having you call and price compare might sound good to you, it wouldn't really help me any. I'd still have to go and taste test and what if I can find it cheaper?
Just give her a list and apologize and she'll be annoyed but will get over it.
Thank you, everyone. You are exactly right, aswartzw, she is annoyed and I HATE IT!!! Her emails are civil but very edgy. I offered to get some names for her and in her last email, she said that she already found someone else...and was disappointed that she had not heard back from me yet. I told her Friday and it is Sunday....
Oh, well. Maybe a good sign I am not involved anymore! Thanks again. That was hard and I appreciate your help!
You can not answer, but can I ask why you are backing out?
Well, if that's what happened, then in essence she backed out of the contract first, so don't feel too bad about it. I'm glad that it worked out for you. Even if she's mad it's not your fault that she changed her date!
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