LOL! But you still have to deliver them (if the bride took you up on delivery)!

Ah, but that is where I have a trump card. Two sister in laws and a neice who could (if needed) be trusted to deliver a 6-10" stacked cake 15 minutes away. heh heh

It would depend on how booked I was. If I'm too booked and they want that date, I could tell them I can do it but they have to arrange pick up. If they want to pickup, fine; if not, I'm busy anyway...

You're very lucky to have people that you can trust to delivery for you! But you are right, you could just not offer delivery if you don't want to or can't because of scheduling...I'll really have to start thinking about this in earnest now!

they have really been lovin these at my shop, i did 3 of them last weekend in a little over 3 hours....i'm not as high end as many of you on here....125 an hour is pretty good for me.

i been selling the more expensive ones too....so it hasn't hurt that end of it.

I didn't read all of the replies so this may have been said before but I love this saying, "Jack of all, master of none." I say do the high end cakes and too bad for the brides who can't afford it. Make a real niche for your wonderful high quality cakes and let them go to the baker down the road if they can't afford it.

mike mccary makes lower priced cakes too....i was so surprised, one of the members here had a small wedding cake made by him for ...i believe they said 200.00.

since he's my hero...i figgered he must be knowing sumthin.

i know most of the big name designers...that would be so beneath them, he is so talented, and so humble...it makes him great!

There's only one trade in question. CAKE! It's not like you're selling custom made stationary, baby clothing and cakes. Even a highly decorated cake has a base coat of buttercream. So instead of continuing to decorate the cake (making it a highend cake) slap a ribbon on the bottom, on an undecorated cake drum and whoo-hoo I can pay my rent a little easier each month.

well i've sold enough of these to pay for a new roof for my house this month....with very little stress.

It's funny, but I just ran across this thread tonight (haven't had too much time to get on CC lately). I love to see all this brainstorming!

I've had a "2009 Classic Wedding Cake" special running since early March, and it's been well received. They choose either our white or chocolate cake, I finish it with vanilla BC. They choose one of three styles, and a ribbon color. That's it! 75 servings for $209.99, dlvry extra. Originally I had this promo running until April 15th as I wasn't sure how it would go. It's now been extended to June 1.

One of my customers who booked this offer told me that she sees it as a "facet of great customer service to understand there are people who need to spend less these days. To put the offer out there so they don't have to swallow their pride and ask for a less expensive cake means something".


*edited to move my thumbs-up dude to where he was supposed to be! lol*

I would love to do this, but I would really have to work out all the logistics of this. I work out of my home (separate licensed kitchen). I have to deliver everything and all the towns are miles apart. I would really have to plan accordingly to make it profitable. The other thing is when you say you only take a few a weekend to leave room for the higher end cakes, how do you explain it to a bride that might call and ask for the discounted cakes and you tell her your booked. What happens if she should find out you took a higher end cake after you turned her down. (am I making any sense?)

Well she has no idea as to "When" you booked the cake, and all you have to say on your promotion is "limited availability" on dates.
It's a promo...not a freebie....so you set the rules.

wow, so much info to inhale.
Thanx guys for the tips.

To continue this...Guess who also loves this idea?? The GROOMS! I get these guys who call, and they're like, "Uh....she told me to order the cake..?"

They have NO idea what they're doing, (usually) except that they need a cake at their wedding, and they're pretty sure how many people it needs to feed.

They're loving that they can tell me the wedding is "red", ask the bride which of the four styles she wants, pay for it (I have them pay at order), and they're DONE with their task. No multiple choices to try and figure out, flavors, deposits, etc., to deal with.

Love all the great ideas here!!!

If you've got the discipline to stick to the selected designs and not feel sorry for your budget brides, I'd say go for it. A year or two ago, I would have been a sap and felt sorry for the bride that really wanted this or that in the decoration and I'd cave to make it special for them. Sure they'd appreciate it, but I don't think it ever got me anything but a negative attitude for not getting paid for my time when their little something didn't go as planned and it took longer to complete than planned. I think this is a great idea for you but you've got to commit yourself from the get go that these brides are limited to these designs - no ifs and or buts about it! Make sure those designs are something you can pump out quickly and don't mind doing -- you get too many of them, you'll feel like you're in an assembly line.

You're right about sticking to the plan, and I have no problem whatsoever limiting customers to my very specific guidelines for these cakes. I've learned the hard way that if you give an inch, they take a mile.

This is great-really thinking outside the "cake box" I like the idea of a simple design at a more marketable price!

We've been tossing this idea around and we're being indecisive about it. Yesterday, I had a bride come in and she was VERY laid back. Small wedding, small budget (she's not even having flowers at the wedding).

I was not the first cake person she had talked to. She took a big intake of breath when I told her $350 for 100 people. She said she'd rec'd a quote of $130 for 100 servings. I told her she'll never find another deal like that anywhere.

So I tossed a test balloon out to her. Told her we were "working on" a budget bride's cake that she might be interested in.

one flavor / no sampling / limited designs / no delivery ... must be picked up / $1.00 off (end price would be $250).

She thought about it for awhile. But she really wanted 2 cake flavors and she didn't trust anyone to pick it up. She asked about 2 flavors in the budget cake and I explained the reason I can do it at a lower cost is because I can mix the entire wedding cake batter in one batch in my big mixer, but if she wanted 2 flavors, then that was 2 batches .... more time, more labor. She got it.

I suggested that she should think about what was important to her. For example, I had one bride who was putting her money in her cake and her dress. nothing else mattered but the cake and the dress. Told her that if the cake was not a big deal to her, then she should probably go with the $130 cake. but if the cake is one of the things that she wanted people to talk about afterward, then she should look at the other options.

By the time we were done, she said she was going with me, but wanted to talk to the groom (he couldn't make it for the appt ... got called in to work, so I sent the leftover cake samples home with her).

She had been quoted $130.
I offered a $250 cake.
She's buying the $350 one.

Just an interesting conversation on the Budget Bride Cake topic that I thought I'd share.

Thanks for sharing this Debi. I know that even in my own life my budget has adjusted to something I thought I couldn't afford because once I saw it I wasn't going to be satisfied with anything less.

I've suggested, a few times, that cakers should sell cakes the same way funeral directors sell funerals. The FDs in my area have catalogs, ask how much you can spend, then show you what you can get for the budgeted/insurance amount.

Build yourself a portfolio, then ask how much they can spend instead of asking what their idea of a dream wedding cake is.

Theresa

If I were to do the "budget" cakes, I would do it costco-style, lol. A sheet of paper with a few different cake/filling flavors, and about a dozen designs...nothin' special. Leave the paper in the box and pick it up 24 hrs later...no tasting, no delivery. Sweet and simple for a discounted price. I think when you pay for a "designer" cake, you're paying for the service you get as well as the actual cake. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

This is what I love about cc and the people on here. One person throws out an idea, and it gets the ball rolling. Before you know it it's a full fledged snowman! You guys and gals are truly quick, brainy people! I love the budget bride idea..especially these days!

The other thing to keep in mind when selling these is not to sell them like they're the "budget" option. I call it a way to save money AND time, and if they don't want have a lot of decisions to make (easier for them, one less hassle etc etc, whatever works), but never insinuate that it's a "cheaper" cake. People want to think they're still getting high-end cake, so you have to sell it like they're getting the same service and cake, just with less...uh...decisions to make and dates to remember. Order one of two sizes, give me one color and pick one of four styles, pay the full amount, g'day, and I'll see you at the wedding.
ka-ching

Actually...I'm still selling more of my regular price custom cakes and lots of 'tire kickers'...but I did just get a rush order on 10 days notice for an $800.00 bday cake for two girls turning 16, due tomorrow!!
off to bed

I have been receiving lots of calls from gals who are really on a tight budget. I thought I would let them walk, however I'm building my business; now that I've seen this thread, I'm going to do this instead. It seems that the highest serving you mention is for 100. What would you charge for 150 or 200 servings or would you make the cake at all? Also, is everyone still doing fondant???? Thanks Patty

I just started this "special" a couple of weeks ago. Choice of 3 basic flavors, white or ivory, 2 designs, serve the entire cake, no anniversary cake included, cake serves 100 people. If they need more servings, they can add a server cake for the kitchen. The 2 designs are swirl type designs, I can do these really fast and easy. I only do buttercream, not fondant. Economy is tight right now, but even a bride on a tight budget wants a nice cake and would like more options than a grocery store cake. She justs a "real wedding cake" and I get an order thats quick for me to produce.

This is such a great thread! Thanks Leahs and everyone else for the well thought out feedback!

I feel kind of dumb, but I don't know what a "server" cake is. I've heard of a slab cake, is that the same?

Is a basic slab cake two layers with buttercream in the middle and on top? I'd sure appreciate knowing what everyone would charge for this.