Ribbon On A Wedding Cake....

Decorating By tcturtleshell Updated 4 Mar 2005 , 12:30am by tcturtleshell

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tcturtleshell Posted 19 Feb 2005 , 8:20pm
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Hey Everyone!!

Wanted to share something w/ ya'll. Please let me know what ya'll think ok. Here goes..

I'm doing my first wedding cake in April. I met w/ the bride in Jan. I know what she wants etc. Everything is fine & dandy! She wants ribbon around the layers of the cake. No problem. She lives over 100 miles away so I told her to mail me a peice of the ribbon she wanted to use. I got it in the mail today. It is a silvery mesh ribbon w/ glitter & glue all over it. The glue makes it bendable on the edges. There's no way this glitter won't get on the cake. I can't feed people glitter!

Questions: Is there anything that I could spray or put on the ribbon to keep the glitter off the cake? The bride must like it or she wouldn't have picked it out. I want to please her but it's going to be hard.

Ya'll help me out!!!!! THANKS!!!!! ~Tina~

30 replies
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Ivana Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 3:51am
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I hope my advice can be of use. You may need to ask her if this ribbon contains edible glitter. If it does than your problem is solved. However, if it is not the case, let her know that this ribbon is not appropriate for cakes, just because guests will end up eating glitter that is not edible. You can maybe send her pictures of cakes with samples of possible ribbon styles that she may chose from. The bride can use alot of guidance when it comes to cakes because you are the cake expert. My advice is that you let her know. Hopefully this e-mail can be of used to you, I wish you the best and good luck.

Ivana icon_biggrin.gif

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tcturtleshell Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 3:57am
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Thank you Ivana~
The glitter is definetly not edible. I am planning on talking to her tomorrow. There's no way it is safe for eating so she should understand. I'm sure she isn't even thinking about the glitter being unsafe... she is the bride right, she's busy planning a wedding? She has so much more things on her mind. I'm feeling like a meanie to tell her it shouldn't be done w/ glitter on it but this will reflect on me. Right. A decorator that feeds her people glitter... oh, no! Thanks for your reply !~Tina~

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Ivana Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 4:24am
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Your welcome Tina,

Don't feel like a meanie, she's your client and you are a cake professional, believe me she will appreciate your advice and any suggestions you may make. My daughter is preparing for her wedding and she has so many things to think about, she sometimes forgets the obvious. That's how brides are, hahaha. Well best of luck, Tina, it's all gonna turn out great.

Ivana icon_biggrin.gif

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Godiva Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 5:28am
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You can offer her "an edible silver" "silverish" ribbon around her cake. This always sparks interest...
You can use luster dust diluted in vodka or a high % rum, or you may use silver dust and make it look more metallic. It's safer and nicer looking...

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tcturtleshell Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 6:19pm
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Godiva,
What is silver dust/luster dust? My friend & I have seen different posts about silver dust & didn't know what is was. I haven't seen it in the stores unless maybe I've overlooked it. Thanks for the advice. ~Tina~

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MrsMissey Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 7:12pm
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Luster dust/ pearl dust can be purchased in powder form and comes in many colors. It can be dry brushed on or can be mixed with either water, extracts or alcohol can be painted on or used with an airbrush! The end result is a high sheen finish..like gold, silver etc. icon_wink.gif

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Godiva Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 8:18pm
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It's like the other color powders in texture and handling, but dont' know exactly what they're made of. They are non toxic though. The color dusts, if you dont' have a source, you can go to a craft store, and buy a box of pastel NON TOXIC chalk and shave it, and there you have you color powders. All these mix perfect with either a lemon extract (high alcohol%, which allows for quick drying), or vodka. You can mix these colors interchangeably, or even add cornstarch to lighten the color, as they all darken when liquid is added.
Hope I've been of assistance...
You can enter "luster dust" in your search engine, and all suppliers will come up.
Hope it works out...

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tcturtleshell Posted 20 Feb 2005 , 8:28pm
post #9 of 31

Well thank you! You have been a huge help Godiva~ & Mrs. Missey~

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tcturtleshell Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 5:45am
post #10 of 31

Ladies,
I just wanted to let you know that I talked to the bride about the glitter... The mom of the bride said the bride bought a lot of the ribbon & likes it so much... She is also having bows made out of it to decorate the church with... She thinks putting waxpaper behind it will keep it off the cake... I don't think it's going to work... because the waxpaper will show... the mom said they will let everyone know to watch out for the glitter... My hubby say he hopes nobody gets sick from the glitter... I think you'd have to eat a whole bottle for it to hurt you.

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GHOST_USER_NAME Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 12:55pm
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I can't believe these people are so thick-headed or clueless (or both!) as not to know that something like that ribbon should NEVER be on a cake. Who knows what it's made of. The ribbon is obviously meant for decorative purposes and NOT meant to be ingested in any way. Therefore, the glue or the glitter could have some potentially harmful material in it.

What is wrong with people? They actually think telling their guests that the glitter that may have fallen onto their piece of cake is not edible? If someone told me that, I'd push the piece of cake away from me and head for the dessert table (if there was one)!

Cookieman

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briansbaker Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 1:45pm
post #12 of 31

Maybe you should get this in writing. That you are NOT responsible for the ribbon on the cake. You never know other peoples allergies. Better to be safe than sorry!! Just a thought!!

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Bettye Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 3:32pm
post #13 of 31

I agree with briansbaker, cover yourself - get this in writing and present it to them to sign this agreement. When they see how serious you are about this they might back down and choose something else.

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Godiva Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 3:39pm
post #14 of 31

I totally agree...The fact that you're getting paid for this, and not just a friend making a cake for friends makes you liable for anything that happens to the guests....I definitely agree you must put that in writing...
What is relly wrong with these people...who is the cake expert...is it you or them?? If you advice against something, they should take your word for it...Unbelievable!

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VickiC Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 6:23pm
post #15 of 31

Would spray adhesive on the righ-side-out of the ribbon work to stop the glitter flakes from falling on the cake?

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GHOST_USER_NAME Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 7:12pm
post #16 of 31

I would think the spray adhesive itself would be somewhat toxic.

The best way to handle this situation is to create the cake sans ribbon for the bride; get her to sign a waiver that states whatever decorations she adds are her own and you are not responsible for them or what they may do to the cake or any guest; go home, relax, and count your hard-earned money.

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MrsMissey Posted 24 Feb 2005 , 8:14pm
post #17 of 31

Brides are a unique breed indeed!! Gheez!! Is there anyway to convince her that you can nearly replicate the ribbon by using fondant and the luster dust we spoke of earlier? Is she aware that is a much safer option?

Whatever the outcome, I agree you need to get it in writing and I wouldn't dare be the one to put the ribbon on the cake! icon_wink.gif

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tcturtleshell Posted 25 Feb 2005 , 3:51am
post #18 of 31

Thanks for everyones advice. I know I should protect myself. I will type out a letter about this saying if anything happens because of the glitter that I am not to blame & get them to sign it.

What is spray adhesive VickieC? That sounds like a good idea.

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tcturtleshell Posted 25 Feb 2005 , 3:58am
post #19 of 31

The bride really wants it... I don't know what to do..

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MrsMissey Posted 25 Feb 2005 , 4:30am
post #20 of 31

Good luck to you! BTW.....spray adhesive....I wouldn't go for that either! It is as the name says...you usually would use it in craft work...you spray it on and it remains tacky! I've sprayed it on a wood frame and then covered it with fabric...it keeps the fabric in place, for instance.

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tcturtleshell Posted 26 Feb 2005 , 12:17am
post #21 of 31

hmmmmmm thanks MrsMissey! I will stay away from it then~

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smiling1809 Posted 26 Feb 2005 , 4:30am
post #22 of 31

I am glad that you are having her sign something, that glitter could have lead, mercury, or other VERY toxic metals in it!!!

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Mchelle Posted 1 Mar 2005 , 3:10pm
post #23 of 31

I have heard that if you iron the ribbon between two pieces of wax paper the wax "coats" the ribon. This stops the grease from being absorbed into the cake, this should also help the glitter to stay on the ribbon. thumbs_up.gif

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tcturtleshell Posted 2 Mar 2005 , 4:45am
post #24 of 31

Mchelle, how would I do that? Your saying put the ribbon in between wax paper & iron it, the wax from the iron sticks to the ribbon & that will help? Hmmm... I'll try it!! It couldn't hurt! If I understood you wrong please explain more. Thanks for th idea!

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GHOST_USER_NAME Posted 2 Mar 2005 , 1:08pm
post #25 of 31

Hi all,
I just have to weigh in one more time on this topic and then I will shut up.

There should be NO question about this ribbon being on the cake from the baker's point of view. IT SHOULD NOT BE ON THE CAKE. PERIOD. Would you put glitter and glue that is used for craft projects directly on a cake? I don't think so. But that is essentially what you would be doing were you to decorate your cake with this ribbon.

tcturtleshell--Stick with letting the bride do what she wants with the cake once she gets it and have her sign a waiver releasing you from anything that may happen from further decoration once the cake is handed over and paid for. No matter how nice people are in your area of the country, anyone can turn on you and sue you if something goes wrong.

Thanks for listening.

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BJ Posted 2 Mar 2005 , 6:21pm
post #26 of 31

Would the bride agree to using the ribbon to decorate the presentation table where the wedding cake will be? Maybe you could use a ribbon that comes close to her ribbon on the cake (without all that glitter) but incorporate her ribbon into the presentation. Just a thought

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Mchelle Posted 2 Mar 2005 , 6:26pm
post #27 of 31

tcturtleshell, just put the ribbon between two pieces of wax paper, like a sandwich and iron it . Then it should be okay to put on the cake. I have done this to stop the absorbtion of the grease, so let me know if this solves you prob.

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tcturtleshell Posted 2 Mar 2005 , 8:18pm
post #28 of 31

Thanks my friends! thumbs_up.gif Cookieman you can reply to this as many times as you want! icon_smile.gif You have more experience w/ this part of decorating then I do! I appreciate your comments along w/ everyone elses! I'm going to go hunting for ribbon that would match this ribbon before I do anything else. I will send it to the bride & see what she thinks. I will try the iron method but I don't it will keep the glitter off the cake because glitter always falls off of anything it's on. Especially here because of the humidity. The best thing is to do the letter or find another ribbon. Thanks Ya'll!!

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awela Posted 3 Mar 2005 , 12:43am
post #29 of 31

I just read all the posts about this issue and just like our other friends at this forum I will advise you to be very careful. It's a crazzy and dangerous idea. It will endanger the guests' health and could result in a lawsuit against you, would not be worth doing it. I would follow Godiva advise or be honest with the bride to be and explain her that as a professional you will try to match with silver edible glitter. Good luck!

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ameena Posted 3 Mar 2005 , 1:03am
post #30 of 31

I agree this is a bad thing to do. As someone suggested, see if the ribbon can be used to decorate the table.

Another thing that you could try that won't make you a meanie is to check with your local health department about using a sparkly ribbonn that contains glue on food. If they say it's a bad thing then guess what, you are off the hook! All you do is tell the brid that it's agains your state/province's regulations and that should be an end to it.

Also, as mentioned, get it in writing that you are not responsible for any decorations that are placed on the cake AFTER you hand it off to her. I would ensure the bill clearly states what you have used to make the cake, layers, pillers, etc. I would even take a pic of the cake. This way you have covered your butt in case these people decide to put the ribbon on and someone gets sick. Based on the unreasonableness of the client I almost smell lawsuit.

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