the mother of the bride wants an identical copy of a cake. i've told her that the orig is smaller than she wants and there may be some variations. she wants it exactly like the pic. besides the fact that u may need to cover flaws here & there, and the proportions are off...i need the flexiblity. what do u tell this woman ?!!? hope it doesnt work out to be a prob. i also dont like to copy 100% cause then i feel dishonest taking the credit, even though i always post thanks to the orig designer if i have it. here is the pic:
http://www.jacquespastries.com/alloccasioncakes/bridalshower/bridalshower.html

Which cake is it? I got a page full of cakes.
Aside from that, it's just unrealistic to expect anyone can duplicate a cake exactly. You'd be hard pressed to duplicate your own design exactly and for many of the reasons you already stated though I seriously doubt this woman could comprehend there could be flaws in the cake she is looking at and loves so much. But that is what makes a professional a professional, the ability to hide flaws.
Maybe what she needs to do is order this cake and pay for it ahead of time as a practice so she can see if it meets her expectations. Then if it does, she can buy a 2nd from you for the event.
If you take her on as a client, I'd absolutely be sure that you are paid in full 2 weeks in advance. I somehow don't see her paying for even a perfect cake on the day of the event, she'll find "reasonable" fault. And make sure you put it in the contract that it "can't" be an exact duplication, even if you want to cite copyright or plagarism...... something

I could not see which cake you were referring to. I am not a pro baker; however, I do deal with custom wood furniture in my day job. We always explain that we will get it AS CLOSE AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE but there will be variations b/c we are dealing with handcrafted items by local artisans. I believe that some CC's here have clauses in their contracts that state this more eloquently. I would definitely explain that it will not be identical & get her sign a clause to that effect. HTH

First, using another cake as a guide to create a cake from is not a bad thing. I don't knwo who first did the ribbon-n-scrolls cake, but it's been duplicated about a 1000 times a week ever since. I've yet to hear of one cake maker yet who said "how DARE you compliment me by duplicating my cake!"

Second, if you have a feel that she's going to b*tch about any little thing, then be prepared to just walk away. No sense going thru all of the expense and the work just to have to battle with someone over a complete refund because a leaf was out of place. If she wants the cake to look EXACTLY like the photo, then suggest she contact the original cake maker.

I always tell people that cake decorating is like hand writing, it will say the same thing, but will look slightly different cause everyones handwriting is different. They usually get it then.

Ha, I've been writing a series fo posts about this kind of thing on my blog, and I just finished the copying designs topic.

I will copy someone else's design, but if I post the picture on my website, I give credit to the original designer. I don't get a whole lot of people who come in asking for an exact copy, though. If you're not comfortable copying someone else's work then just tell her you won't do that, but you'll be glad to work out a new design that's original for her. Just stick to your guns. If something makes you feel wrong about doing it, then don't do it.

And if you're telling her that the proportions won't be right, and that the cake won't look exactly the same and she doesn't want to hear it, have her sign something that says she understands that it isn't going to be an exact replica due to changes in the shape of the cake. That way if she tries to complain you'll have that in writing.

from this generic contract:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-630887-contract.html

11  Replication of Supplied Cake Design and Design Elements  

11.1  <<insert name of bakerys>> cakes are individually designed. Exact replication of a supplied pattern, design, style, decoration or of another cake artists work is not possible and cannot and will not be guaranteed and may be illegal due to copyright restrictions upon the original pattern, design, style, decoration or another cake artists work.

11.2  <<insert name of bakery>> will provide a product representing <<insert name of bakerys>> interpretation of the desired pattern, design, style, decoration or another cake artists work.

awesome answers. thanks ccers. its the 'sofisticated bride cake' on the link, it looks to be as small as 8".

Kinda off topic but, that guy (www.jacquespastries.com) is freaking AMAZING!!!!

Just tell her that no two cakes are identical and that you will get it as close as you can to the picture provided and if that is not good enough for her tell her to take a hike!!

That 'sophisticated bride' cake is mainly the figure. You could do the draping, etc. but can you replicate her?
It is extremely difficult to replicate someone else's complex figures. Even when I make my own, they are never identical.

You may want to try asking her what in particular she likes about the cake. Does she like that it's fun? Does she like the figure? Does she think the ottoman is way cool? If you get down into the specifics of the cake, you may find where there's wiggle room- how you both can get what you want/need. She may be concerned that she would get something completely different that she'd hate if she doesn't stress "exactly." Make her a quick drawing and use lots of descriptive words about the cake you envision and see if she comes around. If not, tell her you're afraid you wouldn't be able to do justice to the original designer's work and she should seriously consider contacting the original designer so her cake is perfectly the way she desires, and then walk far away from it.

Jacques is not too far from me. They do great work.

I'd tell her that you will make the cake as close as possible to the original. I am willing to bet that she will not notice that the bride isn't exactly te same proportionally to the cake so long as the details are well done. I'm sure she just wants her cake to have all the same little details. If you are confident that you can make those little details look like the picture... I think you will be golden.

Cheatize has some good suggestions... get her talking about what about this cake speaks to her. Then you can let her know that it will all be okay. I'd say if she is *that* worried she should inquire about getting the cake from Jacques, but I imagine the cost of flying up to NH to get the cake wouldn't be something she'd want to deal with.

I would be cheeky enough (or stupid) to say dive in and improve on the original. Give the 'gal' some elbows, daintier hands, thinner veil!! Granted the 'thinking' and planning has been done by Jacques and its always easier to think in retrospect especially if you have an example before you, but go for it!

one of the 1st things i did was ask which elements she likes and wants for sure and even listed a few so she would understand clearly. she said she likes it just the way it is. oh well, i won't sweat it. i just confirmd the order and said i'd make it 'similar'. THANKS a bunch. Yes, all their work on that site looks good.

I'm combining styles from two different cakes, both from Pink Cake Box for a wedding next weekend. Bride brought pics she got from their website.

I'm doing the bows differently, the jewelled brooches in a different color, they'll have disco dust, dragees and a Swarovski crystal in their centers, instead of the single pearl. Also, I'm doing it in BC instead of fondant. When I post a pic on my site and blog about the design, I'll be crediting the inspiration to Pink Cake Box, even though my cake won't look exactly like either one of them. But I feel it's important, for me.

here is a post of the final
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1553274

i was happy with the result. customer was awed. it's an awesome original design.

Terrific job. The cake looks great. And since I know a picture never does a cake justice, I'm imagining the MOB must have really been thrilled with it, especially after how difficult she was beforehand.

thanks for all ur feedback. turnd out i was worried for nothing. the day before due, i called to verify something and MOB said...whatever u do will be fine, i'll leave it up to u ... whew. i still stuck to mostly orig but added rope around ottoman and did a 3-d champagne glass with hearts embossed.

This is beautiful. Good for you. I think Jacques might have some compition.