It's My Work, It's Your Wedding!!! Picture Drama.
Decorating By cakelady2266 Updated 6 Mar 2011 , 3:15am by tryingcake
I realized I must be a magnet for the unusual stuff that happens in this business. But this is a new one....
Yesterday I got call from a lady wanting to talk to me about her daughter's wedding cake. Good, I like wedding cakes!!! She starts out by telling me that her daughter's maid of honor was needing a cake and had googled cake pictures. The maid of honor came upon a picture of her (the callers) daughter's wedding cake on my website. She said she was confused on why her daughter's wedding cake would be on my website since they had not hired me to do the cake!!!!Why and how would I have the cake picture.
Well, after some discussion I told her how it came to be that her daughters wedding cake was on my website. I did the cake and I described it down to the very last detail. But they hired a lady named Angela to do the cake, she says. Yes I tell her and Angela hired me. I described the lady and told her where she lived and sure enough it was the same Angela. The wedding/reception was in 2008 on a military base with restricted access. So the woman was even more sceptical as to my being there since I would have to be on a list. Yes I was on the list I tell her, Angela put my name on the list. But we paid Angela she goes on, yes and Angela paid me. She wanted to know if this sort of thing happens much in the cake business. I told her that I had been subcontracted out several hundred times. She was astounded but the she also wanted me know how wonderful the cake was and how pleased they had been.
She never got around to what I think she wanted originally...the picture off taken off my website. I beat her to the punch and told her the cake was my work and would remain on my website.
I have a ton of cake pictures on my facebook page, website, and in my photo ablums of cakes that I was hired though wedding coordinators, florist, and other cake decorators to do. I don't feel obligatied to put up only pictures of cakes I was hired by brides/grooms to provide. I did all the cakes, it's my work and I only have pictures of my work no one else's.
So what is yall's take on this?
If it was my work, then I'd post it if I wanted to. You are not making any kind of false claims or anything like that.
The only person IMHO that has no rights to post them without permission is Angela. If you are the creator, then it is yours. You do not have to give credit for an original piece.
You're totally fine to post your work on your own site. I'm not surprised that the lady was confused though, I have never been subcontracted nor used one and I didn't realize this was a common practice. As a bride/MOB, I *surely* wouldn't assume this was common. I honestly think the lady was trying to protect Angela from someone stealing her photo - which of course ended up not being the case.
I did one wedding coordinators cakes for 15 years and never met the couples or even know who's wedding it was. I know I was being pimped out but it paid the bills. I'm sure than one more than one occasion someone else got credit and gladly took credit for my work. I'm glad those days are behind me.
It really was a tennis match of a conversation, trying to convince this lady I was the actual maker of the cake. I wondered if she tried to call Angela to verify any of this?
Well my take on this is that I can completely understand her concern. I wasn't aware that people did this and I'm a cake decorator myself, so why should she be aware.
Honestly, if I talk to someone about making a cake for me, then I would be under the assumption that THAT person, or their company, is making the cake. I'd be a bit surprised to find out that she subcontracted it out without my knowledge. Why is the subcontracting information not being shared with the customer? Just curious.
Why is the subcontracting information not being shared with the customer? Just curious.
When I did subcontracted cake decorating, the brides never asked, "Just how are the decorators paid?". It shouldn't matter to them if the decorator was an employee being paid by the hour or a subcontractor being paid by the job, as long as they received exactly what they ordered.
Either way, the company delivered what was promised, and the photos can be used by whoever owns the camera that took them (as long as there are no deliberate lies about whose work it actually is, of course).
To further add to the story I forgot to mention this important detail, Angela was once a cake decorator. She had some sort of problems with her hands, but she never told anyone she was subcontracting out the work.
Although I was never acknowledged as the decorator of the cake, I'm sure if there had been a problem my name would have come up real quick.
On the bright side, I think it is rather positive that a customer saw their cake on a site that was not owned by the decorator that she hired, or paid and called about it. With all the posts of cakes being put on other sites without permission this might be a good thing... and it makes a good story.
To further add to the story I forgot to mention this important detail, Angela was once a cake decorator. She had some sort of problems with her hands, but she never told anyone she was subcontracting out the work.
Although I was never acknowledged as the decorator of the cake, I'm sure if there had been a problem my name would have come up real quick.
This was my question after reading this. In my mind that is like a form of fraud...she is pretending to be someone she's not. I would think that you should advise the customer if your gonna sub contract the cake. which also makes me wonder if Angela was inflating the price so she could get a cut of it. Why so much deception? That's just wrong on so many levels....
I am glad that things worked out for you...I bet they will call you next time they have a big event instead of Angela
Wow, never heard of that! What bothers me about this practice is the whole issue of liability here. Like you said, if something went wrong you would of been blamed. You dont know what goes on after she takes the cake from you. Also, since the client wasnt aware of it. That seems like a legal issue in itself. You obviously knew she was subcontracting you but what about people that dont know their being subcontracted?? This whole idea just sounds crazy to me. I can understand the limited access thing and having to have someone that had the right creditentials bringing the cake in, but not taking credit for the work.
Well, at least the woman was nice enough to tell you how much they liked the cake!
I think its already been said, but what's the difference if angela makes it or if angela's employee makes it? And what's the diff if an employee or a sub-contractor makes it? 
On catering consultations, I would be asked (only about 3-4 times, over the years, though) "who is going to be working/serving at my wedding?" and they wanted to meet with that person(s). Ahhhh.....another famous "10 questions to ask your caterer" bride! I'd just tell them that I don't make personnel assignments until a few days before the event, so I have no idea who will be working their wedding, but whoever I use will be fully capable to handle the event. So technically, while they were talking to me, they didn't know who was cooking their chicken, icing their cake or washing their silverware.
To the very very few who were adament about wanting "me" there, I'd tell them that I worked the event where I was needed and if they specifically wanted ME, my rate was $200/hour on top of the standard catering quote, and I usually put in a 10 hour day .... MINIMUM.
they pretty much dropped their request when they got that news. 
On the upside when they met with Angela they went to her house and she has several house pets.....the cake however was made in my licensed kitchen.
But it does seem a little like fraud when you are just a middle man and you don't tell the customer you won't be the actual person doing the cake. The cake was all they were getting from Angela and I delivered it as well.
I do cakes for parties and weddings via a catering business quite a bit, and quite frankly, I love it! I don't have to meet the client, make samples, "sell' my services or deliver to woopwoop. I just make it to order and drop it off 10 minutes away. These caterers are absolutely fabulous, and it makes more sense for them to buy a specialty cake from me, rather than hire a cake decorator onto staff (possibly 'on call' at high rates) when they don't really have the room to do so, or the tools of the trade on site. I have an approved kitchen and decorating room, I have my own insurance. THE CATERER IS MY CUSTOMER. Not the bride and groom, or birthday boy/girl etc.
Re: photos. No issue there - I made the cake, the photos are on MY website and in MY portfolio. My catering clients do not use photos of my work on their website.
Well Evoir I did sub contacting for 15 years for a caterer and she never told anyone who did the cakes. Sure it was fine getting paid and all but when she retired and her phone stopped ringing so did mine. I had to start over like I was new to the business. Website, facebook page, selling cakes for a lot less than they were worth just to get my name out there.
And it sucks to hear people going on about the cake you made and giving someone else the credit.
That's such a shame, CakeLady2266! I hope it didn't take that much time building up your business again. I get plenty of other work directly also, so I do not depend upon this caterer as my life-blood. They are simply an easy easy way for me to make money without having to deal with the end client face-to-face for uncomplicated designs. If they stopped catering, then their clients would need to buy a cake direct from someone, and I am visible enough in the market that I would certainly get the opportunity to quote for and get the job anyway. I don't see it as a losing situation at all.
I'm with Indy on all counts. Obvioulsy Angela trusted the OP to represent her well. She didn't hire just anyone. So, would it have made a difference if the OP were getting paid by the hour?
I never get asked if I will be the one making the cake, that is assumed, I guess. But I do get asked about catering. Now, in my catering business, I am the lead chef/cook. That's just how I operate. Those are my recipes and my way of cooking things. So, my employees may vary, but I am always there.
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