Turned My Back On The Florist...

Business By lorieleann Updated 7 May 2012 , 1:32pm by Denise

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lorieleann Posted 29 Apr 2012 , 10:24pm
post #1 of 24

just to take my boxes and set up kit back to my car while I waited for him to give me the flowers to do the top tier. I had even called him and had the conversation:

"Hi, this is cake designer X. Are you creating a composed cake topper for Bride Y's wedding tomorrow?"

"I have red roses. Is it fondant? I'll just stick them in." Smarmy Florist man says.

"Uh...I don't want a bunch of roses impaled into the top tier so" I say, then interrupted with

"Oh oh, yeah, I'll just lay them on top to arrange them. We can work it out tomorrow. Time? yadda yadda yadda."

I just go to the car for 4 minutes! and BAM! when i get back he is gone and there are 8 roses stuck right into the top tier. Bare stems and all. I was so pissed! I didn't even get a chance to photo it with out the impalement. I ended up taking leaves from his other centerpieces to fill in the bare stems. It didn't look bad with the flowers on it after i twirled the roses open a bit and filled in the gaps.

(photo of the cake in my gallery. the only one with red roses on top)

I really didn't think I had to guard my cake from the florist. Seriously? Is that how he works?

23 replies
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JamAndButtercream Posted 29 Apr 2012 , 10:30pm
post #2 of 24

icon_eek.gif
He had no right to mess with your cake!!
Especially sticking flowers into the top of the cake!
How would he feel if you just messed about with a expensive bouquet or something?

Some people. . . . icon_mad.gif

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brenda549 Posted 29 Apr 2012 , 11:14pm
post #3 of 24

Yuck! I would not want to be the guest having to eat a slice of the top tier! Or better yet, I would not want to be the bride saving that top tier for my first anniversary.

This is why I do not deal with fresh flowers.

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BlakesCakes Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 2:38am
post #4 of 24

I swear to God I would write the bride a note:

Dear X,
I'm so sorry that the florist stuffed those roses into the top tier of your cake!

I had a long discussion with him shortly before the wedding about why he was NOT to do that.

I explained that it would ruin the cake, rendering it unservable and inedible, especially because the flowers weren't certified pesticide free (the pesticides concentrate in the stems and who knows what was in the water they were kept in).

I reiterated my concerns at the venue and thought he understood the appropriate options for handling the creation of a topper that would leave the cake intact and free of contaminants , but when I went to my car for just a few minutes, I returned to find that he had taken it upon himself to stab the thick stemmed roses into the cake, ruining the top tier.

I contained my anger at the time, but I just wanted you to know exactly what happened. I advised the venue NOT to serve the contaminated top tier and if, by chance, you saved it, PLEASE DISPOSE OF IT ASAP.

Cordially,
Me

No, I'm not kidding.

Gorgeous cake, by the way. Even more gorgeous without the roses, actually, because the piping is the real star.
Rae

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mommachris Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 4:55am
post #5 of 24

I'd send the above note with one addition. The florist needs to buy the bride a new top tier. He ruined it against your direct orders not to touch it.

He's liable in my book.

Mommachris

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tbkimber Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:04am
post #6 of 24

I wish you could charge him with vandalism because that is exactly what he did. How dare you, little lady, tell him what to do. He is a big, strong florist man so he can do whatever he wants (sarcastic tone).

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Tails Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 9:00am
post #7 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommachris

I'd send the above note with one addition. The florist needs to buy the bride a new top tier. He ruined it against your direct orders not to touch it.

He's liable in my book.

Mommachris




This!!!!!!! icon_mad.gificon_mad.gificon_mad.gif

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ConnieJ Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:26pm
post #8 of 24

I am making a wedding cake where the bride wants to add real roses on the top tier along with the topper. What are some things I should communicate with the florist and/or bride to avoid this from happening to me?! And does anyone have any tips on how to best add fresh flowers to the top of a cake? Thanks for any feedback. icon_smile.gif

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costumeczar Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:35pm
post #9 of 24

Yeah, don't use real flowers. They're covered with dirt, pesticides and fertilizers and unless you'd want to eat them yourself they shouldn't be on your food.

If the bride insists and doesn't care about contracting fungal diseases courtesy of South American fertilizers, then you should put the flowers on the cake yourself by using a big glob of buttercream to glue them on. Never insert stems into the cake, and the florist should never be the one to put flowers on a cake becasue they do stick the stems right into it. If they don't have a food handling license they need to stay away from the food.

If they get snotty tell them that while they decorate your cake you'll go rearrange their centerpieces.

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BlakesCakes Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:52pm
post #10 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by costumeczar


If they get snotty tell them that while they decorate your cake you'll go rearrange their centerpieces.




I LOVE it icon_lol.gif

Fresh flowers on food is tricky business. First off, the flowers themselves must be considered "edible". Lists can be found on the internet of those, as well as lists of poisonous flowers

Secondly, the edible flowers that might come in direct contact with the food must be certified organic and pesticide-free. Hard to find and very pricey.

There needs to be a good barrier between the flowers/foliage and the food--saran wrap, wax paper, parchment paper, a cake board, a plastic flower pic, a straw, a dowel, etc.

No, these guidelines aren't followed every day---but they should be.

Rae

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cakelady2266 Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:55pm
post #11 of 24

I had the same blow up recently with a controlling florist. I typed up a page long waiver of responsibility that they were to chicken to sign.

I don't know what the deal is with florist but if they want somewhere else to stick flowers then they should get themselves some more vases otherwise they can stick their flowers up their a**.

Everything in the church and the reception venues already looks like a flower garden threw up on it. So why can't they leave our cakes alone. Let us put the flowers on the cake. Florist have tables, pews, doors, corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets etc... to showcase their talents. The cake is the only thing at that wedding/reception that is representative of our skills. If that cake gets screwed up by some florist, everybody will think the cake person screwed it up.

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aggiechef Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 6:55pm
post #12 of 24

I would be beyond livid with that florist!! I've done some real flowers on my cakes before, but I always use some little flower holder things that Wilton makes & the flower only goes in as far as that holder does.
I agree with other posters that you should warn the bride about what happened, and that the florist owes the bride a new anniversary tier because they ruined the original one. Like others have said, this would make me only want to deal with sugar flowers from now on.

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LKing12 Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 7:08pm
post #13 of 24

If fresh flowers are used as a topper, I tell the bride that the florist needs to make an arrangement and place it on a clear saucer, and I will place it on the cake. I had one florist who offered to finish my cake with her flowers. I told her that I would do the flowers, thanks. She put them on the table and left. 'Bye!

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aggiechef Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 7:13pm
post #14 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakelady2266

I don't know what the deal is with florist but if they want somewhere else to stick flowers then they should get themselves some more vases otherwise they can stick their flowers up their a**.



This is absolutely FANTASTIC!!! icon_lol.gifthumbs_up.gif

After looking at the cake in question, I'm even more upset for you. That cake definitely didn't need the added flowers as the piping work on the sides is amazing!

Please keep us updated on how this plays out.

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QTCakes1 Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 7:16pm
post #15 of 24

I did think that cake was beautiful without the flowers.

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lorieleann Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 11:20pm
post #16 of 24

Thank you all for sharing the pain. I just read her yelp reviews for me and the florist and i got 5 stars and the florist got 1. So she had many other problems with him such as color of flowers, size of flowers and from what she said, he used far fewer flowers than she ordered. (it didn't look sparse at all, i think he over promised and she thought she got a deal).

I used the same florist for my first wedding in 93 and they screwed up my order and my bouquet was horrible. I just haven't heard anything good about them. (I didn't know this was her florist until late in the game)

She did eat the top tier already, AND she said that it was her favorite flavor (she ordered four flavors in a 12/10/8/6 for a reception with 30 guests. really). She texted me the next day and told me it was phenomenal, and she gave me an excellent Yelp review (and in this review she said that her hotel was horrible and the florist was horrible, but the cake saved the day!).

I almost don't want to tell her the background of the florist disregarding my instructions and sticking the roses in it. She most likely doesn't have any idea that that wasn't the correct way to put flowers on a cake (we all know that it happens like this waaaaay more than it should!) I mean, if she found fault with so many aspects of her wedding and I know that there won't be any recourse/refund with the florist (at least without a fight. a fight that i don't want to be involved with), do i want to pile on more disappointment? In her mind, the cake was perfect so i really don't want to tell her how it wasn't, even if it wasn't of my doing.

And if I do make it an issue and she brings it back to Florist X, then that opens the door to industry badmouthing of me. And this guy is quite a bit of the bitch and well known in town as his father started the flower business that he is continuing. Not someone who I wish to tangle with just for the moral win. (though i sure do love a fight when i know i'm right!)

I do know that if I cannot make and win my case for sugar flowers, i will require that floral cake toppers be arranged and in a plastic dish to place on top of the cake.

thumbs_up.gif and thank you so much for the kind words on the cake. I do really love how it turns out (but when you look at those bags of red, green, yellow, and white royal bags next to each other, it sure is crazy that something pretty came from such a garish color palette)

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carmijok Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 11:45pm
post #17 of 24

Honestly I think the red roses detract from your lovely cake. It would have been better to not have a topper and just continue your design across the top. IMHO! thumbs_up.gif

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Goreti Posted 30 Apr 2012 , 11:46pm
post #18 of 24

As many have already mentioned, you cake was so beautiful that it did not need the flowers. I really don't know why people put fresh flowers on cakes. Although I love fresh flowers, the thought of it on a cake kind of grosses me out. I would much rather have a cake with gumpaste flowers.

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mcsprinkles Posted 1 May 2012 , 1:29am
post #19 of 24

I'd never heard of a florist sticking flowers in a cake until I read it on CC. When I have ordered flower arrangements from a florist (for the top of a cake) they have stuck them in a hemisphere of oasis that is covered with plastic (purpose built) which I have then placed on a circle of baking paper on top of the cake and secured with RI. However I have heard no mention of these by anyone on CC. Perhaps US cakers should insist on these from the florist if they are doing a posey arrangement for the top of the cake.

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lorieleann Posted 1 May 2012 , 6:05am
post #20 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmijok

Honestly I think the red roses detract from your lovely cake. It would have been better to not have a topper and just continue your design across the top. IMHO! thumbs_up.gif




Oh...I know! I didn't learn of the roses she ordered until 2 weeks out. It definitely wasn't part of our design (actually, she was looking for a handmade bride and groom from Etsy or the like. I suppose when she didn't find one (she gave birth during the time i met with her and the wedding) she gave up and thought she needed some topper, so flowers would do.)

This was one of the higher maintenance brides that i've had (i posted about it earlier with her husband trying to get this order done 'off the books' to save the tax), and when she mentioned it I just let it go. I really just wanted to get through this without having the credit charges reversed for some complaint! To make my own life easier, i was a bit of a 'yes man' as this went down. But it was a lesson learned. I have another cake coming up that is budget conscious that will require fresh 'tropical' flowers. I'd love to get gum paste done, but i know that that isn't in their budget. It's for sure not my favorite, but at this point i'm not ready to rule out all fresh flowers on cakes. I just have to be in control of them!

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AMACakes Posted 1 May 2012 , 1:42pm
post #21 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by lorieleann

(though i sure do love a fight when i know i'm right!)




I love this quote as much as I love your cake!!! I'm the same way.

Your cake is beautiful and the piping is exquisite. Unlike some of the others, I do like the roses at the top of the cake, but I think that it would have looked nicer if they weren't so big.

I should have also mentioned that what the florist did was extremely rude and unprofessional. Like someone else said, he vandalized your cake. Karma is a funny thing though, he'll get his.

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ChristineCMC Posted 1 May 2012 , 2:02pm
post #22 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by costumeczar

Yeah, don't use real flowers. They're covered with dirt, pesticides and fertilizers and unless you'd want to eat them yourself they shouldn't be on your food.

.




This goes with the saying that just because it's been done before, it doesn't mean it was being done right.

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Denise Posted 7 May 2012 , 1:16pm
post #23 of 24

I do not allow fresh or silk flowers on my cakes...it is either a "cake topper" ornament of some sort or something made out of sugar - flowers or hand modeled. I have lost a few orders over this but if that is what they want I can't and won't provide it for them.

I used to be a florist many years ago and loved it. Because I was a florist, I know exactly how the flowers are handled and they are basically nasty and unsanitary. It is fine for arrangements - not fine for my cakes. After a florist cut roses and stuck them into one of my cakes WITHOUT anything on them is when I said "never again". If they cake is messed up by someone else I look bad. Not happening.

Flowers can also retain little bugs. Yuk.

I would certainly let the bride know and keep an eye out for fricktard florist!

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Denise Posted 7 May 2012 , 1:32pm
post #24 of 24

I do not allow fresh or silk flowers on my cakes...it is either a "cake topper" ornament of some sort or something made out of sugar - flowers or hand modeled. I have lost a few orders over this but if that is what they want I can't and won't provide it for them.

I used to be a florist many years ago and loved it. Because I was a florist, I know exactly how the flowers are handled and they are basically nasty and unsanitary. It is fine for arrangements - not fine for my cakes. After a florist cut roses and stuck them into one of my cakes WITHOUT anything on them is when I said "never again". If they cake is messed up by someone else I look bad. Not happening.

Flowers can also retain little bugs. Yuk.

I would certainly let the bride know and keep an eye out for fricktard florist!

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