Upcharge Wedding Cake July 4Th(B/c Of Holiday)??
Decorating By jenscreativity Updated 29 May 2012 , 5:11am by lorieleann
Just a question! I was NOT able to be with family hardly at all this Memorial weekend due to 2 wedding cakes and groomscake. I have a request for a wedding cake on July 4th and because I'm missing out on socializing on a holiday weekend, does anybody charge higher for weddding cakes on holidays at all. Based on not ableing to celebrate with family? Let me know asap on this because I'm not sure I want to lose out on another holiday and if I do, would it be ok to go higher and tell the bride that you are higher on holidays due to being away from loved ones mainly? Thanks!
Does making more money make up for missing time with family?
I don't change my prices just because the cake is due on a Sunday, holiday, TV specials etc. (or because the cake prep, decorating etc. may fall on those days either). My orders are made well in advance to know it will be a holiday or vacation time and I have the option of not taking the order if I don't want it to interfere with my non-baker plan. The only time I have increased my price with a surcharge is if the order is really last minute in order to cover rush delivery expenses, etc.
This is the nature of business.
Of course if you are baking as a hobby and just charging a nominal fee than I'm sure you can explain that to the bride that she'll have to pay more to buy your holiday time too.
It would be in very poor taste!! Remember, just 1 dissatisfied customer will tell 7 people and so on.
I don't think you should charge more for holiday time cakes, first of all most of the work will be done a day or two in advance I would guess. Seems like price gouging to me. What's more important family or work? Charging someone a little more is not going to make a big difference in your life.
It would be a reasonable upcharge. Your photographer referenced above is not the only source to upcharge. Venues charge by season - day of the week(weekends are upcharged), catering is at times - even the dresses and accesories have prime and value sales. It will depend on how much you really want to do the cake. If you chose to do so and the extra money makes it reasonable for you to do so or an excuse for the bride to say she will go elsewhere. It is your time that you are giving up. Many places "pay" holiday time for their employees, overtime is required by law. You need to charge to according to your expenses.
I absolutely charge extra for a holiday.
However, I don't tell the client it's because I want to spend time with my family. I tell them it's because it's a holiday. Trust me, plenty of other vendors charge extra for the holiday and I'm willing to bet some of her vendors are charging more because it's a holiday.
From the tone of your post it sounds like you don't want to miss out on the time with your family. There's nothing wrong with that! So either decline the order or charge extra to make it worth your while 
As someone that personally got married on July 4th, and having friends that got married on other holidays, I can tell you it is quite the opposite. A lot of my wedding vendors were deeply discounted. July 4th fell on a Friday the year I got married. I saved 30% on the country club alone by getting married that day. I would never have been able to have the wedding I did if I got married 1 weekend sooner or 1 weekend later.
So, no, I would never up charge for a holiday. The great thing about selling cakes, is you can do as much or as little as you want to. If you want to spend the time with your family, then you simply tell the customer that you're very sorry, but you're not available that day. Choose whatever is more important to you, but don't penalize the customer for it.
Must say when I first read your post I immediately thought "how tacky to upcharge", however, after thinking about it and reading the comments regarding venues, caterers, photographers, etc., I think it's totally acceptable and maybe even expected for holiday/prime time events! I'm going to consider doing so myself...makes complete sense 
As someone that personally got married on July 4th, and having friends that got married on other holidays, I can tell you it is quite the opposite. A lot of my wedding vendors were deeply discounted. July 4th fell on a Friday the year I got married. I saved 30% on the country club alone by getting married that day. I would never have been able to have the wedding I did if I got married 1 weekend sooner or 1 weekend later.
So, no, I would never up charge for a holiday. The great thing about selling cakes, is you can do as much or as little as you want to. If you want to spend the time with your family, then you simply tell the customer that you're very sorry, but you're not available that day. Choose whatever is more important to you, but don't penalize the customer for it.
Sometimes venues can be cheaper on Holiday weekends. Sometimes people don't want to marry on those days because they find that their guests have other plans for that holiday,
I remember one time I needed an Auto Club to come help me with a problem when I broke down. I had a membership and called them. It was 4th of July and they guy told me it was $20 more cash for the holiday. I called the auto club back, he got reported and they sent someone else to do the service I had already paid for with my membership.
Certain businesses like hotels in the northeast are more expensive in the summer. In south Florida rates are highest in the winter months.
For those who do want to charge holiday rates, If you don't need the job and have so much that you can turn down work by charging more, go for it if you want.
and when does the "time with my family charge" stop? Oh it's my daughters birthday this weekend so I have to charge you more. If you want to spend time with your family, make time. A lot of people have no choice and have to work holidays and weekends. Some don't get Holiday pay either.
I think it's tacky to charge more around the holidays. Are you going to auction your work during busy times and only make a cake for the highest bidder?
every wedding is a "holiday" to the bride and groom. I'm kind of torn on adding an upcharge for a holiday, most of the work will be done before the actual day, but I guess the bottom line is, if you really don't want to miss family time you should turn the cake down.
every wedding is a "holiday" to the bride and groom. I'm kind of torn on adding an upcharge for a holiday, most of the work will be done before the actual day, but I guess the bottom line is, if you really don't want to miss family time you should turn the cake down.
Exactly, you are not going to cancel a family vacation or a relatives wedding and reception to make a cake for someone for a few dollars more.
Ok, thank you everyone for your thoughts. I"ll think about what route to go. Your replies are greatly appreciative and helpful in so many ways! Happy Baking!
I feel that you're either available or you're not. The bride doesn't care if you are missing out on family time. It's her special day with her family too. It's your choice to accept or not. No up-charge. BUT if she insists that you are the only decorator who can do the cake she wants and she volunteers to pay you extra for it then you still have a choice to make. Accept the order or not.
I do not charge extra based on the date the order falls on. I MAY, however, set a minimum order for premium weekends. At least then the orders are "worth it".
The Fourth of July this year is a Wednesday. If your family is celebrating that night then all you have to be pulled away for is the deliver as you can certainly have the cake completed the night before or that morning. If your family is celebrating on the weekend, well, problem already solved. That extra cake will buy a bunch of hamburger and chips
I feel that you're either available or you're not. The bride doesn't care if you are missing out on family time. It's her special day with her family too. It's your choice to accept or not. No up-charge. BUT if she insists that you are the only decorator who can do the cake she wants and she volunteers to pay you extra for it then you still have a choice to make. Accept the order or not.
Exactly, a bride will only have one first wedding and you will have 52 weekends with your family. You can charge more, but you may lose a customer because of it, that sale you lost could have possibly brought you many more orders for a wedding cake from other attendees to that wedding.
Keep in mind that stores generally lower their prices and have sales on holidays and some still pay their employees extra for that day.
As someone that personally got married on July 4th, and having friends that got married on other holidays, I can tell you it is quite the opposite. A lot of my wedding vendors were deeply discounted. July 4th fell on a Friday the year I got married. I saved 30% on the country club alone by getting married that day. I would never have been able to have the wedding I did if I got married 1 weekend sooner or 1 weekend later.
So, no, I would never up charge for a holiday. The great thing about selling cakes, is you can do as much or as little as you want to. If you want to spend the time with your family, then you simply tell the customer that you're very sorry, but you're not available that day. Choose whatever is more important to you, but don't penalize the customer for it.
Sometimes venues can be cheaper on Holiday weekends. Sometimes people don't want to marry on those days because they find that their guests have other plans for that holiday,
I remember one time I needed an Auto Club to come help me with a problem when I broke down. I had a membership and called them. It was 4th of July and they guy told me it was $20 more cash for the holiday. I called the auto club back, he got reported and they sent someone else to do the service I had already paid for with my membership.
Certain businesses like hotels in the northeast are more expensive in the summer. In south Florida rates are highest in the winter months.
For those who do want to charge holiday rates, If you don't need the job and have so much that you can turn down work by charging more, go for it if you want.
and when does the "time with my family charge" stop? Oh it's my daughters birthday this weekend so I have to charge you more. If you want to spend time with your family, make time. A lot of people have no choice and have to work holidays and weekends. Some don't get Holiday pay either.
I think it's tacky to charge more around the holidays. Are you going to auction your work during busy times and only make a cake for the highest bidder?
I would expect to pay more for services like custom cake during holidays. It's not at all 'tacky'.
Owners of custom cake businesses aren't confined to particular prices. They can charge whatever they like. If they want to charge someone a stack of extra money to make a cake the weekend of their daughter's birthday, they can. If the customer is willing to pay, great!
And whether or not other people have to work weekends or get holiday pay has no bearing whatsoever on how an independent business structures their pricing. If I'm charging for my time, and my time is worth more on the holidays, then I'll charge more.
As for penalizing the customer, why not? If they want my cake, and I'm willing to make it on a holiday for twice the regular price, and they're willing to pay for it, what's the problem? Often people give up time with their families for extra money. That's what we all do when we go to work, isn't it?
I think people have forgotten that back in the day, it was standard for most businesses to pay double time to employees who work specific holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, the 4th etc. As such, people were used to paying more for products and services on those holiday days knowing that if they were also working they would be getting paid double too.
I don't want to say that nobody pays employees double time on holidays anymore, but man I haven't seen that in a while.
I have yet to accept a cake on a holiday, but if I did I would charge more... but it would be because I work in a destination city that fills with tourists and gets near impossible to get around sometimes. So if I'm sitting in my car for 2 hours just to go 15 miles to get to a venue (and then another 2 hours to get back), the customer will pay for that time - especially since that's time away from the bakery I where I could be making and selling more cake.
I use the same logic for out of the city deliveries - although on a map the destination may only be 30 miles, but that can translate into hours of traffic and bridge crossings. My delivery fee goes way up for those.
I see nothing wrong with charging more. Many businesses charge more for holidays/busy seasons.
I think it would have to be a big enough order to make it worth it. And at the end of the day, if your family is doing something fun, I wouldn't want to miss out! Yes, there are other days/weekends with family, but that time is precious as well!
Exactly my point. You have numerous ways to cost out the expenses. The length of time to deliver and set up, tolls, mileage, increased labor are all worth charging more for. Holidays can increase these expenses. It is not just that "I want family time" it is legit expenses. The same is for the expense of a cake. After all, using the same logic as why not to charge more because of it being a holiday falls into not charging more for a fondant cake over a buttercream cake. A cake is a cake? No, the labor and expense are higher with fondant and therefore has the upcharge. It is all about business and maintaining a profit margin that is acceptable. Whether you do not do the cake because of the day, the ingredients, or distance is up to you but you have to charge according to the cost you put into the cake.
I think people have forgotten that back in the day, it was standard for most businesses to pay double time to employees who work specific holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, the 4th etc. As such, people were used to paying more for products and services on those holiday days knowing that if they were also working they would be getting paid double too.
I don't want to say that nobody pays employees double time on holidays anymore, but man I haven't seen that in a while.
I have yet to accept a cake on a holiday, but if I did I would charge more... but it would be because I work in a destination city that fills with tourists and gets near impossible to get around sometimes. So if I'm sitting in my car for 2 hours just to go 15 miles to get to a venue (and then another 2 hours to get back), the customer will pay for that time - especially since that's time away from the bakery I where I could be making and selling more cake.
I use the same logic for out of the city deliveries - although on a map the destination may only be 30 miles, but that can translate into hours of traffic and bridge crossings. My delivery fee goes way up for those.
Come to Australia! I believe it's still standard to pay double time and a half to work on Christmas Day and Good Friday.
As I am just driving (well, the husband is driving right now) home from a holiday weekend at the beach, I can say that no up-charge would have replaced spending a holiday with my family. I turned down a few orders for this weekend once I decided that I was taking it "off" and I didn't regret it. I feel that with your own business you get to decide when your vacation days are, and you should not have regrets for being not available during those times.
I do see that if you incur more costs operating during a holiday weekend (traffic, materials, etc) then charging more for work on a holiday makes sense. Likewise, if I worked in a destination area or catered to tourists or had a definite high and low season, I may set my prices at my highest thereshold and perhaps offer low season pricing? I don't know the answer, except that you have to preserve your time off and charge enough to feel okay about closing shop when you need a break.
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