I made a cupcake tower out of styrofoam and cake boards. I covered soup cans with ribbon for the inside of the tower. On my dining room table, I put a 6-inch cake on top (carousel) and it was fine. Sadly, we went to an outdoor birthday party and the table was uneven, it was a bit windy and the cake was too top heavy. I had to put the top of the cake on a cake stand. It just was not the same. My husband says I should not accept payment, but it's too late, I already billed the customer, a friend. I did not charge her a lot. Now he's making me feel awkward because he thinks my friend didn't like the cake. What should I do? It makes me want to quit!

I know you feel about it "not being the same" for you. You create a certain design and plan on how things are going to look and when something changes that it can be so upsetting. I don't think a refund is in order. A windy day and a table that was not level is not your fault. So you had to make an adjustment in the display of the cake in order to avoid a disaster...I don't think the guests mind as long as they can eat their cupcakes .The quality and taste of the cakes weren't affected, right? As for the bride, she may have been a tad disappointed but hopefully she got a few pictures of the cake on top before you had to remove it. She will get over it.
May I ask if you glued the soup cans onto the cakeboards? If so, what kind of glue did you use? I am planning a cupcake tower for next month and would like to avoid any problems. Thanks

Thanks Shebysuz! I used a hot glue gun, it held together really well.

Life is a learning process. Use some weight inside the soup cans next time. Like some clean stones if nothing else is handy.

But if everything was edible and tasty, then your friend should pay. It was HER idea to have an outdoor party, not yours. You didn't commit to providing a windless day. You should take a picture of each cake at home, and also immediately after you get it to the customer's house because there can be all kinds of accidents like kids bashing into tables...

Ask your husband how would he feel if he had money deducted from his salary for goofs that his co-workers make at work? that should take care of his comments.

I agree that it's not your fault. It seems like you did the right thing. It's not like you tried to put the display together and then let it topple over. The customer got the product (which cost you time and money to create). The fact that you discounted the price due to a small inconvenience shows that you care about your customers and that's great customer service. A lot of businesses would have just left the price the same, which is alright, but your friend will see that you really care about the final result and most importantly... the customer's experience.

I agree with BakingIrene. Lesson learned. But you won't let it happen again. Prepare for odd weather.

I would not feel guilty about the wind. You can't be responsible for rain either. I had a cupcake tower with ribbons flowing from the top a few weeks ago. They were supposed to fall from the top. The wind was so bad that they ended up flying above the tower. But the people were holding their dresses down. The tower actually looked cute with the flying ribbons, but not so great for your carousel. I would have held the carousel in place for some pictures and then I would have taken it down, just like you did.

I do watch weather reports for outdoor events, but if the weather turns bad, the cake is not the only issue. Eating, napkins, other food, decorations, and don't forget skirts, all have issues.

Thank you all so much for the kind words. Once again, CC has been a great place to get advice. As it turns out, my friend insisted on paying me and said everything looked great. Sometimes husbands (or maybe just mine) don't quite understand.

Glad it turned out. Susan