Hi all,
A potential client wants me to make her wedding cake in December. The problem is, the wedding reception will be held 182 miles away (about 3.5 hours by car, if I don't hit bad traffic). She has in mind a 3-tier (10", 8", 6") cake, white fondant, satin ribbon border at the base, and decorated with 2 large flowers accompanied by smaller flowers. Relatively simple.
I told her it's possible for me to deliver however I would have to charge to cover petrol (gas), toll and of course, my time. i.e., the delivery service won't come cheap. She understands that, but before I give her a quote I wanted to ask if any of you have experience delivering a cake that far. I was thinking of boxing all the tiers and decorative items separately, then stack and decorate on-site. Is this feasible, or should I scrap the idea?
If you're wondering (I did) why she doesn't just order her cake from a baker/bakery where the reception will be held, I think it's because she lives in KL (where I am) and doesn't have any contacts/referrals there. She's a friend of a friend, for whom I made wedding cupcakes last year.
Appreciate any thoughts or advice.
Thanks.
Ally
Hi allycrumbs, personally I would definitely box the tiers and decorations separately and then assemble on site, that is a long way to travel with an assembled cake. You could possible assemble the bottom two tiers before travelling, but I wouldn't assembler any more than that. HTH. Good Luck - don't forget to post the pics.
Hi allycrumbs, personally I would definitely box the tiers and decorations separately and then assemble on site, that is a long way to travel with an assembled cake. You could possible assemble the bottom two tiers before travelling, but I wouldn't assembler any more than that. HTH. Good Luck - don't forget to post the pics.
I should've probably said "364 miles/290 kilometers" :) It sounds so terribly daunting, though!
The farthest i've delivered a cake was 75 miles. It was a 6-9-11 and traveled perfectly fine. In my experience, cakes travel great on the highway - it's the in town travel that causes any issues. If most of your trip is open highway and you'd normally not box the tiers separately, it doesn't seem necessary to me.
AAgreed that boxing the tiers separately and assembling on-site is the way to go, especially if the roads are not in great shape.
Assuming 3.5 hour travel time each way, I would charge US$420 for delivery alone.
.......... thinking of boxing all the tiers and decorative items separately, then stack and decorate on-site. Is this feasible, or should I scrap the idea?..........
Yes, it is feasible IF you box each tier & decorations seperately and put it together once on site.
I would think the delivery fee would be much more than the cost of the cake itsself!
If you really think you want that much of a trip - involving your whole day in which you can't take another order be sure to charge plenty!
i'd be $546 to deliver ($0.75/mile round trip). I don't know anyone who would want to pay that. Perhaps you could better serve the client who you wish to keep a relationship with by giving her a couple of vetted referrals.
Hi all,
Thanks for your responses, and thanks Jason and Lorieleann for sharing how much you would charge. SwtCanuck, that's a mighty long way to drive a cake!
Kakeladi, yes I will factor in my time and opportunity costs in giving her the quote. I do agree with Lorieleann though, in that it will likely not make sense for the client to pay that much just for delivery.
In any case, since she asked for a quote although I told her it would cost her, I will give her a number. I will also suggest an alternative, perhaps cupcakes + a 6" tier for cutting. She/her family/friends should be able to transport and set those up without any major issues, I think. May or may not be agreeable to her, but will just throw it out there.
Thanks again :)
Ally
i'd be $546 to deliver ($0.75/mile round trip). I don't know anyone who would want to pay that. Perhaps you could better serve the client who you wish to keep a relationship with by giving her a couple of vetted referrals.
I am just a bit confused about this amount, not that is isn't worth that much. But by your .75/mile calculation it should be $273 since it is a total round trip of 364 miles (182 one way). I just can't imagine driving about 7 hours round trip to deliver a cake. I have actually transported a cake about 2.5 hours away but it was for a family event and the cakes really held up well. I boxed all the tiers separately except the bottom two tiers (which it was a 4 tiered cake). Good luck.
I am just a bit confused about this amount, not that is isn't worth that much. But by your .75/mile calculation it should be $273 since it is a total round trip of 364 miles (182 one way). I just can't imagine driving about 7 hours round trip to deliver a cake. I have actually transported a cake about 2.5 hours away but it was for a family event and the cakes really held up well. I boxed all the tiers separately except the bottom two tiers (which it was a 4 tiered cake). Good luck.
She just did that math as if it was 364 miles each way.
thanks! yes, that is what i did. 
I guess half the distance would be more manageable, but still a hefty delivery charge.
I have handed off two tier cakes for longer distance transport (with very specific and detailed instructions as to handling of the cake). If she really wants your cake, a 10/6 and then 2 separate single cakes with coordinating gumpaste flowers to tie the display together. I would suggest this as well. Also getting a set of 3 cake stands would set a very lovely table. Maybe do some google or pinterest searches on multiple cake display tables for cake table ideas. Another options would be one of those floating or cascading cake stands that individual cakes can be placed on without having to have internal support. The bride will have to be flexible with the design, but I think you could still fill her order with some modifications.
AThanks for the idea, Lorieleann! I'll have a chat with the client soon :)
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