Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi
I have been asked for a quote for a Beauty and the Beast Wedding cake with the following requirements:

The theme is beauty and the best it must have all the main characters. I would like it to have the castle and the grounds it must portray the dark side and the loving side of the film it must be more grown up than cartoony I don’t want it to be tiered if you know what I mean
It must have fountain candles
Edible glitter
Cake fountain
The flavours I would like are
Jam and cream
Chocolate fudge cake
Lemon meringue
White chocolate fudge
Strawberries and cream
Could you give me a price please

I am fairly new to the cake making business and have only just started branching out into wedding cakes.
I am not qualified enough to make this cake at this stage.
What do I tell the customer with out tarring my reputation?

Thank you in advance for your help!
Rachael

Hello Rachael

That’s a pretty tall order for a person with experience let alone for one without If you don’t have the skill or experience to execute the order it wouldn’t be a good idea to take on the challenge. That’s just my opinion. I can’t see the point of taking on a difficult and detailed request if I couldn’t bring it to fruition. It’s best to be honest with the customer and say so, there’s no shame in that! However, you could offer to work on a design with which you would be confident. The cake flavours and chocolate fountain could still be incorporated. I think customers value honesty, I know I do. Imagine how dreadful it would be to take the order and then find yourself in an impossible situation of not completing. That would tarnish your reputation. The amount of work involved in the described cake would take a lot of time and skill. It won’t come cheap, the customer would expect something near perfect.
Hopefully other members will give their valued advice.

I completely agree with miwl, I always set myself challenges and feel wonderful when I complete, however I do know my limitations (for now!). My wedding cake experience has shown that it brings with it stress, even with a cake Im completely comfortable with! My suggestion would be to answer your bride explaining the time process for such a cake and the price, with an example of a simpler, (but equally impressive version) and let her get back to you with her choice. You may find when she realises the price of the original cake, she will be happy to scale down. If she still wants to go with it, then advise that you would be unable to do it. Ill bet she comes back to you as Im sure many cake makers would find this a very high order! Hope this helps

‘Sorry, I’m already booked for that date’!

Hi
Thank you for these suggestions!
Very helpful as per usual!

Hi,

I’m in the same kind of situation, as I’m just starting up and have never done a wedding cake as yet, I’m looking forward to making one but nervous as well. But wish you good luck, I would personally ask the customer to draw a rough sketch of the kind of design shes looking for and then tell her what you think is possible in the time frame and give her a rough estimate, let her know because of the time and skill it would take to make such a cake it will be very expensive. She might soften up to other idea’s then. Or ask what her budget is and then say it would cost alot more and give other alternatives. good luck