Words to Live By...

"THE GOOD LIFE IS INSPIRED BY LOVE & GUIDED BY KNOWLEDGE"-Bertrand Russell

July 31, 2008

When Good Cakes (& Bakers) Go Bad!!

I was directed to a blog by a friend/assistant of mine called "Cake Wrecks" which chronicals, rather hilariously I might add, the foibles, follys and weird, scary and downright awful results of what are supposed to be the creations of "professional" cake bakers.
Some of the cakes (they include all kinds, not just wedding cakes) are really unbelievable and the commentary is just fantastic and my eyes are watering from laughing so hard from some of these posts.
However, in the midst of all the funny, there is unfortunately very costly and unfortunate stories behind the laughter. That is, someone who entrusted a supposed "professional" with baking and creating a very important element of their wedding day, only to have that very special element and moment that they envisioned ruined by someone who could care less about their reliability or professionalism or think they had "talent".
Observe the wedding cake below. Doesn't look too bad, does it? Obviously selected by a tartan loving couple but a nice, well made cake all the same.
This cake was the inspiration for a bride named Linda from Texas who asked a "professional" baker to recreate this cake for her. The post & commentary from "Cake Wreck" blog is here
THIS IS WHAT THE BAKER (WHO WAS DRUNK BY THE WAY) DELIVERED!!

Are you kidding me?
According to the original story submitted by Linda's friend Summer, they let that cake sit out in all its pitifullness during the wedding and the poor couple spent their first year of marriage in court trying to get their money back.
Had I been this person's wedding planner, I would not have let that monstrosity out of the kitchen!
Had I been this couple's wedding planner, I would hopefully have been able to guide them early on enough to tell them to research a bit more into this so called "professional's" credentials and referral history (or lack of it) and stop a disaster in it's tracks.
A professional & reputable wedding planner will assist you in finding reliable, professional and truly talented pastry chefs that you can choose from that will be realistically able to tell you if they can provide what you you are envisioning for your wedding cake within your budget. If they can't they (the planner & baker) will help you find attractive yet lower cost alternatives or other reputable bakeries.
Even if you are not planning to or can't afford the full services of a wedding planner, some planners, like Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, do offer a la carte consultation services that include referral services to qualified professionals.
The fee for a consultation definitely would have worked out to have been much less than this bride wound up paying in court fees, time from work and dissapointment!!
Please, don't let this happen to you. Do your homework & hire the best you can afford. That is being smart and that my friends...is always in STYLE!

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