"Sponsored" Weddings ... Oh Pul-LEAZE!!!

I'm going to warn you up front that I'm got my Mom-Finger out on this one and I'm shaking it in the face of all of those who read this and find it hits home with them.

I belong to a cake decorator's website where I am in conversation with cake designers (and some caterers) from all over the country. And periodically the topic of "Sponsored Weddings" comes up.

In case you don't know what it is, it's the idea that a bride will get vendors to "sponsor" her wedding by doing the cake or the food or the DJ'ing for free in exchange for advertising, like listing your company name in the program, and the promise of "all of those guests who will see your cake!" (or eat your food or hear your music).

This is not a new concept. It surfaces about every 7-10 years. This is my third or fourth round of dealing with the concept in my cake-making lifetime. But everytime it surfaces, people think it's a new idea and think they are so original for thinking of it.

Will I sponsor a wedding?

No.

Let me make it perfectly clear. No.

See, I still have a daughter at home and she's kind of used to having 3 meals a day and sleeping in a home with heat and running water. I haven't figured out how to get the power company to "sponsor" my monthly electrical usage, so they expect me to send them cash every month. Walmart won't sponsor my grocery bill, even if I promise to tell everyone that I buy my groceries from them.

I've also figured out that all of the wedding guests will see my cake and eat my food whether it's paid for or if it's donated (aka "free"). So I don't see the benefit at my end.

I've had a number of brides list my company in their program and THEY paid full price for their cake and catering. Again, I don't see the benefit for me to be listed for a FREE cake as opposed to a paid cake. (By the way, I don't expect to be listed, so my extreme thanks to those brides who went above and beyond by thanking their vendors in this way.)

If I can't afford my grocery bill, I have to cut the amount of groceries I buy, or I have to have Mac-n-Cheese and hot dogs for dinner, instead of steak on the grill with lobster tail on the side. If I can't afford my electric bill, I need to buy energy efficient lights and make sure if no one is watching TV, that it's turned off.

It's considered an oddball idea, but hey, brides, try this one. If you can't afford the party for 250 guests, try trimming your guest list or having a luncheon instead of a dinner. But please don't play the poverty card with me and try to get me to take food off of my family's table in one breath, then turn around in the next breath and tell me you're planning a party for 250 of your "closest friends"


It doesn't fly with me ... and it doesn't fly with other vendors either. I am not here to subsidize your grandized dream wedding. I'm in business to make a living to feed my family.

What usually happens is the free advertising we get is "call Debi ... SHE does free cakes!" I can't afford that kind of advertising.

Now before you think I'm a big Scrooge and can't sympathize or emphathize with those who are trying to have a nice wedding on a tight budget, let me assure you that I HAVE done free and donated weddings. We dont' advertise it (well, until this blog post, I guess!) but once a year I pick a couple and just decide to do their cake or food for free.


Being a military mom, it's usually a military couple. I don't tell them ahead of time. I just surprised them by telling them "Keep that check .... today's event is free."


And I'm not the only one. Read this newspaper story where a number of us pulled together for a Valentine's Day wedding for a groom who was shipping out to Iraq just 72 hours after his wedding. http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/articles/2009/02/14/news/01.txt

We work very closely with our brides to cut their costs as much as possible. We coach them on how to get control of their headcount. We have flat pricing for our cakes, meaning we dont' charge extra for every little thing. We offer suggestions on whether they need appetizers or if they can skip spending the extra $1000-$2000 or not. We're already working to keep your costs down because we respect the fact that no one has unlimited funds and they are spending a lot of money on this event.

Please respect the fact that I can't afford to do free cakes. That's not why I went into business.




Debi Brim can be reached via email at info@cateritsimple.com


Our websites:

www.cateritsimple.com
www.bannascookies.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
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Watch the placement of your wedding cake

Where are you putting the wedding cake?

Just like in real estate, the key things to consider are “location, location, location”.

Obvious things to watch for are backgrounds. I've seen cake photos that were spoiled by backgrounds such as fire extinguishers, basketball hoops, bulletin boards with kids construction paper crafts all over it, kitchen pass thru windows (which were open so you could see the kitchen clutter!), and yes, even men's room doors!

Do not put the cake table next to the DJ and do not allow the DJ’s speakers to be directed toward the cake. I’ve heard too many stories from cake designers all over the country about wedding cakes that collapsed due to the vibrations from a loud speaker (especially those with lots of bass pulsing out of it!). Many cakes aren’t put together like Lego’s, with nice snap-together parts. They are sitting on dowel supports or plastic pillars, and a loud constant vibration from a speaker IS enough to cause the cake to vibrate its way right onto the floor.

You wouldn’t think I’d have to explain this one, but if you’re planning an outdoor wedding, it’s pretty accepted that putting the cake in direct sunlight is a bad idea. Bad. Very bad. Oh let’s call it what it is … it’s downright stupid. A cake that’s covered in icing made from butter and someone thinks, “Oh let’s sit it over here, where the 85 degree sun can beat down on it for hours and hours! Yeah …. THAT’S a good idea!” (Shoot me now. Just shoot me now.)

Listen, if you ARE one of these folks who thinks it’s a good idea to put a wedding cake outside in the direct sun, let me give you another good idea. Do NOT call your cake maker and ask for a refund when your cake icing melts and runs down the side of the cake. You won’t get one. I swear, you won’t.

Oh .. and indoor weddings have the same rule. Do not put the cake table next to a big picture window where the sun is beating in thru the window, directly on the cake. Do not place the cake table over a big heat vent in the floor, or under an overhead heat duct. Not only is the heat a bad thing, but odds are good there is dust and other air particles settling on your cake as it blows out of the vent/duct.

Once a cake is set up, it really REALLY shouldn't be moved. Some cake designs can be moved, but play it safe and assume yours can't. So don't set up a reception with the idea of "oh, we'll put the cake here for now and move it later." Stacked cakes sometimes can be moved......cakes set up with pillars really shouldn't be moved.

In my never-so-humble opinion, the wedding cake is the centerpiece of your reception, so display it front and center! Don’t hide it in a corner somewhere! For 30 years, I’ve been working wedding receptions and I can tell you that people don’t line up to take photo’s of the table linens or the centerpieces or the banner behind the Head Table, but they DO line up to take a photo of the cake. As they enter the reception room, they are looking for the cake. So put it in a place of honor.

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