What Does it Mean to be a Preferred Vendor?

When a bride shops for her wedding vendors, she frequently depends on word of mouth referrals and other vendors' "Preferred Vendor" list. This is usually a list of wedding vendors that a venue (and I'm going to use "venue" as the example while acknowledging a photographer, or wedding planner, or caterer could also have such a list) has listed on their website that pretty much says, "We recommend you try these folks."

A bride may look at this list and assume the venue is vouching for the quality and business practices of the listed vendors. This is not always true.

It is in the venue's best interest to only list vendors that are reputable and offer quality products and services to the venue's clients, otherwise it looks bad on the venue.

How does a vendor get on a "Preferred Vendor" list?

In my experience, some places just charge a fee for the exposure. I could have been on the Preferred Vendor List of one venue in town just by writing them a $300 annual check to be on the list. A bride would have thought my name on the list meant the venue was recommending me because of my great food when the truth was they were recommending me because I paid them to. (I refused to be put on their list just for this reason.)

Some places would have been happy to put me on their list if I just showed them a copy of my health department license and proof of liability insurance. Actually, every venue should ask for this documentation, regardless of whether I'm on their list or not, but in most cases, my name on their list merely meant "Yeah ... she's legal and we'll let her in."

Some venues required that I do a "payback" to them based on the bookings at their venue (notice how I refrained from using the term "kickback"!). I had no problem with giving finders fees or referral credits when I actually received the business from the venue (and for the record, there was only one I encountered who operated this way), but I DID have a problem writing a mandatory check to a venue when the bride/groom found me on their own and the venue had nothing to do with it. Had I agreed up front to this venue's terms, they would have been happy to make me a "Preferred Vendor". In this case, my name NOT on their list just meant I wouldn't play Kick(back) Ball with them.

Before you think I'm just a big Negative Nelly, many venues select their Preferred Vendors based on performance and the relationship they've built with the other wedding vendors over a long period of time. As I mentioned, the venue's reputation is also at stake if they refer a bride to a vendor is just doesn't make the grade. Many "Preferred Vendor Lists" are helpful to couples who have no idea who to call and the venue has done a preliminary pre-screening for them.

As you shop for your wedding vendors, ask the venue how a company gets on their Preferred Vendor list. Ask if the venue will personally vouch for their character, their quality and their service.

A big assumption is that couples believe the "Preferred Vendor List" means they can only use those vendors. While a Preferred List is usually exclusive, it's not always. Ask if the Preferred Vendor List is exclusive or if the bride/groom can select their own florist / photographer / caterer, etc. Sometimes there is an additional fee to bring in an outside vendor, but depending on the pricing, it could still be cheaper for the couple.
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Let's Talk Cupcakes!

What picture comes to mind when someone says "cupcake"? Is it the regular cupcake-with-a-swirl-of-icing on top?

Here are a few photos showing what you can do with cupcakes. Great ideas for weddings, parties, showers, birthdays or just because!

Love chocolate covered strawberries? Here are white cupcakes topped with a chocolate ganache, then a chocolate-dipped strawberry placed on top. The whole thing was then drizzled in white chocolate.

Cupcakes can be a wedding favor AND double as a centerpiece. Here are champagne flavored cupcakes, topped with a raspberry buttercream, with and without a fresh strawberry on top. Have a bottle of champagne on each table and your guests will be wowed with this simple but elegant refreshment/centerpiece.

Cute for a baby or wedding shower, these ladybug cupcakes will add color and that extra touch of pizazz to your event! The icing is a special recipe topping made with melted chocolate and butter that will have everyone licking their fingers to get every drop!

For the next family reunion or neighborhood backyard BBQ, confuse everyone with a cupcake that looks like a cherry pie! Fruit filling is placed on top of the cupcake and buttercream icing is 'woven' into a lattice pie covering.

Not really a cake person? (ok, I'll forgive you this once!). Here are brownies baked in cupcake liners, topped with a chocolate fudge icing. We then topped them with a few cherries (we used canned cherry pie filling), then drizzled with a white chocolate. We called them "Black Forest Brownies".

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Centerpiece Ideas

I had one bride who combined her appetizers as her table centerpieces, saving her some money and making the pre-reception snacks nice and handy for her guests! She had a tray of fruit, cheese, bread and wine beautifully arranged on the tables. Her guests didnt' have to stand in line at an appetizer buffet table. They could just sit at the tables, visit with each other, while helping themselves to the foods. It was inexpensive yet classy. Non-alcoholic wine could be substituted, or could be omitted altogether if a bar is available.

How to Cut a Wedding Cake

Cutting a wedding cake can make even the bravest person quiver in their shoes. It's really not that hard. If you do it right.

Many cake charts show what I refer to as "The Dreaded Circle Method" of cutting a cake. I've not yet met someone who can cut a good circle with a knife and I find this method just messy and inefficient.

I've been cutting cakes for 30 years and I can cut and serve a cake for 200 in under 15 minutes .... in less time if I have a helper.

Here are some step-by-step photos of how to cut a wedding cake. This method can be used on round or square cakes and coordinates with the Wilton Wedding Cake Serving Chart servings, based on an industry standard 1x2x4" dessert sized piece of cake.




First, I disassemble the entire cake so I can cut the largest tier first. Why? Because if there is any cake leftover, it will be the smaller, easier to store, tiers that will fit in your freezer instead of a partial big cake that won't fit anywhere.

Then cut a 2" strip of cake down the side.



This part is optional, but easy. When pushing the knife down on the icing part of the cake, this can cause a "squishing" effect and some of the filling can be pushed out, creating a messy piece of cake to serve to your guests.


Using a gloved hand (or I highly recommend the cake cutting comb as shown in the photo) and the knife, gently lay the 2" strip on it's side. It won't fall apart, I promise. I do it all the time. And it really helps eliminate the "squishing" effect.




The easy part.... just begin cutting the 2" strip into 1" pieces.

Helpful hint: Did you know that if you bend your thumb, the distance between the bent knuckle and the end of your base nail is about one inch? So you always have a ruler handy to know how wide one inch is!!







Using a cake cutting comb or a gloved hand is a sanitary way to move the cut pieces of cake to the serving plate. Less messy, too!





Many decorators and venues have emailed me from across the country to let me know they've printed out these photos and left them on the cake table so those cutting the wedding cake will know how to do it. It is extra helpful when a bride has family cutting the cake rather than a professional caterer (and I've even met caterers who have confessed, "We don't know how to cut a wedding cake!"). So feel free to link to this page or print it out for your brides to help them ensure a smooth cake cutting at their event!

Debi can be reached at capricorn011959@hotmail.com





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Speaking of Buttercream Roses....

A friend, whose birthday falls on Valentine's Day, always throws herself an office birthday party for her and her co-workers. She mentioned she wanted a cake with yellow and red circles. I was a little confused and said, "You mean like a target?" She hesitantly said "yeah..... something like that."

I told her not to worry. I'd make her a cake that looked prettier than a target circle!

If you're a person who fights over the big buttercream roses on family birthday cakes, then you would have just loved this cake!

Instead of just flat stripes in a circle, I created circles of color using 30 big buttercream roses and about 15 smaller rosebuds.

In a world of over-the-top fondant cakes and push-the-material-in-a-mold decorating techniques, the art of making buttercream roses is in danger of becoming a lost art. I was thrilled to be able to showcase this edible art again!!

When I dropped it off to her, she almost cried at how pretty she thought it was! Which is the best compliment a caker can get!

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
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How Much Ribbon?

Wrapping ribbon around the base of a cake is a very popular design these days. Many bakeries/bakers ask the bride to provide the ribbon simply to assure the correct color the bride is looking for. I can do a week's worth of stories on how brides were upset because it was sage green instead of hunter green, or it was baby blue instead of pastel blue! To avoid these issues, it's usually best for all concerned when the bride hands the baker the ribbon and says, "THIS is the ribbon color for my cake!"

Many times I've been given a quantity of ribbon that wasn't sufficient to go all the way around a cake. Fortunately in the couple of instances this happened, it was a color that was easy to match and I ran out at the last minute to pick up some additional feet of it.

But as a bride, how do you know how much to provide?


Remember those math, algebra and geometry classes where you tried so hard to stay awake? Well, let's hope you did because those lessons will apply here.

Square cakes are pretty simple. A 10" square cake means each side is 10" long. So a minimum of 40" is needed (10" x 4 sides = 40"). But don't hand your baker just 40". Add a little extra to allow for the icing that will extend the sides ever so slightly. Add a little extra to give the baker some slack to work with in case something happens. A cake that requires 40" of ribbon, I would recommend at LEAST 50 to 60 inches.

And that's just for one tier.

Round cakes is where the geometry class comes in. A 10" cake is 10" across the diameter. To find the circumference (the distance around the cake), it's a simple case of "diameter times Pi", or 10" x 3.14 = 31.4 inches of ribbon. Again, add a little extra "just in case". I'd recommend 40 to 48".

And that's just for one tier.


Seriously, I had a bride who was thinking out loud and said, "So for a 10" cake, two feet should work, right?" Uh......... No. So I had to do the math with her so she could see how much she would really need.

As you, the bride, shop for your wedding cake, find out if the baker provides the ribbon or if the bride provides the ribbon. If you, the bride, are required to provide the ribbon, work with your baker to make sure you provide enough ribbon to create the cake of your dreams.

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Changes in the House

Well, I have been very busy the last few months and noticeably absent from updating this blog.

I have "retired" from the baking/catering side of this business and closed my shop. I have an arthritis issue that required a change in work-lifestyle. The decision was hard to make because I just love being a part of the weddings in my area, but very necessary.

I am not leaving the wedding industry, however. This change has enabled me to devote more time to my writing and speaking activities (so if you have an opening for a speaker at your event, you know where to find me!).

Almost immediately, I began doing some writing. I received two offers to do magazines articles, and it helped my ego when the emailed requests arrived in my inbox on the same day. American Cake Decorating (ACD) magazine requested a single article, which will appear in their next issue. The magazine has a new editor who is excited about making changes and improving the magazine devoted to the love of cakes.

Cake Central, www.cakecentral.com , is my favorite site for all things to do with cake, whether the decorator is novice or professional. They have launched a new magazine for the cake decorating world that just shipped this month. Here is a link to the first issue preview: http://cakecentral.com/jackie/176/cake-central-magazine-first-issue-preview

I wil be writing a monthly column for this magazine on "The Business of Baking", with information on the business side of wedding baking.

The magazine is very high quality .... great photos of fabulous cakes, wonderful articles on new products, recipes and more. I am absolutely honored to be a part of this publication.

Subscribing is the best buy for your money, but here is a list of where you can get this magazine: http://cakecentral.com/magazine/where-to-buy

Now that some of the dust is settling, I should be back on here with some regularity!

Groom's Cakes

I had a groom who was an outdoorsman. I made this Tree Stump cake for them. The 3-layer cake is covered in fondant, then hand-painted to look like a tree stump. The bride and groom's initials were carved into the trunk and I hand painted the carving with a dry gold luster dust to make it stand out. The green foil covered base resembles a grassy base.

This was then displayed on my Slice-of-Tree cake stand, handmade by Bill Dickinson of Dickinson Custom Furniture in Greenfield IND. I had asked Bill to keep an eye out for a nice big slice of wood just for this purpose and it took him about 3 months to find the right piece for me. He did a great job!

Adding some decorative fall leaves and some rose petals added to the look of this autumn wedding groom's cake.

The history of a groom's cake are vague and varied. In ancient times, it was believed if a single girl slept with a slice of groom's cake under her pillow, she would dream of the man she would marry. Groom's cakes were usually a fruit cake, or a dark (read "chocolate") liquor soaked cake.

Today, groom's cakes are getting very creative, reflecting the groom's (or sometimes, the couple's) interests, such as a hobby, favorite sports team, etc. They are served at the rehearsal dinner, as a midnight snack after the wedding, and sometimes alongside the traditional wedding cake.

Sheet cakes .... why?

Gosh, I hate starting an article with "back in my day" because that makes me officially old, but back in my day, I'd always hear the adult women, who were helping plan the family weddings, tell a bride to always get ".... an extra sheet cake, just in case." I always wondered "Just in case of WHAT?" I finally figured out these women were ordering a "just in case" cake because they wanted to be covered "just in case" they had more people show up than they anticipated.

Which never happens. I know you shouldn't use the word "never", but seriously .... in 30 years, I've never had a wedding where the couple/family invited 100 people and 130 showed up. Never.

I always wondered why they figured these extra people would show up just for the cake, because they never ordered an extra 10 lbs of chicken "just in case". And they never ordered 50 extra rolls "just in case". Nope, only cake.

Over time, I've observed that ordering sheet cakes has moved from the reasoning of having enough cake "just in case", to a cost saving method recommended by all the wedding magazines. The problem is that the magazines assume ALL bakers offer sheet cakes cheaper, which is just not true.

Many cake designers won't do sheet cakes. They just won't. They find it inappropriate to serve some of the guests a slice of wedding cake with multiple layers of cake and luscious filling .... and some of the guests get a piddly little square of single layer cake with no filling. And dont' kid yourself ..... the relatives who get the cheap knock off cake? They notice. They really notice.

My wedding sheet cakes are not cheaper and for a very logical reason. They are more work for me. Let me explain.

First, I dont' charge for 99% of design elements. That means a 4 tier basketweave designed cake with cascades of buttercream roses rolling down the sides will cost my bride the same money as a plain cake with just ribbon around the base. I dont' charge for most designs.

Ergo, since I dont' charge extra for ornate design, then I don't have anything to deduct for plain design .... which is the whole premise behind the "sheet cakes are cheaper" theory.

More work for me: To make a 3 tier cake for 150, I bake 3 tiers, using 6 cake pans that need prepped and washed. I ice and decorate 3 tiers.

But when a bride requests a 3 tier cake for 100 and a sheet cake for 50, I now have to bake 3 tiers using 6 slighty smaller cake pans that need prepped and washed, and I ice/decorate 3 tiers. PLUS I now have to bake a sheet cake and ice and at least border it. Another pan to wash, more baking time, more prep time, more space taken up in the delivery van. It takes longer to set up because instead of making one trip, carrying one 3-tier cake into the venue, I have to make 2 trips to the van to get the sheet cake. That may not sound like much to you, but the time (read "labor cost") adds up.

It's less work for me to do a 3 tier cake for 150 than it is for me to do a 3 tier cake PLUS a sheet cake that totals 150. If you order something that is more work for me, then you're not going to get it cheaper. It's just logical.

The good news for my brides is that this means they CAN get that grand creation of sugary centerpiece art for their reception at the same price than they would pay for a dinky little cake with some secret sheet cake hidden in the back room.

It's not that my sheet cakes are "not cheaper". It's that my wedding cakes are not "more expensive". We don't nickel and dime a bride for every little decorating aspect of her cake. It's easy for her to pick a design she likes instead of having to compromise her vision of her grand wedding cake design simply because of budget restraints. It's just our way of keeping it simple for our brides!

The Lowest Price Isn't Always the Cheapest

This blog entry is being written shortly after a bride told me, “Even though your per-serving price is higher, you ended up being the best bargain for a cake.”

I’m learning a lot from my brides as they come in for their free cake sampling/consultation for their wedding cake. The biggest lesson they are learning is that the cheapest price doesn’t always mean it’s the cheapest cake.

Let’s share what my brides are discovering and sharing with me.

Many bakers have a “starts at ……“ base price. Then they add all the nickels and dimes for what my brides are referring to as “every little thing!” Now, some of the extra charges are justifiable because there are extra expenses involved …. Fondant is more costly than buttercream, any hand-molded figures are labor intensive, gumpaste flowers are very labor intensive (some gumpaste flowers take an hour to make just ONE).

Ask good questions during your consultation appointment. Keep a calculator handy and keep track. For example:

One bride was quoted $65 to wrap a ribbon around the base of a cake (a very popular design right now). And the bride has to provide the ribbon. For a wedding for 100, this adds $0.65 to the per-serving “base price”.

As a decorator, it takes me way less time to wrap a ribbon around a cake than it does to pipe an icing border around a cake. So this charge is very confusing to me.

Another bride was told to add the icing dots on a cake (another popular design being used with wrapped ribbon), would be an extra charge “….because the decorator has to put those dots on there one at a time.”

My reaction? “Duh! We put ALL decorations on one at a time!” I suggested she ask for the decoration that they put on all at once. The additional charge? $0.50/serving. For a wedding for 100, that’s an extra $50.

Many bakeries charge extra for more than one cake flavor in a wedding cake. Additional charge is ranging from $0.25 to $0.50/serving. Many charge extra for a filling other than buttercream icing (for example, if a bride wants red raspberry filling or chocolate fudge icing as a filling). Most common charge is $0.25/serving.

Ask about the delivery fee, then break that down by the number of servings to determine the real cost of your cake. For example, a $50 delivery fee breaks down to $0.50/person for a 100-guest wedding.

So let’s compare my cake price to a bakery who charges all of the above nickels-and-dimes. For the record, Cater It Simple does not charge an extra fee for any of the items listed above, with the exception of a delivery fee *IF* the delivery is way outside the Indianapolis Metro area.

Assuming a cake for 100, 3 tier, 3 different cake flavors with red raspberry filling in two of them and lemon filling in the 3rd tier, ribbon on the base with dots and scrolls as the design, delivered 15 minutes from the bakery location.

Cater It Simple’s price:
Base price of $3.50 x 100 = $350. Simple.

Other Bakery:
Base price of $2.25 x 100 = $225 (wow! Big cost savings! But wait ……)
Add: $0.65 for ribbon = $65
Add: $0.50 for design = $50
Add: $0.25 for cake flavor x 2 additional flavors = $0.50 = $50
Add: $0.25 for filling x 2 flavors = $0.50 = $50

ACTUAL per-serving price = $4.40 = $440

At first, the bride thought she was saving $125 with the other bakery, but she was actually going to spend $90 more.

Ask questions. Use a calculator. Don’t assume the lower price is the best bargain.
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Is it "Tacky?"

I came across this blog and I just loved it! What is tacky to one is wonderful to another! I'm big on proper etiquette and doing things right, but like the author of this blog, I'm tired of people exerting their "personal" preference as the all time "right" way to do things and anyone who doesn't agree is "tacky".

Read this. I think you'll like it. http://offbeatbride.com/2008/07/tacky

I'd love to hear feedback on your view of "tacky". Are some things really 'tacky' or is the word overused? If some things ARE still viewed as tacky, what are some of those things, in your view?

Let me know by posting your comments or send them via email to info@cateritsimple.com .

Why Are Deposits Non-Refundable?

A very fair question asked by many clients!

A deposit is not only to secure your booking with the vendor, but also to secure the vendor's business with you. Confusing, yes, but follow me here.

Photographers and reception sites can logically only book one wedding per day. Cake creators, caterers and many florists can only book a certain number of weddings per day, and some of these limit it to one per day. When a bride books that date, the vendor closes that date to any other bride/booking. This means we may turn down business from future inquiries for that date.

(I personally turned down over 15 brides for the date of 7/7/07 because it was booked, and I turned down over 25 brides for the popular 6-7-08 date.)

Should something happen and you change your mind, move your date, want to use another vendor, and you cancel your booking, especially close to the date, it creates a financial hardship for the vendor. As you know, not too many brides book their caterer, photographer, etc., 3 or 4 weeks before the event.

This means the vendor has no opportunity to re-book that date. The vendor has already turned down business that could have been booked except for the fact that he/she closed that date just for you. The non-refundable deposit covers the lost opportunities and the costs incurred by the vendor based on your commitment.

Moving the date is many times viewed as a cancellation. Why? A bride books 11-7-09 with me. I turn down 4 brides for this date because I've made a commitment to the booked bride. Bride decides to move her date to January, after the holidays. I have now lost those 4 potential brides because I've turned them down.

I've had a number of discussions in which I'm asked "What costs? The photographer hasn't taken any pictures yet!" You're right. And the caterer probably hasn't bought any food and the florist hasn't purchased the flowers. But these are not the only costs associated with running a business that can help you have a great event. All of these vendors require special (expensive) equipment, rent, insurance, staffing to answer the phone when you called to book the event, internet access to enable you to see our website as you planned your event, the time already spent with the client during the consultation and follow-up, cost of paper, folders and filing cabinets to create and store the client's paperwork, and much more. These costs need to be covered and overhead has to be met.

When we close that date to any other business based on a client's commitment, then we have lost the opportunity to see any income for that date that would cover this overhead when the client decides to cancel.

A deposit protects the client and assures the client that the vendor will be there. A deposit also protects the vendor when the vendor turns down other clients, so the vendor can be there for you on that date.

So when talking to vendors, ask about their cancellation and refund policies. This is especially important if the bride/groom is active military and unscheduled deployment is a real possibility.

Knowing what the rules are in advance will help reduce some of the pre-wedding stress!