To complain about my wedding cake?

[Woolloomooloo]

We got married a few weeks ago and had a perfect day with just one exception - the wedding cake wasn’t really what we had agreed with the supplier in terms of design.

I had sent her an example photo of a cake that we liked the style of but it had one subtle design feature on the top tier which we didn’t like. We asked her to copy the cake but omit this detail and it said this on the invoice.

We also asked for the same finish as the cake in the photo but with more vibrant, stronger colouration to it.

On the day we ended up with a lovely looking cake, but the colours were not vibrant and the detail we wanted omitting was included!

The cake cost us in the region of £500!

So my question is AIBU to raise it with her?

Or do I just accept the rest of the day was perfect and get over it?

Op. Vibrant is relative.

But the thing you wanted omitted shouldn't have been there thats true

If this is the only thing that wasn't perfect about your wedding then you had a great day. Let it go!

My wedding cake was completely different to what I thought I had requested, in fact the decorations were completely crackers and we didn't actually see it until it was wheeled out at the end of dinner. Tasted great though. Over a decade later and I still laugh when I see pictures of it.

Let it go.

I had a specific idea for my cake. Even "discussed heartily" with the cake maker about the colour. On the day it didn't do what we asked (gaps between tiers too big, not enough flowers) but it's not worth hanging on to. She's unlikely to refund you if yo u ate it. Just enjoy your marriage and don't go to her for an anniversary cake

As a Baker myself I'm sick of comments like this. If you want a cheap cake go to M and S or Cost Co. £500 is about average for a tiered bespoke wedding cake

I can't imagine ever paying that much for a cake either.

What would be the gross/net profit on a £500 cake?

I would email the baker, attach previous emails so he or she can see the initial plans of what you had discussed and what you agreed, add a picture of what you received. You might well not get any money refunded but if someone has not delivered on what was discussed they ought to be told. I wouldn't leave a negative review, rather I wouldn't post one at all because they didn't deliver what was promised.

As for the posters going on about a cake not being worth that much, I paid similar 9 years ago. I would expect a 3 tiered wedding cake to be more expensive now. The cost of ingredients has gone up, bakers also have to factor in their time and fuel costs for delivery as well as setting up at your venue.

No of course not. I was replying to the person who thought that was a ridiculous sum of money for a cake.
And now I am so curious what the detail was that shouldnt have been included!

I paid £1k for mine. And £250 for my dress. Priorities. ;)

Depends what you would pay yourself an hour.

You complain about the cost AFTER ordering and presumably eating this cake? 😂
I love mumsnet X

Depends what you would pay yourself an hour

Well what do cake makers pay themselves per hour?

Why do these commenters not go and try to bake and decorate a wedding cake to see what it would cost them outright, then decide what it costs per hour and what time and artistry is actually involved
pffft 😂

There's an awful lot more to running a baking business than buying a bit of flour and a few eggs.

You're paying for the skills they've invested in learning and taking into account all their overheads- its not at simple as shoving a sponge in the oven.

https://www.foodheavenmag.com/advice-hub/cake-business-advice/how-to-price-cakes-your-time-bakes-are-valuable#:~:text=Know%20your%20costs&text=The%20easiest%20way%20to%20work,x%203%3D%C2%A30.90).

Hallelujah!

Same thing happened to us for a special cake. Said, no fresh cream, not.covered with icing, got both. Can only assume they scribbled down both those things as notes but omitted the word NO

She didn't complain about cost, thats other posters.

Vibrant is relative.
The part you wanted omitted? Could it not have been removed and covered up by the cake maker at the time?

I would say something because otherwise I’d be 50 years married and still mulling it over but I would have said something at the time.

My mum makes wedding cakes, including the sugar craft toppings.

They take HOURS and HOURS.

But the price isn't the question here.

Photos OP?

We need to see photos, OP

However fancy the decor is, it’s just a cake to be sliced up and eaten.
No cake is worth hundreds of pounds.

Standard for a wedding cake 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think the point about cost is clouding the issue here. OP ordered a cake and had agreed to pay £500 for a bespoke wedding cake - indeed the cost reflects the fact a cake is being exclusively designed for the client. However this is not what the OP got, she was made a cake which sounds like it was part of the maker’s standard repertoire - nothing bespoke about this cake.
I too would be a bit annoyed and frustrated and would politely mention my disappointment to the maker, she has not provided a professional service and needs to be made aware. Personally I would not make a big deal about it as wouldn’t want to spoil the memories of the day, but I would expect an explanation and apology from the maker.

I’m a wedding cake maker and as much as I’d hate to receive that complaint, there is a case for raising it. Clearly a mistake was made, they didn’t double check their notes and because of the inspiration image they just had that in their head. These mistakes happen, but it could and should have been avoided. I’ve only done this once (a very minor thing) and the bride emailed me the day after. I was absolutely gutted. It was a stunning cake and I’d poured an enormous amount of love and time into it, but it was my error and I refunded her delivery charge as a good will gesture. I also appreciated the opportunity to apologise, and the bride was lovely about it in the end and sent me beautiful photos a few weeks later with a proper thank you. She clearly just needed to get it off her chest.

I have NEVER made the same mistake again, and now triple check everything, so while it was a horrible email to receive, it has probably improved my service.

So from that angle, if it would make you feel better, then a nice email that just flagged it for her to improve her processes would be fine. I wouldn’t be refunding anything as a baker if it was raised weeks later (my t&cs have a clear complaints window), so if that’s your aim, I think you’re way too late.

Of course mention it seeing as you didn't get what you asked for. Just because it was an edible cake doesnt mean you have to put up with something you don't want. I'd be expecting some money back.

The fact you wouldn’t be willing to pay for it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. People deserve to be paid for their time and skill. Because you would be happy with something simpler/no cake at all, doesn’t mean that those who want something more special shouldn’t pay what it costs. I didn’t want bespoke handmade wardrobes because I couldn’t justify the cost, so I went to IKEA. Doesn’t mean the artisan carpenter shouldn’t be charging thousands more for a superior product. It’s just different priorities, and the customer proprieties shouldn’t dictate what the artist charges for their work.

or the OP is thinking its not that bad after her OP
or its made up to annoy people

Until @Woolloomooloo comes back, we have no clue