Wedding cake collapsed at venue: is a full refund reasonable?

[Bridemom]

I have recently got married. We contacted a cake maker to make a butter cream 2 tier cake setup and delivered, as we arrived at the venue the cake was leaning, throughout the day it got worse an eventually the top tier fell over ruining the cake cutting moment and spoiling the pictures.

We are both not cake people but we bought the cake for the iconic cutting moment. Are we wrong to request a full refund? We have been offered 1/3 refund and more like a list of excuses for an apology blaming the venues floor and it being left out for a long time. I would expect a wedding cake to stand for 6 hours with no problem. I have suggested that a 2/3 refund would offer an amicable agreement. What would you guys do?

I used to be a wedding cake baker. I made our wedding cake. We got married in a heat wave and had a 3 tier cake, which I made. I brought a fridge to the venue. Set it to the coldest setting (basically nearly frozen). Left it overnight. On our wedding day i instructed it only be removed from fridge 30mins before dinner. Allowing it 2-3hrs to come up to temp. Your cake should have been in the fridge. Your cake maker cant stay all day in these temperatures to make sure thats the case. I have notified brides/grooms on the day before if hot temps are forecast...to check if venue has fridge space but then its someone else responsbility to take it out and set it up. Most venues requested I be there by 9am when delivering cakes. Your venue holds some of the responsibility here

There’s always two sides to every story and your side is ridiculously vague , of course you were upset but honestly what’s the money going to do ? Will it change what hapenned ? No , will it leave the woman that poured hours of time with posibbly a family to support unable to pay her bills that week ? Potentially yes ! why are we living in a society where everyone is out to blame someone for the mistake and usually the wrong person ! If the cake “ ruined “ the wedding day then surely you’d be wanting refunds off everyone who provided a service that day because the “ cake “ ruined the whole thing , the vows , the reason you were there , the decor, photographer the list goes on . The friends and family that potentially travelled at their own cost to to stay for it , did it ruin their day that your cake fell
over ? and therefore they wasted all their money coming to your wedding ? I’m sure the answer is no ! Talk about third world problems , yes everything’s relevant to the individual but quite honestly I think you need to focus your time and energy on what was “ perfect that day “ and not what wasn’t

I wouldn’t have offered any refund.

it was butter cream, if the weather is hot of course it will melt. It should have been put in the fridge until half an hour before it was needed.

Then the baker should have communicated that and delivered it on that basis.

A professional baker will know the risk and factor that in accordingly. Only an amateur would leave it out in this weather and not give any instructions.

@Bridemom If it helps, my wedding cake (3 tier with intricate buttericing, which cost £500) fell over in transit on the way to my venue. The cake lady hit a pothole (which my dad broke to me, with a very grave face as saying 'Sam, there's been an accident', so I legit thought one of my guests had died en route).

As a result, the top two tiers weren't salvageable. The cake lady, sobbing due to my mum's tongue lashing, spent the ceremony icing two dummy tiers and trying to re-ice the bottom, whilst the venue and a local bakery churned out victoria sponge for my guests to take home. I got 50% discount.

Without my bride head on, I probably would have asked for more, but at the time, I didn't give a fudge about the stupid cake falling over - everything went wrong on the day, but none of that mattered. Ten years on, it's all just an amusing story.

Obviously, I can see why you were unhappy your cake was less than perfect, but if it was hot, a buttercream cake doesn't stand a chance. In my opinion, the venue was responsible for leaving it out; it should have been wheeled out for the cake cutting, but otherwise refrigerated. I don't think it's reasonable for the cake maker to make a loss - she wasn't in control of the weather or the venue keeping it out for too long, and you did get to eat it, at least - so a third of the cost is generous. If you'd be happier with two thirds, maybe see if the venue can reimburse you the rest for leaving it out. Honestly, I'd be annoyed at them.

I hope otherwise you had a lovely day... and here's a picture of my patched up cake (which wasn't how it was supposed to look). along with our grooms cake - Audrey Two :)

They would have spoke to the coordinator or whoever was overseeing the wedding. They wouldn’t speak to the bride and groom.

Isn't that the bride and groom? Who else would choose and arrange the cake.

Not always?

I picked up my own wedding cake (it was only 1 tier tbf) the day before the wedding and dropped it off at the venue.

But my baker still knew to advise me against having buttercream for my wedding cake when I had it as my original idea.

Totally need more context here....

When was it? Was it during the heat? If so, as others have said a buttercream cake won't withstand that. I have cakes made for my kids every year, two of them have summer birthdays and my cake maker always reminds me not to keep buttercream cakes out in Heat for long.

Also.... how much did you pay for it?

And this is why I wonder how much they paid for it. If they've gone cheap, and aren't happy with the results then that's a hard lesson learned.

Yes admittedly that crossed my mind too.