I hired Sam to bake my wedding cake and out of all my wedding planning decisions, it was the WORST one I made. I was really excited about the cake Sam said he could make for me; unfortunately I never got that cake.
I contacted Sam because he had such great reviews. I asked him to see if he made cakes and he said that he did and he could make exactly the kind of cake I wanted. I didn't want anything too complicated, 4 square layers with fondant, and he said he could handle that just fine. He told me that he had years of experience and had made many cakes. I bought a dozen cupcakes with different fillings from him as a "cake testing" and was really impressed with them so I decided to go ahead and book him. When I was discussing the details about my cake, he even recommended that I get fondant if I want a nice "smooth" look to my cake. I wanted everything to be perfect on our big day so I confirmed and reconfirmed everything with him multiple times and I was confident that everything would be taken care of. I agreed to pay him 50% upfront and the rest after delivery.The day of the reception, Sam was supposed to drop off the cake an hour before the event began and get the check with the rest of the money from my sister. He got there a little early with the cake and called my sister, not to tell her that there was a problem with the cake (which there was) but to ask for his money. My sister said she would be there soon and that she had his check ready to go.
My sister and some other members of my family arrived at the reception hall and they said that their jaws almost hit the ground when they saw the cake. Instead of seeing the beautiful and smooth cake I had been promised, they saw a cake that looked like it was about the cave in. There were cracks in the fondant on every side, the edges of each layer were sagging down like they were about to break off, and the ribbon was peeling off the corners. It was also about half the height and size Sam had told me it would be. It certainly did not look like a professionally made cake. Sam came by the hall, not to apologize for the condition of the cake or try to
explain what happened, but simply to get the rest of his money. They told him that the cake was completely unacceptable and asked if there was anything he could do. He said he didn't know why the cake was messed up and that he probably wouldn't be able to fix it. He tried to spray it with water and smooth out some of the cracks but it just looked worse. My family tried to ask what happened and why this was happening and he said that he didn't know for sure. He said that this was only the 2ndfirst cake as well. I didn't know any of this and he must have hid this information on purpose because he knew I wouldn't have hired him if I knew.
My family was in a tough place, I had told them to give him a check but they also knew that this wasn't the cake that I was promised. They had to check in on other things in the hall and wedding cake he had made and the fondant had cracked on his our guests were starting to arrive so it wasn't the best time to have this conversation and they asked him to speak to me directly afterward. He said that there was no guarantee that he would get the rest of his money and that we might just eat the cake and never get in touch with him. He then threatened to take the cake back and refund us the initial 50% we put down. This was all happening FIFTEEN minutes before my reception was supposed to begin. Eventually
and thankfully, he agreed to leave and speak to me afterward. Needless to say, my family was shocked at how he behaved, it's not what they expected from a professional.
When I arrived at the reception hall and walked in with my husband, as happy as I was, I was shocked as I walked past my drooping wedding cake. I tried not to let it ruin my night but it was definitely disappointing. When my husband and I cut our cake, we had to pause for a minute as the photographer tried to rotate the cake to an angle where the cracks weren't so apparent.
He couldn't quite make it work though. And at the end of the night, more than half the cake was still left over. The flavors and fillings that were so light and flavorful in the cupcakes were dry and tasteless in the cake, like it had been sitting out for a couple of days.A couple of days later, I got an email from Sam apologizing for the situation. He then blamed the condition of the cake on the AC in the hall. The AC wasn't blasting, and even if it was, I didn't realize that cold air was like kryptonite for cakes. If that seems counterintuitive to you as well, it's probably because it's a poor excuse for shoddy work.
I replied to Sam, to ask him why he thought it was ok to give us that cake, but he never replied. I know Sam is just starting out and I don't want to hurt his business but I feel obligated to warn any future brides. I know that if he had done this to someone else then I would have appreciated a warning to avoid this. read more