Help! Our wedding cake is missing!
This is a true story:
A major Atlanta cake baker recently went out of business. Unfortunately, it was very sudden and even more unfortunately, we found out the hard way – no cakes on the wedding day for one of our lovely couples. And the groom had been so excited for his groom’s cake, designed as a rifle to honor his time spent in the military.
The worst part about it (besides no cake and lost money) was that this was a reputable baker. Even though we had an inkling there was an issue the day before the wedding, it never occurred to us that they wouldn’t fulfill their obligations. It wasn’t as if they were fly-by-night or new or a “friendor.” We had worked with them for years and never had an issue. But there we were on the wedding day, without cakes and with an unhappy couple on our hands.
So what did we do?
Here’s the faux cake we borrowed from one of our baker friends. Looks pretty good, especially after the florist added some flowers.
We got sheet cakes from Whole Foods to serve to the guests, and to replace the groom’s cake, we got Krispy Kreme donuts (which actually made him pretty happy).
The moral of the story?
You can hire good vendors, confirm everything several times, and still have a disaster occur. The fact of the matter is, despite best-laid plans, sometimes things just happen.
What can you do to avoid this?
It was through our relationships with friends in the industry and the gift of time between the ceremony and reception that we were able to find a solution. Always call to confirm (and keep calling until you get someone on the phone), and above all, have a Plan B, or think on your feet to come up with one!
The problem was only obvious to the bride and groom and just look at how happy they are!!
As I always say, no matter what happens, in the end you’ll be married, and that’s what really matters.
P.S. In a surprise happy ending, it turns out the couple’s wedding insurance covered their monetary loss!
Photos courtesy of DMG Images
