Wedding Blog
As I mentioned in my last post, I left the cake in the capable hands of our coordinator. We don’t love cake, and it was last on my priority list of details. But… the cake was, obviously, too big a detail to be laissez faire about. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Anyway, in the weeks before the wedding, we were focused on macarons, and escort cards, all the final little touches. And the weekend came, and the rehearsal, ceremony, cocktail hour were all wonderful, and we were on a just-married high!
We walk in, get introduced as Mr. and Mrs., do our little first dance (more on that later - it was hilarious). We sit down, enjoy, smiling, taking in the scene of everyone around us… then I look over my shoulder… [all images are by guests of the wedding unless noted]
Do you see it?
Me: Is that our cake?
Mr. P : It’s kind of small…
Me: Hmm, that’s not the right color. Huh.
At that point I sort of shrugged it off, just giddy from all the excitement, and it didn’t look that bad from far away. Not at all upset. Later on in the evening, I even passed by it, and thought, ‘That doesn’t look right. Maybe it’ll look better on camera. Oh well.’
I even thought, ‘I should put the hydrangeas [which were placed around the table] on top of the cake.’ But then I forgot about it, and instead had a lot of fun eating and mingling with guests.
Even when it was time to stand in front of it, Mr. P and I giggled. Whoa, that’s an uuuuugly cake! We were just so happy in the moment. Various friends and family members made speeches as we stood there smiling, with ugly cake glowing in all its Play-Doh-like glory.
Then it was time to cut the cake. We could now see everything up close in HD. We stared at it, muttering under our breaths, “Wowwww. Really? What happened? Did it melt?”
I don’t think it melted. I think this is the way it was intended to look. The primitive piping, the haphazard, unfinished, unrefined, roughness of it, made me laugh a little. Just a little. It looked like Play-Doh… more like Play-don’t… like claymation. It was sort of lumpy, and just… just, just judge for yourselves:
Does our cake wreck look anything like the inspiration below? Play-Doh clown cake, I tell you!
C’mon, could the baker at least try to blend the broken, uneven trim together just a little bit better? How about–here’s a thought–uniform beads? Look, I’m no baker, and I’m sure decorating with fondant and lacy icing is not easy. But, really? I was better off with no decoration and just fresh flowers. I honestly believe that simple is the way to go. Yeah, simple and buttercream. Fondant=chewing gum.
Anyway, then we tried cutting into it. The fondant had a rubbery texture as we sliced through it. It was difficult to get a slice out; we had to tear a piece off, and the icing wouldn’t really budge. Then we had a little piece…
It was dry, overly sweet, the icing chewy. Now, to be fair, we only had a little tiny bite. The moment I tasted it, I regretted asking for a switch in the cake flavor. Originally we were to have a lemon cake with raspberry filling. I changed it to almond cake with apricot filling. Grrr. Look at our faces! It’s sort of funny! Sort of.
However, we quickly forgot about it, as we had the rest of the night to dance and have fun!!!! I, myself, completely forgot about the cake for weeks.
Why am I even bothering with talking about it now? Well, last week, I suddenly remembered the cake. Sentimental post-bride-brain kicked in. Logic would tell you that you should forget about the cake wreck. But I was just a little curious as to what happened to the top tier.
So, I emailed the coordinator. At that point, it had been a month and a half since the wedding. She responds after a long period of silence, with this email:
Perfume,
Sorry this has taken so long, but I have been out of the office at a conference and then on vacation. I thought that we had moved your cake top to one of our freezers, but I have scoured them all and have not found it. I spoke with our Pastry Chef and he said that when you come for your anniversary he will bake a cake for you.
I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon. Thanks for the beautiful scarf - I will think of you both every time I wear it.
All the best,
Esmé
I’d like to preface by saying that Esme did a WONDERFUL job as our coordinator. She was extremely professional, hard working, detail-oriented, etc. Neither she nor the Homestead has any affiliation with this baker. She just helped us out by finding someone who said s/he could do it. (As the email indicated, we like Esme so much, we got her a little gift from our travels as a thank you.)
However, I didn’t like her response. While it was very nice to offer the resort’s baker to bake us a random cake on our anniversary, it wouldn’t be the cake we had on our wedding day - however hideous, disgusting and ridiculous it was. It may have been a wreck, but it was OUR cake wreck! More to come (we haven’t yet resolved the issue)…
How would you feel if a) you got an ugly cake and b) the one-year-anniversary-top-tier got lost—would you just forget about it?
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Share this post: The Case of The Ugly Cake: Part 2 - A Cake Wreck to Call Our Own
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that it not only LOOKED, um, interesting, but that it didn’t taste particularly good, either! 
Sorry about your top tier getting lost! And very sorry to see how your cake turned out. It looks nothing like your inspiration picture! We didn’t really want one, which I should have told the baker because we are moving across the country and had to eat it all about a month after the wedding.
Just forget about it with the coordinator… if anything, try to get some money back from the actual cake baker.
you are getting a way better deal by having them bake you a cake! Most bakeries do that nowadays anyway. Cakes aren’t good after a year in the freezer. They will be even more disgusting than on your wedding day! My grandma bakes wedding cakes and she says she never recommends that the bride and groom freeze their cake top for a year. She always offers to make them a new cake on their first anniversary.
while not perfect, I don’t find the cake hideous, but I understand feeling frustrated that it did not fit your vision.
Also, after a month and a half, i wouldn’t expect any vendor to keep a frozen tier of cake, I think that the offer they gave you was fair, even if it was dissapointing not to have your original cake. Then again, I’m in the midwest, and the vendors where you are may be vastly different then the type of vendors I worked with.
Oh, that really sucks. I’m glad you’re able to laugh-off the cake-wreck, but for sentimental reasons, I’d probably be really upset to not have my top-tier.
I would not forget about it! I’d be pissed! It makes me so glad my FI’s dad is doing our cake!
@Andrea: @angielea: So year-old-cake is not good? Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine eats the vintage Edward VIII/Wallace Simpson wedding cake?
Also, I submitted this to Cakewreck.com. I’m certain they’ll use it.
Umm. . . I would have been on the phone with the bakery the next day, pitching an absolute fit. That is probably the WORST job of cake decorating I have ever seen, and a lot of my friends do cake decorating as a HOBBY. I would definitely demand some type of refund. That doesn’t even remotely resemble your inspiration picture!
Wow, it looks like someones first attempt at a cake!! Granted, I couldn’t do any better, but you would think they would put more effort into making it look good!
I’m sorry, but– LMAO!!!!! What a well written post about an absolutely disastrous cake!!
I’m sorry it looked nothing like the original. I’m much like you in the sense that I couldn’t care less about cake. If our doesn’t turn out well either, I will sooo laugh about it!
@MrsSl82be: My thoughts EXACTLY! It was really amateurish.
Agreed that the coordinator should be off the hook. Did she know how much you hated this pile of poo? If not, so some other bride a HUGE favor and tell anyone and everyone you can not to use this baker! Can you imagine two of these EVER being created? As I overheard once…”She thannnnk it pritty”. Yes, sound that out. We’re in the south here.
On the bright side, it is definitely blue and you can see where the third grade pastry class attempted to create a masterpiece. OMG. I just keep laughing. You know, get your freakn money back! LAWD HAVE MERCY!
Side note- do you really want that cake in a year? Really? 
You’re such a good sport, really you are.
I’m so glad you sent it to CakeWrecks! I love that site!!!
I had this exact same thing happen on my wedding (May 30th too, wahoo!) although I must say you’re cake came out better than mine. I had put so much confidence in my baker who said “Just give me the picture, I can replicate anything” and what I got was an uneven, smaller, amateur attempt at a wedding cake which was supposed to look like a cake from InStyle magazine. It was so ugly that my mom wanted to sue the baker for false advertising. After discussing my missing tier (I wanted a partial refund) and the new design that was unlike my original picture - all I was offered was a free birthday cake. Why would I want to do business with that person again after she clearly didn’t care to have my wedding cake done right?!?! SO-CAL BRIDES BEWARE! Message me if you’d like the name of this very unprofessional baker. On the bright side Mrs. P, you’re wedding was otherwise perfect and beyond gorgeous!
Oh… wow.
@angielea: I hardly think that being in the midwest means our vendors are aloof and throw away people’s top-tiers. In fact, I was having a convo with my photographer the other day and she was talking about how much nicer and MORE thoughtful midwest vendors are - doing things even when they’re not asked for… showing up for the wedding even if the bride forgot to pay the retainer, etc etc. I would have expected any vendor, anywhere to keep it, knowing how important it was. (And in the midwest, I’d have expected the baker to call me too, and remind me that he/she had my tier!!) And I would have been quite disappointed that they’d lost it. Even if it was ugly. And bad-tasting.
Just out of curiosity, did your coordinator say anything about the way your wreck looked on your wedding day?
I’m really sorry that they lost your top tier, even though it didn’t taste good, it still would be nice to have on your 1st anniversary.
Eh, who cares about eating frozen, stale cake a year after your wedding? I think the offer of the baker to make you a new cake (it can be the same flavors if you want to re-create your wedding cake, although it sounded like you didn’t really care for the flavor combo anyways) is a way better option…I also don’t think your cake was ugly, although I def understand the frustration at it not being what you wanted…Personally, I do not give 2 hoots about our cake and in fact, we’re only having a little “for show” cake to do the stupid cake cutting which I think is another tradition I’d rather forgo but mother and MIL are aghast at that idea…So we’re having a little cake for cutting and and our guest are going to be served fresh strawberry shortcake! YUM!
What really would have made your cake truly fabulous would be some plastic babies, preferably riding carrots, and some writing: “Congradusions Underneat That Perfumes.”
Trust me, if you didn’t want to eat the “fresh” cake, you definitely wouldn’t have wanted to eat the year old one. Get a new one on your one year anniversary and get it with the lemon and raspberry filling and enjoy it!
I don’t think I would have paid the balance that was owed to the baker if this was what they gave. Now that it’s all said and done, I would kindly reply that a replacement cake is not desired, but a partial refund for the missing tier would be fair.
@MissMelissaB: No, she said nothing!!!! And @lalalandTN: I did tell her in my note how awful the cake was and she’d do well not to ever use that vendor again. I mean, how much culpability does the coordinator have in this situation. I’m afraid too much time has passed to ask for any money back.
@VivianD123: Wow, you experienced the very same thing. Perhaps they knew (like ours did) that it was so hideous you would never want the top tier, so they promptly lost it. I’m seeing a trend here! Ugly cake=lose it fast!
Well, try to look on the bright side. It’s not so bad it’s worthy of a blog post on cakewrecks.com. 
And personally? I don’t think it looks that bad. The trim is off, but the other design work is pretty.
I’m sorry about your cake! But your pictures are adorable if that helps
I think you handled the cake wreck pretty well! I can’t believe how shoddy of a job it was!! You’re right, kinda funny in retrospect…I’d almost think you could get some money back for that work…oh well though. I may or may not have laughed out loud when I saw the picture!
The email response was fairly lacking too…you’d think there could be more of an apology or something at least!…hrm…
Well I have to say that I don’t think that cake is a “wreck” per say. Yes, the color is off, and the baker should have been honest that the had no experience doing or was not good at the “lace” flowers. But I can see that they really tried to do well with it. Fondant is very difficult to work with so I can see if the “seams” of the edges were in the back of the cake, If those were in the front…that is definitely a problem. I’m sure the baker was was frustrated with the result too. They had to know that it did not look exactly like the picture. But, since you never said anything, how could they offer you a refund or any type of compensation? Honestly, if I provided someone a service and I did not hear from them, I would think that things were fine. I understand the cake was not exactly what you wanted, but I don’t feel like it was a “wreck” either.
I really hope Cake Wrecks posts your cake, that was WAY off the mark. Sorry your cake was a wreck and sorry they lost your top. No matter how gross ppl tell me it will be I really want to eat our top tier a year later.
Honestly - your wedding looked AMAZING. I’m sure no one who saw your cake would care b/c all the other details were fabulous. Actually - fabulous doesn’t begin to describe the beauty of it all - but I digress.
I would let the ugly top tier cake go and bask in the deliciousness of a freshly baked cake for your 1 year anniversary! Congratulations!
@Ami: That’s fair. I told the coordinator a month and a half later that I wasn’t thrilled with it and advised her not to use the baker again. I’m not sure if she said anything to the baker.
Wow… not that i know the coordinator or anything but it seems like she dropped the ball on the cake thing. If I was you heck yeah i would be upset!
@MrsBtobe: @Sulli301: @budgetbeautiful: You guys are too kind! Thanks for cheering me up and lauging with me!
You know, since you told the coordinator how unhappy you were- you definitely deserved ‘more’ of a response than she gave you.
and…honestly- the pictures ARE gorgeous. Everything looked so beautiful and elegant! Looking at the pic of you two with the cake ALL i could see was that gorgeous dress. The cake looks fine in that one!
It sounds as if maybe the co-ordinator thought, given how much you hated the cake, that you wouldn’t want to keep it, so they just chucked it. She should have just said that and apologised if that was the case though.
Given the fact that you did hate your cake, I’d count my blessings if I were you! Order a fantastic-tasting anniversary cake from a really great baker, and enjoy the great cake you never got to have!
awww, mrs. p, so sorry about your troubles with the cake. i’m glad you and mr. p were able to enjoy your wedding regardless. and i bet the beauty of you two provided a distraction for your guests. yes?
and, yeah, these days, i hear most couples just have a new cake made for their 1 year anniversary because year-old cake is just not so yummy. but, regardless of what’s the trend now, they should have kept your top tier and let you decide what you wanted to do.
i would have expected a better response from esme, considering how fantastic you say she had been about other things. she seemed kind of aloof in that letter. sure, she has tons of weddings to deal with, but you only have one, and she should have realized the significance and importance of that.
cheers to you and mr. p! may you have your cake and eat it too………and may it be the cake you want!!:-)
Our cake definintley wasn’t ugly, but it was the wrong color. It was supposed to be a mint green, and it was full on yellow-ivory. It was still the most delish wedding cake I’ve ever had tho, and I can’t wait to have some more on our anniversary!
@lalalandTN: @ladybuglove: Aw, thanks guys.
@Anniebelle: I wish ours tasted good. But what’s got me curious is that one of our guests mentioened that his wife loved the cake, and ate three pieces (but she’s pregnant, so…).
Honestly, year old frozen cake is disgusting. Even if it was delicious the first time you had it. Most bakers offer to make you a cake for your 1 year anniversary these days anyway. You can get the yellow cake with raspberry filling that you wanted in the first place!
As for your coordinator, while her e-mail did seem to brush it off, I don’t know that it was entirely her fault that it happened. It was quite awhile after your wedding that you asked about it, and I’m not surprised that it went missing.
But, your cake was pretty sad. Not quite cake wrecks worthy, but sad, nonetheless.
It depends on how experienced your DOC is and what kind of expectation she gives you. If she’s very experienced with weddings in general, one would think she’s should be very familiar with all wedding vendors. Accordingly, she should be quite culpable for using such an awful vendor. If she’s not and if cake is the lowest priority on your list, I guess I won’t be surprised that the cake is left out as an unattended element. BTW, hydrangea is toxic and cannot be used to decorate edibles.
Aww, Mrs. P! So sorry that you were so disappointed in your cake! It’s certainly no work of art, but it’s not THAT terrible…well, okay, it’s not that great either
That sucks even more that they lost your top tier, though! I would be really bummed about that, sentimental sap that I am.
I agree that the cake was a wreck and can’t believe you paid $10 per slice for it. It is lumpy and the boarder has cracks and the dots are crooked, at least they could have used a ruler! I guess it’s not worth the effort now to try and contact the bakery for a partial refund. It was nice of the venue to offer you a new cake made by THEIR baker, hope that one tastes and looks better. My fingers are crossed that it makes it to cakewrecks.com, then everyone can at least have a laugh.
I personally think if they had left the trim off it would have been at least okay. I agree though, the trim and beads were nuts. As for losing the top tier—-very weird. Any baker knows to not throw that stuff away. Although I agree the coordinator gave you a lame response, hopefully she can hook you up with a better one for your anniversary and NOT use that vendor–possibly. BTW, frozen cake after a year is pretty gross from what I hear, but maybe that’s not the point, the point is it’s from your day. For me though, I want it to still taste good! HAHA
What if instead you tried to recreate the madness all on your own? I know it’s not the same as having a wonderful bakery somewhere providing it for you—but I bet yours would turn out better and you could use buttercream frosting!! 
AHAHA, oh please, please tell me you’re submitting this to Cake Wrecks! It’s perfect!
As unfortunate as it is, it ultimately isn’t a huge thing to get upset over. It’s a pity it wasn’t even tasty, though. Our cake was, um, not ugly… but “vintage” comes to mind. (Like 80s vintage: http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/03/10/montana-bakery/ ) It was, however, delicious, and I am looking forward to eating the rest of it’s freezer-burned carcass in a month. Heh.
ouch….. sorry about what happened to your cake! I have to be honest and agree with you that yes that cake is ugly… I feel sorry especially when I was following your vintage inspired wedding and saw how everything has a theme that is very vintage, beautiful and rococo-ish. I am glad it didn’t affect your mood!
If I were you, I would try to somehow get a portion of the $$ back because A) the top tier is missing B) The craftmanship is truly not very good.
You said in your last post you paid TEN DOLLARS a slice for THAT cake?! Honestly, that is prrriiiicceey for cake, and if you’re paying that much, you deserve the best. I don’t know where this baker gets off charging $10/slice when they are obviously not every skilled. Even beyond the lace detailing and dots, the tiers are lumpy, the fondant’s not smooth, and the fondant is cracked in places. That’s unacceptable from someone who charges high-end prices.
First, I LOVE that you submitted it to cake wrecks! You have the perfect attitude about it What stands out to me are the broken pieces of trim! Also, too bad to hear they “lost” your top tier. Were you supposed to take it, or were they keeping it for your one year? That stinks.
Oh man, the cake looks so…well, amateurish. I would be bummed that they lost your top tier! For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure our banquet staff ate most of our cake–they cut tiny pieces for our guests and we only got the top tier back. FWIW, I definitely think that year-old cake never tastes good. We ate our cake on our one month anniversary because I knew it wouldn’t last.
You’ll have to let us know if it makes it to Cake Wrecks!
@Elizabeth: I’m getting all riled up now! (How was I so dumb and non-chalant about this?)
@Mrs. Quiche: To be honest, I assumed they’d take care of it. It was at the resort and they took care of everything else. Esme never said “It’s not our job to hang on to it for you.” Now that I think about it, she knew that we’d be back from our 1 year.
It’s not even my wedding and I’m sad for you. I’m so glad that everything else went so well. Not everything can be perfect and better it be something like this that isn’t wedding ruining!
Mrs. P and VivianD123: What is it about May 30 and bad cakes? Ours may not have been a wreck, but we definitely got the wrong flavor - and didn’t know until we cut into it. I wanted vanilla pound cake with rasberry filling… and got chocolate cake with chocolate filling. Some may think that’s a trade up, but for a girl who doesn’t like chocolate cake…. FAIL!! Our caterer wouldn’t refund the entire amount of the cake because “it was a cake and people ate it.”
i would be a bit bummed by the cake, then quickly submit it to cake wrecks
Yeah, I had an ugly cake. Well, the cake itself wasn’t ugly….but the baker put floral crap all over it. There was foliage all over my cake. And please don’t think pretty flowers….think fern and baby’s breath mayhem. It sucked!
Ugh, this is a tough one — I have to say, no matter what anyone tells you, this one is completely up to you. I for sure know that a good number of my friends would demand a further explanation + a discount/refund + a free cake. I’m not very confrontational, and for me, it’s not that big of a deal — but I would probably still send another request of some sort, recognizing there’s not much she can do now, but mentioning my disappointment + seeing if there’s anything else $ wise. But her communication is by-the-book for handling what could be an explosive situation, and is very professional — and yeah, sorry about that cake :D, but hey, everyone’s got some good drama It makes for great stories later
Mrs. Perfume- You got a Monet cake!
I haven’t seen Clueless in forever but at one point Cher/Alicia Silverstone describes a girl as a full-on Monet…and says something like “from far away it’s OK but up close- it’s a big old mess.”
I know that might not make you feel any better but in the pics where you see the cake from far away it looks quite good…really! And then that detail shot…well, let’s just say it’s not quite as good.
Total Monet!
HAHA totally agree with MrsSpitzer!! From far away in the pic I said, that’s not half bad! Then the close up was like… something I would have done.
I think it’s unfortunate about the cake sucking but you can just chalk that up to bad luck/choices and that something will ALWAYS go wrong. But them losing your cake top? Ummm that’s not good. I would personally respond regarding the sentimental value that has been lost and asking how it could have been lost, so she knows it’s not just a no-big-deal thing to you.
oh my!! This was a cake wreck…I have delved in cake decorating and this looks worse than one of my first attempts using fondant….any professional should be embarrassed letting a cake like that go out!!
Yeah, if you’re paying $10 a slice, you shouldn’t have uneven trim or weirdly shaped icing dots!
I agree with the other posters who say not to make a big fuss about the top layer, though. It sounds like your coordinator was really fantastic in all other regards, so that’s way more important than saving the top layer of some not-so-tasty/ugly cake.
@CherryPie — I was struggling for a way to describe my cake and “vintage” as in “vintage 80s” is totally the best description! Thank you.
Looks like $250. Cake. Blame the coordinator or the cake maker. May be you got what you paid for.
Well first, I would definitely get my money back from the baker. I mean, it might be too late since it’s been a while since you’re wedding, but… if you’re cake didn’t look good AND didn’t taste good, you should be entitled to something. Also, when we hacked into our first tier on our anniversary, I sort of wished we had gotten a replica instead of the real thing — talk about nasty! The once delicious cake we remembered at our wedding was now a disgusting resemblance. I say be thankful they lost it! At least you can enjoy a nicer cake — or, you can just have them replicate the cake wreck you had to begin with.
I’m sorry to hear about your cake! When my MOH got married her cake did not turn out right either. The delivery man was actually scared. Her husband immediately called the bakery and they were able to get their money back plus an anniversary cake. I would contact the bakery and let them know what a horrible job they did. I would review this vendor to warn future brides.
My sister’s top tier accidentally got cut and partially served (contrary to the contract) and their site was AMAZING about it - within hours of our call the next day they had another cake (even bigger actually) ready for us to pick up. They were never planning on freezing the top tier (EEW - sorry, I just couldn’t get behind that tradition either) but they had ordered the top tier a special flavor to enjoy together. I’d much prefer this route to an IOU - turnover in catering is fast and who knows who will be around when you want to collect in a year.
I would just let it go. You just spent the whole post complaining about how ugly and horrible it was, why do you want to keep a party of it? Sure it stinks that it was lost and had you actually liked it, it would have been nice to have it, but you hated it and it was ugly. Just get a better, prettier cake on your 1st anniversary and be done iwth it. It’s not worth potentially burning a bridge with a vendor who you really liked except this one little tiny issue.
I don’t really mean to say that midwest vendors are aloof, not at all. I probably worded that poorly. I think that all my vendors were courteous and very professional.
But, I wouldn’t expect my venue to keep a piece of my cake in their freezer for a month and a half when they’re throwing other events on a weekly basis.
I don’t think what either of the vendors did was the best thing, but I understand how/ why the cake got thrown away.
I do hope this cake gets shown on cake wrecks, I love the inspiration wrecks. The plaid cake was epic.
I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t happy with your cake and that your topper was lost. If it was arranged with the coordinator, maybe she can talk to the baker and give you $$ something back. Or, you can talk to the baker directly. You definitely deserve something back.
My wedding topper was MIA on my wedding day too :o( The baker forgot the topper at her place (2 hours away from the reception) but was proactive and put flowers instead, taken from my centerpieces. It actually looked pretty with the flowers too. I noticed my topper missing once throughout the night. My first thought was that it might have broken since it was porcelain (Precious Moments figurine). It was a gift from my mom and I collect them so I wondered what happened. But, then I got distracted with so much going on that I didn’t think about it again.
I called the baker the next morning and the topper was fine, she has just forgotten it. She offered to refund me a portion so it was nice. I didn’t even have to ask for it. I was just glad that I was going to get it back in one piece.
Mrs. P- Sorry that the cake was a wreck! It sounds like they put it in the freezer the way you described it looking melted and the cake was dry. I’ve seen this happen a lot with fondant cakes. They get put in a freezer and then when they thaw out the coloring and decorations start to melt. Yuck!
The neighbors daughter got married last year and the cake never showed up! So one of the aunts ran over to Walmart and bought a sheet cake to set out. Poor girl!
I agree with others take the baker up on making you something fresh and good for your 1 year!
You are way nicer then me. I would have the baker refund me my money ASAP! Not only that but your coordinator should make sure not to advertise his services going forward. All it did, is make her look bad if she’s the one that recomended him.
Oh man, Mrs. P! I’m so sorry to read about your Play-Doh Cake Wreck. It is pretty annoying that on top of its unfinished appearance, the damn thing didn’t even taste good! Not cool. And now you are without your top tier. Hmmm, I think it would bother me. I *hope* that this is one of those things that with time you will begin to care less and less. However, I wonder what the cake bakery has to say for themselves? That picture you’ve posted is hard evidence that the cake had some issues!
If it makes you feel any better, Mr. G and I didn’t even do a cake cutting. Everyone was dancing and kicking up their heels, and I stupidly said “forget the cake cutting”. So we have one lame picture of us standing next to the cake, and that’s it. It pains me to think that we let that tradition pass us by. But, I’m starting to get over it. I hope you eat some fabulous NEW cake on your one year!
ohh!! I’m so sorry Mrs. Perfume!! That is such a positive way to take it tho, it’s way better to laugh about it than being incredibly mad, I really hope they blog your cake!!
I was hoping the cake was not as bad as you first said it was, but you have a strong point to have it named the “ugly cake”
My husband’s groom’s cake was an ugly cake, and our reaction at the wedding was similar to yours! When we saw his cake we both laughed and made jokes about it with our friends. “Did they let a 3rd grader decorate the cake?” “Is the ugly Cubs cake topper supposed to be a reflection on the team’s performance this year?” Ect.
It wasn’t a huge deal at the time b/c we were so giddy about the wedding, but looking back….our baker should have done a better job. I try not to think about it b/c what’s done is done!
wow! def. taking your advice “simple and buttercream.” the rest of your wedding was beautiful, and i’m sure you’ll remember your mess of a cake fondly down the road.
Woooooow! You surely weren’t kidding about the cake, I’m so sorry that happened to you! I’m glad you are having a good attitude about the whole situation my submitting it to cake wrecks. I have to disagree with a few of the above comments, though, and I don’t think you should drop the issue. You paid a pretty penny for this cake and it looked like a joke that child made. You deserve some sort of compensation for that. Also, as far as your top tier being lost, that’s also a big oops. For our wedding it was in our contract, whether or not we wanted to save the top tier. As much of a joke as your actual cake was, I agree that it was still your cake and you wanted to incorporate it into your first anniversary. That’s nice you’ll get a new cake, but shoot, I think it’s just the point of the thing so I don’t blame you for feeling that way.
Again, I’m so sorry this happened to you and I hope it all ends with some sort of resolution you can be happy, as possible in this situation, with.
Oh, and P.S. my cake was pretty much as simple as possible, and I should have taken better close up photos as proof, because my cake was crooked looking and the fondant was full of seams. Funny how these bakers get away with these things!
@Mrs. Hot Cocoa: I love it! Hilarious!
Mrs. Perfume, I do think you should forget it. I know it is disappointing but you don’t actually sound all that upset, you sound like you think you SHOULD be upset. I think it is healthiest to avoid getting all fired up about “the principle of the matter.” (Something that is easier said than done, I know.) It is a little bit of a bummer, the lost cake top, but in the larger scheme of things, not that important.
@Mrs. Hot Cocoa: hahahaha, hot cocoa, you are hilarious!!!
The cake was baaaaadddd, but forget about the top tier. Instead, start a new anniversary tradition that is special to the two of you.
Oh my goodness! First off, wonderful job recapping this (is that a verb?) in a graceful yet hilarious wedding. The fact that it was so pricey yet so disappointing in taste and appearance is just awful. Get yourself a delicious fresh cake on your anniversary!!!! You deserve it! If they hadn’t lost the top tier, you may have had bad cake flashbacks.
eep!!! I meant to say way, not wedding. I had quite a bit of wine with dinner… *blushes*
you’re such a good sport! glad to finally see The Cake.
on the bright side, from far away, it looks okay. maybe it wouldn’t be too bad in pictures 
but hey, you look gorgeous (love both dresses and the big arse flower!) and the venue is amazing!
forget about the top tier — have a giant anniversary macaron croquembouche instead!
the cake seems like it was put together at the last minute - like the baker completely forgot about the cake in general and had someone else do it. if i was in your shoes, i’ll be upset. however, if you can laugh about it you should aso be able to forget about it (hard part). it sucks!
what i’m confuse is why did you wait so long to say something? couldn’t you see the cake and the progress before the day of the wedding? honestly, if it bothered you that much, you should of told the baker or planner first thing in the morning. as for you planner’s response…, i’m not surprised. why? bc the money is already in her pocket and she probably won’t be expecting your business anytime soon.
it seems like your wedding was beautifully done!! can’t wait to see your recap!
We had a destination wedding (2 hr plane ride plus 1 hr drive) and one of the reasons we chose our baker is because they mail you a fresh cake on your anniversary (can be exactly the same, or different - I’m assuming it isn’t decorated). We left the wedding for our honeymoon and it was impractical for us to take our cake top with us, so this was a perfect solution. I have been very excited (ridiculously excited) for a weekend of champagne and cake in Palm Springs (where we will celebrate our anniversary) and I love that they send a cake for free! So while you have every right to be upset, I hope that in a couple of months you get excited for a romantic evening with your husband and lemon cake with raspberry filling!
For $10 a slice? That bakery wouldn’t have received a phone call, they would have received me on their doorstep. With a slice of cake, demanding they try their own product.
I’m so sorry that didn’t work the way you had planned, the trim and beading are all off and the lace work looks like it was done while on an illegal substance.
I just showed your post to Mr.D and he asked if a child designed it… what is with the
Omg, you weren’t kidding about the cake wreck. I was seriously thinking that you overplayed it as I saw the photo from afar, but then I totally lol-ed. I know it’s a funny story now (which I’m hoping is the way you see it), so all is hopefully well. Except for the brush off email about the top tier.
If it’s any consolation, the rest of the wedding and you and the hubs looked fabulous, so I can’t wait to read/see more!!!
oh wow, yikes! i’m glad you guys had macaroons! good thing you were on a wedding high and didn’t really let it get to you and ruin it for you.
Mrs. P - first, your reception looks like it was simply stunning…aside from the cake of course! Yikes…yikes…yikes. I think it is great that you are able to joke about the situation, because I mean, in the end, what could you have done at the time of the wedding? Nothing. However, I would have been the bridezilla storming in to the bakery and demanding every penny back. Actually, I probably would have been crying in the corner over it. I am no cake baker, but heck, I think I could do a better job at making that. It looks like they forgot to make your cake, and then slapped it together at the last minute. Was it take your child to work day the day they made your cake, and the 6 year old son/daughter of the baker went to work on this one?
@ATbride: Oh no, y’all are freaking me out with May 30th doom! I am getting married on May 30 next year…I hope this doesn’t bode the same for me!
Playdoh - ha! Well I’m glad you were able to laugh about it then and turn it in to two suspense filled posts for WeddingBee I say for your one year, do the cake you originally wanted, with buttercream, from any other vendor. Just pay for it, It’ll be worth the happy memories!!!
I’m in agreement with previous comments - for $10 a slice that cake was completely unacceptable. You have a valid reason to be upset.
Our venue cut-up our wedding cake including our top tier (we had a cake buffet which included a mini-wedding cake). We (actually I) planned eating the top tier the next day before our honeymoon rather than freezing it for one year anniversary (gross). At first, I was sad but was soon appeased by a tasty sandwich and knowing that delectable buttery pastries awaited me.
Good for you to find the humor in it all.
Oh no, Mrs. Perfume! Your cake is pretty ugly, at least in comparison to what it was supposed to look like! I’m glad it didn’t ruin your day, though. I wouldn’t dwell on it too much now–what can they really do besides give you your money back? Would that make up for it?
[...] The Case of the Ugly Cake: Part 2 - A Cake Wreck to Call Our Own by Mrs. Perfume [...]
Seriously, no need to make excuses for that cake. I would ask for a partial refund from the baker. That’s terrible that they didn’t include the top tier..I’ve heard of cakes doing fine in the freezer after a year.
And fondant does suck…
Horrible piping job too…brush embroidery (which I’m guessing is the technique your flowers should be) isn’t difficult in the least. I’m so sorry girl!
While it doesn’t seem like your coordinator’s fault, that cake is pretty unprofessional. But! As a former bakery slave, let Miss Perfume’s top tier mishap be a lesson to you….take your top tier home!!!!! Catering and bakery space is minimal, especially when it comes to the freezer. Some college kid probably got the task of cleaning out the bulging freezer and thought it was just some old cake someone forgot about. But if I were you, I would be thanking the cake gods it’s lost. An already dry overly sweet cake will be dryer and sweeter after thawing, especially after a year.
My cake was wonderful…and my family ATE my top tier! I am scheming on how to get that cake again next time we are in GA where I got married….know how you feel!
Oh no!! Ours was quite the cake wreck too (hahaha, just thinking about it still makes me laugh) but at least it was delicious!
If you ask me, it was probably a blessing in disguise that the top tier went missing… sounds you wouldn’t want to relive that monstrous moment over again, anyway. I know it’s ’sentimental’ and all but really, it’s YOU who will make your anniversary moment special, not some crummy cake.
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Mrs. Perfume, DC
Age and Occupation: 36, Consultant (and Part-Time Professor)
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Consultant
Engagement Date: May 13, 2008
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Venue: The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia
About Me: I'd like to think that I'm a modern day Little Edie Beale. Only not as..."talented". More realistically, I'm a foodie who can't bake; a dancer and dilettente; an art collector with a penchant for the whimsical and subversive. I live in the city and adore the country, but not much in between. I like smart design, great craftmanship and good value. Most of all, I love the new vintage aesthetic: classic, sweet, delicate, bespoke. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go for a culinary arts degree rather than a PhD; but wouldn't trade Mr. P for the world.
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