No Cake – No Problem!
Every couple dreams about their perfect wedding. Many months of planning go into such a special day, so the last thing anyone expects is for something to go wrong. Unfortunately, there is almost always something that goes awry on a wedding day. Luckily with proper training the amount of, or degree to which a mishap can be fixed or erased will be minimal. Wedding horror stories can be fun to talk about later, but while they are happening it is a nightmare. Professionals use these unfortunate events as a learning tool so as not to encounter them again.
One such wedding horror story happened to our friends at A Catered Event while they were catering a wedding at Red Brick Occasions in downtown Columbus a couple of years ago. The bride & groom had ordered a large tiered cake from a local wedding cake vendor. But, due to a miscommunication concerning wedding duties – neither the bride, groom nor a member of the bride’s family had followed through with the cake order or made the necessary payment. Everyone assumed that someone else had handled it. But no one had!
Everything was set up for the wedding / reception including the cake table complete with special linen, monogramed napkins and decorations. It was close to the time for the guests to arrive, but NO CAKE had been delivered. As a part of their full service catering, A Catered Event always secures the names and phone numbers of all other vendors to insure that everything goes smoothly the day of the event. A Catered Event staff called about the cake delivery and were told that the order was not finalized and that no cake was going to be delivered. Unfortunately, the cake company was unable and unwilling to assist A Catered Event in remedying the situation.
RED BRICK OCCASIONS
After consultation with the bride’s family about the problem, the owners of A Catered Event, Bob & Mary Jane, went to the only two downtown grocery stores searching for a cake that would be suitable for the occasion. The bride & groom had agreed to be flexible and have a small cake for cake cutting pictures instead of a tiered cake. They would have sheet cakes to be cut in the kitchen to serve to the guests. It was explained to them that this is an option that many couples do at their receptions. In a stroke of good fortune, Bob & Mary Jane, were able to find a round cake with turquoise icing that matched the event colors and sheet cakes for the back of the house to cut and serve to the guests. A Catered Event’s staff set up the cake on a cake stand on the cake table and decorated it with the flowers that were to adorn the ordered cake. This was done while the guests were arriving and the ceremony was happening. No one at the reception suspected that this cake was not the bride & groom’s original plan.
The lesson to be learned from this mishap is to have a check list of all important things to be done for the event and a list of who will be responsible for each of these things. Then verify that everyone did what was expected of them. Also, take the time to call all the major vendors for your event about a week prior to the big day to make sure all the details are correct. Don’t assume that everyone is going to be doing what you expect without confirmation. And most important, use a caterer or venue owner who is experienced and can solve problems and avert any possible event disaster!
