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?

Was it yesterday? It was very hot.

I’d accept 50%.

Need more context. Was it stored as advised? Was the room very hot? Flat floor?

I'd expect a fruit cake to stand out but not anything else especially in the heat we've been having in some parts of the UK over the last few days.

Did you contact the cake maker when you noticed the cake was leaning? What did they advise?

Cakes don’t do well in the heat. All depends on the terms. Did the cake maker explain that it would been to be in an air conditioned room, or stored in a cool room? Did they come and do the set up and discuss how to keep it standing?

They can’t control the heat, and do rely on venues having temperature control or on you to only have the cake brought out when you’re going to cut it. But they need to communicate that with you.

I think 1/3 is reasonable as that is her profit, think of the time and cost of ingredients, I think more context is needed but if the flooring wonky and not set up correctly, very hot day etc is out of the remit of the cake maker.

A buttercream cake should have had pillars going through the bottom layer of the cake to support the top tier. A professional cake maker should know this. The warm weather would've made the collapse inevitable.
Was the cake assembled by the hotel staff or by the cake maker? Do you know at what time the cake was delivered? If the cake maker assembled it themselves then you have a stronger case.

I originally wanted buttercream for our wedding cake and the company recommended against it because it just isn’t as sturdy as fondant for a cake that will be sitting out for hours before cutting, especially in warm weather.

But if they only bothered to tell you this after they made it and charged you for it, then yes i’d be annoyed.

Well it’s been very hot, was rather stupid of you to have the cake left out throughout the day. Should of asked the venue to put it in the fridge. It’s basic common sense so yes yabu.

Cake was assembled by then and delivered by them to a venue they know. She didn’t tell us about any issues we only knew when we turned up.

Fruit cake with royal icing would probably survive world war 3. Victoria sponge and buttercream not so much, especially in hot weather

Sorry op i think we need more information than this to help you with a decision

Buttercream for a wedding cake is pretty rogue. If you kept it in a warm room for 6 hours I think that’s on you really. It’s butter.

If you left the cake out all day in a hot room then it’s on you tbh. You really shouldn’t need telling that buttercream shouldn’t be left out - basic food hygiene should tell you that!

That's a shame that it went wrong and you didn't get the moment that you wanted.

Having said that it doesn't sound like a traditional wedding cake which is designed for standing all day, cutting ceremonies, etc.

Butter cream is very sensitive to heat in the way that royal icing / fruit cake is not.

I don't think it is the cake maker's responsibly if the cake was too hot / standing for too long, etc. Although perhaps they should have warned you about that (if they knew your plans).

Considering all of the above, I think they are being very decent in offering you anything back at all.

But if the cake was genuinely badly made and soggy, unpleasant to eat, etc that would be different.

Worse things are going to happen in your marriage. There’s no financial loss to you. Unless the cake maker had been completely negligent in the making of it I’d let them off. I’d be more likely to complain to a large firm than individual. I suspect this is an individual worried about their reputation though as a large firm probably would not be offering a refund given lots of cake responsibilities are out of their control

How long was it assembled for? And did you keep it cool before assembling?

If It’s a small business I would just let it go. Too many variables to know who was at fault.

This happend to the cake at my wedding 25 years ago. It was also an in incredibly hot day.it wasn't even butter cream but the icing still collapsed under the top tier and part of it fell on the floor. I have pictures of it . I didn't even consider getting a refund,it was just something we laughed about

This.
It isn’t the cake makers fault and they are being generous in offering anything back imo.

I think 2/3 refund would be more than reasonable. I’d have gone for a full refund.
How did you pay for it?

It’s been far too hot to leave a cake out!

Buttercream doesn't last well, which is why so many are royal icing.

Its a soft sponge cake, of course it was going to lean and collapse if it wasnt kept in the fridge until the last minute

Buttercream is always risky especially in hot weather. They should have warned you of that. Cake slipped - unfortunate accident, not their fault. Photos ruined, a shame, but you still had the cake and presumably served it. I think 1/3 refund is reasonable.

Believe me, in a couple of years time you won't bother looking at the photos anymore, and if they had a collapsed cake in them they'd probably be far more interesting anyway!