help!! - Wedding Forum

Lynne · #1 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 03:10 PM

I dont know what to do. I was a nanny for 9 years and still get on really well with the family. When i told them i was getting married they asked what we were doing about a wedding cake. I said we had decided just to go for the M&S one and decorate it with fresh flowers. They got in touch with me a few months ago and said as they have known me for so long and see me as part of their family, they would like to pay for my cake. I thought this was really sweet of them and said that that would be lovely.

Last week she got intouch to say she had been talking it over with her MIL and she had said there is no need for them to buy one, that she will make one. She makes all the familes bithday/christmas cakes etc. I have tasted many of them and they taste lovely, but how can i put it...... her decorating is not the best in the world.

I dont know what to do now............

Angelmouse · #2 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 03:57 PM

I don't know really. How about just being honest and telling them that you have a set idea on how you'd like it decorated and would love her MIL to make the cake but take it somewhere to be decorated?

Try to be diplomatic! I hope you come up with something

Fran

Lynne · #3 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 04:56 PM

Fran

its not that i want anything fancy, i was only going to get fresh flowers anyway. Ijust want the icing to be flat lol

I was going to make the cake myself to start with, but with everything else to do, thought it would be easier just to buy one. I am starting to wish id kept to my original plan

Laurie · #4 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:10 PM

Not much help really but you could always tell her that you've fallen in love with a cake that you've seen in a shop.

Lynne · #5 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:12 PM

that is what my sis said, but she will be at the wedding so they will see the cake. If i dont get it as a pressie from her I will go with the M&S cake and flowers, so she will know.......

nikki · #6 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:14 PM

My MIL2 is making my cake despite Nick's jokes about his mum's dreadful cakes! I thought it would be nice for her since her own daughter (also a b2b) is a snotty so n so who says cakes cost AT LEAST £800 and she isn;t having a home baked one at HER wedding.....

So I found some that I liked and e-mailed the pics to my MIL with some suggestions ..... would this help??? Probably not if she can;t ice straight.....

Nikki xxx

Lynne · #7 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:22 PM

thanks i will look thru some mags and take in some pics and see what she says. I dont want to nag, and i would love to have a home made one, but I know from the christmas cakes (with lots of spikes all over it rather than trying to make the icing flat) that she will find it quite difficult

nikki · #8 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:23 PM

Maybe you could theme your whole wedding round 'spikiness' so the cake would fit in????????

Nikki xx

Lynne · #9 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 05:27 PM

yeah and give h2b a gareth gates hairdo lol

nikki · #10 (**permalink**) 07-04-2002, 06:51 PM

Hmmmm... and have Harriet Hedgehog as bridemaid ..... and wear nothing but cuningly designed barbed wire.....

N xx

Bev · #11 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 02:09 AM

Hmmm, a tricky one indeed... perhaps getting some pictures of designs you like and showing them to her would be an idea, or perhaps you could tell a huge porky and say that a professional cake decorating friend has offered to do it for free as a gift and you don't want to offend her - therefore would MIL mind making the cake as you love her cakes so much but can she leave it un-iced for your dear sweet friend who wants so very much to contrubute to your arrangements. Devious, moi?

Lynne · #12 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 05:41 AM

I did think about that Bev, and i could ice it myself no bother, but I am no professional and the whole family are coming to the wedding and would no doubt see the cake.

I think i will take the pics tho as suggested and say to her, that if her MIL thinks it would be too difficult, that i really dont mind etc.

I also saw the florist at the weekend and i thought about saying i had booked the flowers for the cake too. (she did make a funny face when i told her it was 3 tier - only due to the fact that size wise for m&s ones we needed 3) Mabye she might think it is all too much and will just offer to pay for the M&S one again

arghhhhhhh!!!

collette · #13 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 08:05 AM

hi lynne jsut a quick question are you ahving decorative icing or just flat/plain kind of thing?? im getting the impression from above posts it will be plain and flat, if it is there is icing available which is thick and ready to roll and used for most wedding cakes where she cant possibly make a mess of it maybe if this is how you want your cake you could just so happen to pass a store that sells it (all good cake stores or market stalls) and buy it and give it to her saying you saw it and thought you would pick it up for her to save her the hassle of looking for it......

not sure if this helps at all,
but best of luck whatever you decide!!

collettexx

Lynne · #14 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 08:12 AM

ah i actually never thought about ready to roll icing......how thick am i

I will mention it to her when i see her, that would be an awful lot easier than her trying to get her royal icing flat

thanks youre a star

cariad · #15 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 08:20 AM

I'd definitely mention the ready roll stuff, but if you feel she may still get offended, explain that you prefer the fondant icing to the hard royal icing...might make life a bit easier!

mistleuk · #16 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 09:06 AM

i think the ready roll stuff is the way to go especi;y if you say its due to u'r taste preferance hopefully you will be able to get away with this without upsetting anyboby

collette · #17 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 01:06 PM

your welcome lynne (takes a bow icon hehe)

Im no expert only that h2b uses this on his wedding cakes and is using it for ours it is just easier all round and is so smooth when on and just as tasty mmmm it will probably make her feel better as well to be honest that a bit off pressure is off her for making it perfect single handed!!!

collettexx

Eleanor · #18 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 01:14 PM

Even better than ready to roll is ready rolled. You can get it from supermarkets (only in one size though) but I used it for our christmas cake and it was great - impossible to cock up. You could say that you don't really like royal icing and would like the soft stuff.
E

Lynne · #19 (**permalink**) 08-04-2002, 02:03 PM

yeah, thanks guys, I feel so much better now. Her cakes taste lovely, i was just worried about icing them, but i never thought about the other icing (even though i have used it myself loads...how dumb am i

)

I will see her next week so will just say I would preffer fodant icing if it is ok with her (which like u said i am sure will be easier for her). If she is not too happy about icing the edges, i could easliy do that myselt

phew, i feel so much better now