Posts by Linda Johnson15

Andrew Cooper82 said:Ladies, I have a quick question for you all.
Do you think a five-tier cake is actually enough to feed about 250 to 270 guests? Or would it be wiser to pick up two smaller side cakes just to be safe? I’d hate to reach that point in the reception where someone is eyeing a second slice and realizes there isn't a single crumb left on the table...

Hmm, well... it really depends on how big those tiers actually are🙂 There's a huge difference between a 5-tier cake where the top is only 6 inches wide versus one where the top is 10 inches... if you know what I mean😍

If they make them large, you'll be fine... if they're small, you're gonna run out quickly🙂

Melissa Campbell5 said:I was wondering, what are we looking at for dessert prices per pound these days? And if anyone knows, what about whole cakes? Honestly, I’ve been checking the markets, and walnut prices are absolutely sky-high this year because of the poor harvest. So, if any brides-to-be out there have some recent intel... 🙂

Don't sweat it, walnuts aren't even the biggest factor in cake pricing🙂

You can find walnuts on other continents too😁

And yeah, I agree—walnuts are getting skipped more often lately due to allergies...

I was just in Savannah recently and picked up some treats from Golden Grain...
The flavor is honestly hard to put into words... it tasted just like my grandma used to make. I was actually pretty shocked... anyway, just figured I'd share in case anyone's looking...

Something like this: A friend’s wife actually dealt with this—she used some kind of solution she picked up at a local drugstore. She was super consistent about squeezing them out and disinfecting the area with it... and after two years, they were totally gone.

MRSA??? I highly doubt it...

My husband has these exact types of breakouts scattered across his scalp right now. We’re currently on our tenth attempt at different shampoos and creams... just hoping something finally works. 😁

Jerry Hughes74 said:I’ve got another question for the group... those little paper cupcake liners used for the treats... does anyone know if you can actually find them in different colors somewhere? Or maybe some that look a bit more high-end than these basic ones I'm stuck with? Any leads?

Try checking eBay... I always order from there since they don't carry much variety here in the States. 😢

They have everything from cupcake holders to little mini tart trays with handles...

Ugh... just remember, Google and the internet are your best friends. 😁

crimsonwolf382 said:I'm planning on doing cupcakes 😍, though not like the ones in the photo sitting in little cups—more like actual mini cakes. I think people call those cupcakes too even if they aren't strictly that, and then there will be a standard cutting cake on top. 🙂

Something like this 😍

Those are just mini cakes 😁 a cupcake is basically a muffin with frosting or sugar decor on it 🙂

Henry Barrett15 said:Hey ladies... I’m brand new here! So, my fiancé and I just sat down with our parents to hammer out some wedding details, and we decided on a little twist: we’re going to have a traditional cake for ourselves, but serve cupcakes to all the guests instead... hehe
I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this idea. I know it can end up being a bit more expensive—some specialty ones go anywhere from $10 to $5.00 each—but I think it’s such a fun concept and everyone will be totally blown away 😍 ...
Has anyone else actually gone this route for their big day? Hehe 🙂))

A price range of $10-$$5.00 isn't actually that bad. A standard wedding cake usually starts at $5.00 per person anyway... plus, the best part about cupcakes is you can pick different flavors for every tier
.


If you really want that "cake cutting" moment, just have a small single cake on top for the two of you, then fill out the rest of the stand with cupcakes...
Just make sure to order a few extra, just in case. You never know, because wedding cakes almost never end up being the exact right size for the guest count 😉

Bradley Jones9 said:well, I've been to a few bakeries where the cakes were from places like Magnolia Bakery or Levain, and you could actually see the knife marks where they had spread the frosting or whatever it is they do. The glaze wasn't perfectly smooth, and since I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I tend to notice when things aren't millimeter-perfect. To be fair, nothing from Cheesecake Factory has ever let me down; their cakes are great, I've tried everything in the shop, and they're my most reliable bet. As for the pricing at other spots, I asked around because I wasn't entirely sure how they usually structure things. I realize the cost might not be the most pleasant part of the conversation, but what can I say? That's just how I am—I notice every little flaw.
and that idea about the flavors, having the server ask what everyone wants, sounds like a wonderful notion to me!

The photo you posted shows fondant with buttercream swirls... there aren't any knife strokes in the frosting because there isn't any frosting used there. The only thing a "lesser" baker might mess up is leaving too many air bubbles in the filling... but if they know what they're doing, that won't happen.

From what I've seen online, their pastries are on par with something like Magnolia Bakery in NYC... but that doesn't make them wedding cake experts. There's a huge difference between a standard dessert and a wedding cake. Especially since they don't seem to know the technique for stacking tiered cakes. If they don't use separators, you run the risk of them stacking layers directly on top of each other, which means the bottom layer ends up full of margarine or, even worse, starts bulging out.

Ask them to show you photos of their actual wedding cakes and ask how they construct them. Especially if they aren't delivering it right at midnight, but rather having it sit in the restaurant until late.

Bradley Jones9 said:I suppose there isn't much point in requesting a different flavor for every single tier if everyone is only getting one slice anyway, right?

Not really... you could totally just do two layers of the same flavor... honestly, we just told the servers to list out all the available flavors so guests can pick what they actually want....

If you really want to, you can go with all layers being the same flavor...

But trust me, these decorations are pretty basic... so that $500 price tag feels way too high...

Bradley Jones9 said:

Uploaded with Imgur

I don't have any other photos available... this one is just from a three-story build, but I'm actually looking for something with five floors. Basically, $6.75 based on the fetish + $500 decor, I can choose whatever components I want to use... (by the way, the forum seems to be glitching a bit, so if I end up double-posting, please know it isn't intentional)

Not sure where you're working, but that's a massive order...

That's just a standard buttercream swirl decoration that any decent baker could pull off... I don't get what all the $500 is about???

Bradley Jones9 said:Does anyone know what the going rates are for wedding cakes and those little bite-sized pastries for the reception hall?
I have my eye on this gorgeous five-tier cake meant for about 200 guests, and I’m estimating the cost would be around $1833
. As for the mini desserts, they seem to be $1.25 per piece
. It doesn't strike me as being particularly expensive, but I suppose I might be mistaken—what has everyone else experienced?

That’s almost $9.00 per piece... which is honestly pretty steep.... if that cake is decorated that heavily, it better be on par with Magnolia Bakery 🤷. Plus, you won't be getting basic flavors like mousse or Black Forest at that price point...

For $1.25 a piece, you should expect something like:
macaroons

Or maybe petit fours:


Or mini cakes or cupcakes... but even then, $1.25 feels a bit 🙂

Ronald Jones11 said:I have absolutely no clue what kind of wedding cake I should order. Look, I’ve already nailed down the exterior design, but the inside? That's a total mystery to me. Give me your best suggestions and tell me about your own experiences.

We went with hazelnut, dark chocolate orange, and a chocolate mousse.

wearyharbor2 said:Alright, quick question for the ladies here—is anyone planning on doing those little favor boxes with sweets for their wedding guests? I'm spiraling a bit over here. Where on earth did you guys find decent packaging, and what kind of damage am I looking at price-wise?! Help a girl out, please! 🙏

I used a local print shop near Pittsburgh (Arlington) $1.75/for those little 4x4 inch square boxes with lids... I filled them with treats, tied them up with a 1-inch ribbon, and topped them off with a cute little thank-you tag featuring our date. At the reception, we handed the sweets to the ladies and gave the guys little bottles of bourbon instead....

They have a bunch of different styles available if you want to browse online

Thomas Ortiz3 said:It sounds easy enough to say people want to leave, but you have to ask why anyone would hire our local crews when they can get Romanian workers much cheaper. Sure, in Germany it might end up being more expensive than here, but I doubt there's much left after you factor in housing, food, and travel back to America. High-skilled professionals are driven by ambition—and money, since making it at home is nearly impossible—but for low-skilled labor, it’s almost always just about the paycheck. Those golden days of guest workers are long gone...

That's true... for me, it wasn't all about the cash... in the beginning, I was making what my colleagues were making here (around $1,100 gross), but things definitely improved over time. What I really got early on was the chance to prove myself through hard work, earn a better wage, move up, and experience life in a developed country where things actually function the way they're supposed to. The opportunity was there; I just had to take it.

A lot of people here focus solely on the immediate cash because they don't have much to begin with. It's tough to pack up and go abroad to work for two or three years for basically the same pay you'd get at home while you try to build something... they want the big bucks right out of the gate. So, they just stay put.

But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Gerald Chavez7 said:This hits the nail on the head. In my field (natural sciences), nearly half of my entire generation moved abroad—and honestly, it's been that way for decades. For anyone actually talented, finding a way out was never really the problem...

👍

Exactly... our country operates just like Mamić running Dinamo Chicago 😁 as soon as someone shows real talent, he sells them off to a foreign club, leaving the team with nothing but mediocre players. That’s the Republic of America for you. We all love to call ourselves experts, but you could count on one hand how many actual "specialists" are still living and working here, actually contributing to the nation's progress...

Sometimes I look at the absolute amateurs I have to deal with—having to explain their own jobs to them or recite entire sections of legal codes just to get things moving—and I feel physically sick. Our government administration is absolutely crawling with these self-proclaimed "experts"...

ironstag8 said:briskdrifter3, just take a look at where our young people are heading for school and what they’re actually graduating with—then tell me honestly, how many of them do you think will actually land a high-paying job out there in the States?

The problem is our youth just chase whatever's trendy. Nobody bothers looking at the actual market trends. Even though there’s been a massive shortage of specialized economic talent for years, everyone keeps flocking to business and management degrees...

And then they act shocked when they can't find work, waving their diplomas around and complaining about it.🤷

My own degree was my golden ticket abroad; back home, it's basically useless. Locally, I actually pivoted to a completely different field to make a living—something people usually pick because they didn't have the grades for a business school degree.😉 But honestly? It was the smartest move I ever made in my life.👍

If we could just explain to these kids that picking a niche, "unpopular" trade means being the most sought-after person in the room by the time they graduate... enrollment numbers would look a lot different.🙂
If you set aside the mess in the Republic of America and all the liquidity issues and general nonsense happening here... trades, manufacturing, farming, ranching, or even tourism, would likely pay way better than those flashy import-export schemes and shady shell companies everyone obsesses over.

briskdrifter3 said:I agree with all of that... the competition is intense, quite frankly. But do you really believe finding a meaningful job there is harder than being a recent college grad in some small town in America, staring at one local company in bankruptcy proceedings and a municipality where you don't know a soul?
If you ask me, that scenario is a much bigger disaster than being last in line after all the groups you mentioned—and I see examples of it constantly in my own circle, among family and friends alike...

Not by a long shot. It's just a fact that staying local—no matter how tough things are here—gives you way more leverage than trying to break in as a foreigner somewhere else. I actually made it to Norway through a connection; if it wasn't for that, I never would've even set foot in Scandinavia. At the end of the day, I'm just another economist in the crowd, nothing special. Just my two cents.😁

I honestly don't see it happening... they don't even seem to know how to handle their own people. If you're looking to move abroad for work, you’ve got to meet way more requirements and fight tooth and nail against the local workforce there.
The reality is, you'll have a slight edge over most of the world—take Norway, for example. They prioritize their own unemployed first, then Scandinavians, then those from the European Union, and finally everyone else. Joining the EU gives us a seat at one level of that ladder, but it’s not going to be a game-changer.

At the end of the day, a high-quality worker can land a job anywhere regardless of where they're from, especially if they've got specialized skills or they're top-tier experts.

Locals are mostly just worrying about competing with cheaper labor coming in from places like Romania and Bulgaria. Our people are too valuable to settle for entry-level roles just to survive—jobs they could easily grab abroad without any hassle—only to have someone from Bulgaria or Romania swoop in and take that same spot right under their noses. That's where the real friction is going to happen.

Anyone been to Lido lately? What’s the verdict?

Arthur Thompson11 said:😂😂 I would be absolutely thrilled if things actually worked out that way. I’ll have to make sure to save this thread—I want to come back a few days after the wedding and report back on exactly how many pastries we managed to go through.

No need to let me know... just send the leftovers my way!😁