Wedding cake sales can be just as time-consuming, tedious and frustrating as they are profitable. Carefully choosing clients who are reliable and serious about designing their wedding cake and planning the special occasion is a critical precaution.

The consultation is not just a fun opportunity for newly engaged couples to browse possible wedding cakes. It is also an ideal chance for you to assess whether or not your client is someone you are comfortable conducting business with.

For instance, Cinotti’s Bakery in Jacksonville, FL implements a $25.00 fee for scheduling a wedding cake consultation. Having a number of clients cancel on purchases and show little interest in purchasing, the bakery decided that a scheduling fee might make the long appointments worth their time and efforts.

“We wanted to weed people out who are not serious about wedding cakes,” says Michelle Vining, owner of Cinotti’s Bakery, “So without being rude, I decided that if I’m going to sit and spend my time with them, they need to be serious about coming into our bakery.”

If $25.00 seems like a steep fee for a consultation at your bakery, there are number of solutions. Contributing the consultation fee towards the potential purchase of a wedding cake can also help make the fee seem less like a frivolous expense and more like a necessary down payment.