Austin baker turns her back while setting up wedding cake. Then the mother of the bride grabs a spatula: ‘This is super insulting’
When you’re involved in the wedding business, there’s no doubt you’ll find yourself in the middle of some kind of dispute. It’s a high-stress event, where emotions also tend to run high.
That’s exactly what happened for one wedding baker based in Austin, who got into an argument with the mother of the bride, and ended up losing her spatula in the process.
What Happened at the Wedding?
TikTok creator and wedding cake baker Malina (@sweetgracedessertco), shared a storytime video about the incident that transpired about a year before.
“There is a video circulating around on TikTok right now,” she says. “I kind of hoped that this was never gonna happen, but it has. So I’m gonna make a really long story short.”
Malina explains that a year ago, she was hired to bake a wedding cake, and was in the process of setting it up at the venue when the situation unfolded.
“I’m setting the cake up. It’s a beautiful cake. Everything’s going well,” she says. “If you’ve ever worked with me, you know I pride myself on kindness and professionalism.”
Malina says she propped her phone up against her cake kit and turned around to finish the cake. Then she got a visitor.
“An older woman comes up, she grabs gloves out of my cake kit, puts the gloves on, grabs my offset spatula out of my cake kit,” she says. “She sets her phone up next to my phone, walks up behind me, and she starts talking to her phone.”
Malina says the woman began using her tools on the cake itself.
“She’s making a video, and she’s using my offset spatula on the wedding cake,” Malina says. “It was damaging the wedding cake design.”
Malina says the woman told her she had found and hired her through TikTok, and now wanted to film a joint video.
“She wanted to make a video of us setting up her daughter’s wedding cake together,” Malina says. “She did pay for the cake. It was her daughter’s cake. However, the fact remains that she was damaging the cake while I was in the middle of setting it up.”
Malina says she asked her to stop. “I very kindly and very calmly told her, ‘I’m so sorry, ma’am. I’m not really comfortable having you help me set it up,’” she says. Instead, she says she offered to let her help with florals or the topper instead.
The Mother of the Bride Got Angry
The woman didn’t like the response. “She told me that she paid me, and she gets to do whatever she wants,” Malina says. “So I had to set a little bit of a boundary.”
She reiterated to her that she could help with decorations at the end, but the cake itself was off-limits.
“Or I can just stop my setup right now and leave the premises,” she says. “You can keep the gloves, you can set the cake up however you would like.”
According to Malina, the woman got “really mad,” “really, really mad.” So upset she wouldn’t give her her tools back.
“She wouldn’t give me my offset spatula back,” Malina says. “She said ‘No, that was the least I could do.’”
The woman reportedly later asked for a refund of the setup fee. “I did not refund the fee,” Malina recounts. “I did what I was contractually supposed to do with a kind heart and professionalism.”
She says she only decided to speak publicly after the woman posted a TikTok about the incident a year later.
“She only posted the portion where I very kindly told her she could not help me set the cake up,” Malina says. “But her caption was that I ruined her daughter’s wedding.”
Malina pushed back on that claim.
“I have spoken to the daughter. We are all good,” she says. “I did not ruin her wedding. She loved her wedding cake.”
She concludes by explaining why she didn’t share the story at the time.
“I did not feel like that was the time to make a loud, performative TikTok for her channel,” Malina says. “That’s all I have to say.”
Commenters Are on Her Side
In the comments section, most viewers thought the mother of the bride was in the wrong.
“Do not refund the set up fee, send her a bill for the offset spatula,” one commenter advised.
“I am starting to think weddings are more for the mothers than the bride,” chimed in another.
Others shared personal stories. “I wish the lady we used for my wedding cake yelled at my mom when my mom decided to put the ugliest fake flowers on top as a topper without my permission,” one wrote. “They weren’t even meant to go on the cake. She just decided to stab a hole in the top.”
Many commenters also wanted to see the original video that the mother of the bride posted. However, Malina shared in a follow-up post that the mother deleted her post shortly after, without it ever taking off.
How to Handle Client Disputes as a Wedding Cake Baker
In a high-stress situation like the one Malina described, the best thing any vendor can do is remain calm throughout.
According to an article by Wedded Wonderland, it’s also a good idea to let the client feel heard and acknowledged. After all, you’re building relationships meant to last, so it’s not in your interest for a client to walk away unsatisfied.
The guide also advises providing clients with realistic next steps so they feel their situation has been resolved.
Wedding vendor communities are tight-knit, so the goal is for clients to leave as satisfied as they can reasonably be.
@sweetgracedessertco She kept my offset spatula ?? #weddingcake #storytime ♬ original sound – sweetgracedessertco
The Mary Sue has reached out to Malina via TikTok messages for comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
