Baker Refuses to Make Sister’s Wedding Cake for Free, Sparking Family Drama Before Nuptials

A professional baker is second-guessing her decision after telling her sister she won’t make a wedding cake without payment.

The 30-year-old bakery owner shared her situation on Reddit’s “Am I the Jerk” forum, asking if she was wrong to turn down her 27-year-old sister’s request for a free cake. While the baker offered a discount, several relatives have sided with the bride, insisting she should “just do it as a gift” and stop being “so business-minded.”

According to the baker, her sister’s dream cake isn’t a simple favor. “The cake she wants would take three full days of work and costs over $500 in ingredients alone,” she wrote. “I told her I can’t just eat that cost. She said I’m greedy and ‘only care about money.’”

The bride argued that “family helps family” and said she couldn’t afford the baker’s usual wedding-cake pricing. Trying to meet her halfway, the baker offered a reduced rate that would cover the ingredients and pay her assistant for helping with the project.

That compromise didn’t go over well. The bride reportedly “flipped out” that the discount wasn’t bigger, and their mother agreed the cake should be made for free.

The baker added that she’s made cakes for loved ones at no cost before, but those experiences left her overwhelmed. She said she doesn’t want to do another unpaid “favor” because she “always ends up stressed and unpaid.”

Most Reddit commenters supported her choice. One of the top responses suggested that if the family believes in helping, they should contribute too — offering to fund ingredients or assist in the kitchen — and noted that the bride could always choose a simpler cake if budget is tight.

Others echoed that “family helps family” shouldn’t only flow in one direction. They recommended relatives chip in for costs rather than expecting the baker to absorb them alone.

Several commenters also pushed back on the bride’s accusations, pointing out that wedding cakes require specialized skill, long hours, and expensive materials — and that the baker’s time and expertise deserve respect.