Cake baker said she won't set my cake or dessert bar up

I spoke to my decorator and she said she would set it up for me with no additional charge so that worked out! And I don't have to rent any stands or trays she has everything I need.

That's her job to set it up. Coordinators and others aren't skilled in the art of setting up a cake to keep it from toppling over. She should have told you beforehand so you could find someone else.

View Quoted Comment

Not sure what you want then - you don't want to buy your own but you also don't want to rent because you don't want to have to return them to her? It sounds like those are your two choices.

As a pastry chef I can tell you for a fact that the majority of us have far too much resposibility and work in our kitchens to take time out of our schedules to set up desserts. There was a point in wedding season that I hit 90 hours a week. The bakery I work for doesn't even offer delivery, and neither did the very high end pastry place I worked prior to that. A lot of places you are literally purchasing goods, not a service! It would be like ordering decorations from a shop and assuming the person that sold it to you would not only deliver them but set them up too! Consider yourself lucky if you have somewhere that even delivers!