So, I have been decorating all day and wanted to put my cake together for a test run, and good thing I did. I found out that Wilton's 8" decorator plates do not fit the 3 1/2" Grecien columns. The pegs are too big and the plate sits above the pillers by about 1/4". I am afraid this will cause some instability with the tiers. Any suggestions?

HAppened to me once. Got some plates with slightly different legs from my cake supply store ... must have been a non-wilton plate. Anyway, I didnt' find it out until I got to the site to set up. Fortunately, I always stay to cut and serve the cake, so I was there the whole time to keep an eye on it. I put some icing around the outside of the plate leg and then fit it inside the pillar hole. It wasn't as secure as I would have liked, but the icing acted like a soft "glue" to help hold it a bit steadier. Got thru the wedding ok.

That sounds like a good idea...I am still pondering this issue.

This is what I am doing. I want the pillars to look like they are setting directly on the cake so, I am using the big plastic dowels cut to fit. (too bad for me I can't cut plastic dowels straight) I have made some "fondant cushions" to level the dowels and stabelize the pillars. That is what I have come up with so far. I may try Indy's idea for the top. Also, I know the family. I will instruct them to just take the top off before they cut the cake. Hopefully they won't try to move it while it is put together. That truely would be a disaster.

Yepeee!!! The fondant cushions worked!!!! Except for the 1/4" gap between the pillars and the cake plate, the fondant cushions stablized the tiers and I feel comfortable with the results.

What a relief.