I am so excited and so very very nervous to be making my first wedding cake. I am going to do a practice run in the next month, the wedding is at the end of September.

Ok...the bride is in her 40's, totally chic hip ultra cool. Her wedding dress is simple straight cut and she said it has a silver shimmer to it. I saw the picture of it and it looks white, but I know what she means that it looks silvery.

She wants the cake to be round (thank you!) simple, elegant, and to compliment her dress. I am guessing she will have approximately 125-150 guests. I don't know it I will be doing buttercream or MMF (a little nervous about doing fondont, but I am not sure why).

Does anyone have any ideas. I am too overwhelmed (and excited) and need some help getting focused!

Has the bride not requested anything but a round cake? She has not made any suggestions of what she wants.

If her lines are simple and elegant, I would keep the cake the same way. Since I'm not there yet on wedding cakes; I would then look at bakery/websites to get some inspiration Clean lines, silvery...I would say ribbons as bands...

First of all , how many cakes have you done? The reason I ask is, because when I did my first wedding cake years ago,lol, I had done many special occasion cakes, free family cakes and cakes to teach me about construction and really knowning my mediums and what can happen and how to fix things., I not trying to rain on your parade, I promise. As you know this is very exciting as it should be. Do your practice run, this is good, if your really worried about the final outcome of the cake... Do some searches here on CC for ideas. Keep your designs simple , elgant and in your decorating range. What kind of design is on the dress, that you can incorporate into the cake? YOu can draw ideas from the whole dress or the back of the dress. Does it have any jewerly pieces on it? Does it have bow or etc. There are many ways to draw ideas for this cake. Most of all good luck and have fun, and I wish the most perfect decorated cake,

If I were you, I would ask the bride to show you some pictures of cake designs that she finds online. That way you get a feeling for what her style is - and then you can take it from there to make it your own.

I know you need more info from the bride, but I was looking through the galleries this morning and here are some that fits your above description.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1392317.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deliciously_decadent/4671707768/

This one is pretty, simple and elegant. To bring in more sparkle, I would add a crystal in the center of each star/flower on the cake it's not a lot so I think it would be nice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42837296@N08/3942477492/

If you want to keep it simple and classy then clean, crisp, smooth icing and ribbon on the bottom of each tier is the way to go. It is also a great way to start if you are not as confident in your decorating ability. IMO the icing job means just as much if not more than the embellishment.

Hi,

The following link was my first and only wedding cake so far. The bride (my niece) wanted it simple! And, the double layered hearts was part of her theme. The silver double hearts I found at Walmart for $1 a package. This could be start.....

For your first wedding cake, you can just change the colors to what the bride wants.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1710938.html

HTH!

With a cake that large, your main concentration right now should be making sure you know what you're doing. I know it sounds crazy -- but the hardest part when it comes to large wedding cakes is make sure you get the cakes level and can stack properly. Once you get that down, the design will come naturally. You need a great base cake (especially if she likes clean lines). Make sure your icing is smooth and you can get it stacked well.

As far as design, I love the clean lines, simple designs. It makes for a great first cake because (like I said) you can concentrate more on getting it together than worrying about the design.

Using real ribbon is always a great option -- and super easy too! I did it on my first wedding cake years ago (back when I really didn't know what I was doing) and a florist provided real flowers. In the end, it looked sharp, and not like a beginner at all. See here:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1436033

Also, silver fondant pearls around the edges would be pretty too. (fondant tinted gray/silver rolled into small balls, dusted with silver pearl dust). Just a thought. Good luck!

Just wanted to say good luck with your cake. Since you're doing a practice run I'm sure that you will do just fine.

Yummy...if I ever need ideas for a cake I'm contacting you first! You ALWAYS come through with several great ideas.

You ladies really are the best. The bride is my cousin and has seen my work so I don't feel like I am promising more than I can deliever. I have made probably 40 cakes since taking all of the wilton classes and have stacked probably 6. I am the most nervous about that so that is the main reason for the trial run.

I love the suggestions you have offered. I went and printed out a bunch of pictures that within my ablility and sent them off to her to review.

I have just really mastered getting icing smooth and getting clean lines. So, I secretly hope she opts for bc rather than fondont. But...I think fondont will travel better.

Thank you all again!!!! You rock!

What about this one? I think it's really elegant

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42837296@N08/4025194335/in/set-72157622427919040/

My only suggestion would be to show her pictures of cakes you are comfortable executing. If not, it will just be frustrating for you both. Good luck - you will do great! I did my first wedding cake 2 yrs ago and I was a nervous wreck too!

Deb

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CwYgmcre9Ys/Sj7i51V0TUI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/ExwpKX2dpnA/s320/fondant+tiers+silver+band+wedding+cake.jpg

This one is simple and very clean. White with silver ribbons around the bottom with a pretty topper. Could be done in buttercream or fondant.

Thanks everyone again. djoyce I followed your advise and mailed her about 10 pictures of cakes that were within my skill level. I was happy to hear she was thrilled with my suggestions and picked two for me to work from. I am very excited!

Awesome! Good luck and I know you will do great! Can't wait to see the pics!