I agree with QTcakes...If you decide to do it, just make sure to block off time where you're not doing anything else.

I did my entire dessert buffet myself, but I did a lot of it the week before and froze things. It can be done but you have to give yourself time.

I am making my daughter's wedding cake for her September wedding this year. Of course, it is going to be a relatively small wedding - *maybe* 80 people including the wedding party.

Lucky you, to have a daughter to want you to shine at her wedding. I did my son's grooms cake and was very thankful for him asking me to do it. I know you will be glad you did, because it will make your daughter happy to have you involved in her wedding and to always have memories to look back on when she visits her pictures of her wedding cake.

You can do it as simple or as elaborate as you need and just remember that you are gifting your daughter something that she requested and is so proud of you.

Now, if she goes bridezilla on you, then back off and let her find someone else.

I did the cake for my best friend's wedding, where I was the MOH. This is not the same, I know, but think about the duties of the MOH and add in the cake. I had no idea what I was signing up for, I had never done a cake before. In fact, her cake was what got me into the whole cake world. It turned out great, was not too stressful and she was very grateful.

Fast forward to present day, now I have 3 years of caking under my belt, getting better with each one, (still FAR from the abilities of some I've seen) and my daughter is getting married in April. I will be doing her cake. Along with my MOB and cake decorator duties, my daughter has decided to buck tradition and has also made me her MOH. Talk about stress! But I wouldn't have it any other way. She is my baby, and I would do anything for her.

So my vote is YES, do it!

I'm on the DO IT side of the fence. I started cake decorating so I could make my daughter's wedding cake. I did it just 6 months after my first lesson and had no idea all the things that COULD have gone wrong. I kept it relatively simple; I made the flowers well in advance and for her Friday evening wedding I baked on Wednesday (now that I know better, I would have done the baking a week out and frozen); I filled and crumbcoated early Thursday morning; I covered in fondant, prepped for stacking, and applied ribbons early on Friday morning. I stacked, applied the border and flowers on site.

It meant so much to her that I made the cake. To this day (it's been 3 years) she thinks she had the best wedding cake ever. I could show her a Collette Peters wedding cake and her response is always "mine was better". Of course, it wasn't but I am still pretty proud of that cake even though I could do so much more now. http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1547809

Oh, and I catered the dinner for 75 guests, too, with lots of help from my mother. Nothing store bought was served to our guests that day. All the food was made and served with love and the whole wedding was unique and intimate and special.

Oops...duplicate post...sorry

Haven't read all of the replies, but I did do it--and I'm so glad that I did. My son & DIL still talk about it. I'd been decorating (more than star fill in cakes) for 2.5 years at the time.

I flew with baked, naked layers (carry on) and 63 lbs. of buttercream, fondant, & tools. I constructed the cake in a small condo kitchen on the Las Vegas Strip. In between, I had a great time with family, attended the rehearsal, hosted a rehearsal dinner at an Irish Pub, delivered & assembled the cake at the Venetian, arrived at the wedding (gowned & made up), and had a fantastic time.



It can be done if you're organized and you choose a design that you're comfortable with. Do something shelf stable, so that refrigeration isn't an issue. I set up 3 hrs. before the service so that I had 1.5 hrs. to tend to myself.

Good luck!
Rae

Do it...especially since you said your daughter is your biggest fan and is always encouraging you.

I can't imagine eating somebody else's cake at my children's weddings...that will not be happening....so I'll definitely make their wedding cakes.

I made all of my nieces and nephews cakes so it would be terrible if I didn't make my own child's cakes.

It's really not that much work if you plan your time and make sure you're organized.

If she has a big wedding party than there will be plenty of people to help her with the last minute details while you're baking/decorating.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind remarks, advice and sharing of your personal stories...and cake photos too! Such a talented bunch there is here on CC! I have a lot to think about, but hopefully I'll figure out a way to make this work. It would mean a lot to me and I know it would be very special for my daughter as well.

Wishing you luck if you decide to do it. I did my daughters just a few weeks ago. It's of planning but when I walked in that room and saw what I made I cried. They loved it and it was just the best.

When I got married long, long ago, my mother made my wedding dress and my grandma made my wedding cake. My aunts made the reception food (we weren't fancy enough to think of this as catering) It was a wonderful time for all and we certainly felt bonded. I remember that cake and how much fun the whole day was.

I made my daughter's wedding cake...in fact we made it together. Another generation of women sharing a very personal and special time together. We remembered to take deep breaths and not get caught up in craziness. It was another wonderful time in our lives.

Now I make wedding cakes for brides and see all the stress that today's weddings put on the bride and her mother. I wonder if all that stress is worth it. Sometimes in the crush to have a wedding that is dictated by outside forces of advertising and television shows and magazines, perhaps we forget that wedding is more than a over-the-top party. It is very personal to the bride, groom and their families.

If you have the opportunity and privilege to make your daughter's wedding cake, then I urge you to do so. It will be part of the memory that she'll share with her daughters some day (and I doubt if twenty years down the line, anyone feels their heart swell in memory of the "professional" baker)

I made my daughter's wedding cake 3 years ago and my son's wedding cake last summer with the help of my sister. I would not have done it without help. It was also helpful that my daughter and daughter-in-law were very encouraging. It was helpful to do as much as possible ahead of time especially since we had company coming from out of town! My daughter's is the one with the pictures of her and her husband on top of each cake and my son's is the tiered round cake with green ribbon, yellow daisies and the "A" on top.

awwww so pretty!

I think you should do it. Everyone talks about how stressful weddings are but why assume this will be a stressful occassion? My wedding was very stress free and I did all planning, most errands leading up to the day, made all decorations and arranged flowers in the week running up to the wedding. My mother was with me some of the time but I did not make her trail to the flower market with me at 5am the morning prior to the wedding!
I was stress free because the wedding and events leading up to it where timed with military precision and I managed to be sweet and kind to everyone along the way. I think we're all too used to hearing about bridezillas but I would hope that these girls are in the minority.

Surely you love baking and decorating? Now it may be stressful at times, running a cake business, so I appreciate the comments on here from professionals but please remember that the cake you create for your daughter will be made with love. I think you will enjoy the experience even more. If you plan it properly, do as much as possible in advance, the design can be as simple or complicated as your daughter likes and I am sure she will enjoy showing you off at her wedding. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I would say yes too.
I am making my dd's wedding cake in november, I am just starting as a hobby baker and am so looking forward to the challange.
Good Luck

My son wanted me to do his wedding cake a few years back, knowing I was just a hobby baker, birthday cakes only pretty much. He DOES know I make awesome cakes and I think felt that he would be happy with what I would do.

I flew from Michigan to Virginia, cake pans and supplies in tow, and had the most wonderful time making a 3 tiered wedding cake for my son and soon-to-be DIL. I was there 3 days before the wedding so allowed myself plenty of time to do this for him.

It was truly a labor of love and I wouldn't want it any other way. I say....do it!

I say do it. Other people with no experience whatsoever have done this. And your cakes are great. It is probably just a matter of getting organized. I think I would more afraid of the delivery (I don't know how far you're traveling with it).

I remember this blogger who did it for her best friend. Her kitchen was back then a mere 24 square foot one. She lived in a tiny apartment in NYC. She had never stacked cakes and never made SMBC.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/06/project-wedding-cake-an-introduction/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/06/project-wedding-cake-mango-curd/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-the-cake-is-baked/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-swiss-buttercream/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-ta-da/