...decorating cakes did you do your first wedding cake?

I just took some cakes to my mom's work and someone is wondering if I do wedding cakes! My mom said I've never done one, and seriously I KNOW I have no business doing them - YET! I'd LOVE to do one! She said I'd better get practicing - she wants me ready for March of '06.

So I'm just wondering how long you did cakes until you did your first wedding cake...

My first paid cake was a wedding cake!! You will do fine. Just do some practice cakes before the real thing. I think you already have a huge advantage because you are getting information from all the talented people on this site. I have some cake decorating friends who have been doing it for years and have never been on this or Wilton's site. I feel like I know as much as they do just from reading everyone's advice on this site. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I probably got my first wedding cake order after I had just started making cakes. A client from my office saw one I did for a coworker and immediately ordered her daughter's wedding cake. Granted she ordered it three months in advance so I had plenty of time for researching here on this site. Plus the daughter wanted it very simple, just iced, bottom and top borders. She added silk flowers to it and presto, a beautiful cake!!!

Don't worry, you will be ready!! If nothing else, pride takes over and you just can't do a bad job!!

Good luck and be sure to post!!

Go for it! You can definitely be ready by March! I did my first wedding cake about 5 months after getting started. You should grab at the chance to begin to build a portfolio and it might be tough to find someone who will let your wedding cake debut to be at their wedding. I have been doing cakes for almost a year now and ihave done 4 wedding cakes (for friends and family) so now I have a small portfolio to show that I do know how to do a wedding cake.

My 3rd cake ever was a wedding cake (11 years ago when I was 17). It was for my cousin and his bride. They loved it. I look at the pictures now and realize all the things I could have and should have done differently, but you learn as you go and you get better and better with each cake. The others are so right. You most certainly have an advantage because you have this site and can access the advice of very talented cake artists. You will do great!

I have yet to make one. But I often think of just making one to give myself the practice. I think that you will do fine. And you have a lot of time to practice before the big event. We know that you can do it. And you know that we will give you any and all help that we can from this site. Think positive and go, girl!!! Good luck, but I am sure that you won't need it!!!

Tanya

I'm still new to cake decorating and as of right now I only make cakes for family and friends but if I had the opportunity to do a wedding cake I think I would take it. Everyone's right about having this site to help you out. Everytime I have a question or a problem I feel so relaxed about it because I know that all I have to do is log on to CC and it'll be resolved right away. My advice to you is to do trial runs before hand so that you feel better about it and you'll do just fine.!!

My first cake was an anniversary cake. I had never done a rose in my life and they looked bad! I ended up using silk roses and they didn't care, BUT I don't suggest waiting until the day before to try something new! You have until March to perfect you art. Go for it!!!!!

See if they would be happy with a "cascade" display where each tier is on a separate stand. It will reduce the stress a lot if you don't have to think aobut stacking or using pillars and it's very "in" now.

My daughters wedding cakes { 3 of them} were the first cakes I had ever really decorated. I have baked all my life but never really got into the fancy decorating till last summer. I use to make gingerbread houses with all the little kids I use to look after in my day care and we would do cookies for all the occasions. They were never really very fancy, after all it was toddlers doing the decorating..LOL . I thought I would have a panic attack when I had to stack the first cake. It was so heavy I had no idea how I would get it down to the freezer. I planned to freeze it before the wedding so it would be easier to transport to the hall.. My brother came over the day I was decorating and I was just finishing up.. I said to him that the cake was so heavy I didnt know how I would get it downstairs safely.. He just picks it up and heads down the stairs with it.. My heart almost stopped.. I was running after him telling him to be careful on the stairs.. It arrived safely but he did mention that after he picked it up and realized that it wasn't as stable as he had thought that he did have a moment of panic too.. He said he knew I would have killed him if he had dropped it or part of it had toppled off.. It stressed me out so much I had to use my asthma inhalers a few times..LOL.. My daughter was very happy with them and I had lots of nice comments on them.
So just go for it.. I am sure you will do a great job..
Liz

I agree with itsacake. I would recommend the cascade display to them and see if they are interested. The 3rd wedding cake I made was heart shaped cakes cascading, sort of. There is one section that was stacked with pillars but it's hard to explain. It came out beautifully though and it's still one of my absolute favorite cakes. The bride had ordered fresh flowers to accent the cakes and it looked fantastic! It wasn't a lot of work to decorate because the flowers took care of a lot of that. I will try to scan a picture of it (was a long time ago, before digital cameras were an option for regular folks like me...).

my wifes first cake she ever done was a goth wedding cake. it was kind of interesting.

I had decorated exactly one cake when I told my sister I would be doing her wedding cake (she had just gotten engaged a few weeks earlier.) That first one (my avatar) was all it took. It was a pain in the rear, but I was hooked. I made her a 2-tiered birthday cake to prove to her that it would look good, and it worked. Now she has complete faith in my decorating abilities. It's just a good thing I've got plenty of time to practice, cuz that's all it takes, right?

Ali

Like everyone said, practice, make a couple of practice cake beforehand, just smaller versions. The pedestal stands at different heights are a good idea or a stand like the Wilton Garden Stand where the cakes are supported by the stand, not dowelling. But if you are making a stacked cake design, practice with a few smaller versions so you get used to handling them and doing the dowelling etc.
Hugs Squirrelly

March 06, plenty of time! Practice and you will be fine.

a couple of months .....just from now on act like evry cake is a wedding cake.....so stack and trier your birthday cakes for practice

Pooker I KNOW you can do it!!! I finished the last of my Wilton courses in Dec 04'. By Jan 05' I had my first wedding cake order. I was soooo scared!! Then I happened to stumble onto CC & the rest is history!!!!! Between the oldies (Squirrelly, MrsMissey, Calidawn, LadyCakes, Lisa, Sweeterbug, & a few others but my mind isn't working now ) that helped me I did my first practice wedding cake for the Fire Dept. (it's in my gallery). It was huge!! Too huge!! I made a few smaller stacked cakes for practice too. When I finally did the "real" wedding cake I was an old pro!! Practice makes perfect!! You have done plenty of cakes so I know you will do a great job!! Plus you have a few months to practice!!! Say yes to the cake & we will all help you out with it ok!!!! Go for it!!!

You all are TOO SWEET! Thank you so much for the words of encouragement!

I have already learned so much from everyone here. It has helped tremendously!

I just hope I can make some progress from noe til then and do an awesome cake y'all would be proud of!

Just look out - there will be oodles of questions from me about wedding cakes!

Don't worry pooker, you'll do great!

I had made two (count 'em - TWO) 'decorated' cakes ever when I made my sister's wedding cake. I was 18 and had never made a cake that size, much less a tiered one! I didn't have time to practice because I spent the summer/fall leading up to the wedding in England with my (then) fiance, so I was freaking out a bit... I was also a Maid of Honor in the wedding! It turned out pretty good, my sister loved it, and I was hooked from then on out.

Here's my first wedding cake in my photos

If I could do it, you can do it!

Thanks edencakes! That cake was beautiful! WOW!!! I loved the fall colors, too!

Oh, and BTW - I absolutely LOVE your avatar!

Thanks! Like I said - if I could do it, you can do it! (or anyone for that matter! )

I took the Wilton courses and the first real cake I made (other than the few I did in class) was a wedding cake! I figured go big or go home! haha It is posted in here somewhere...it has black ribbon around the bottom of each tier and orchids on top and one on each tier!