Hi everyone I know this has been asked before but I have been reading these old threads & I'm confused & scared than ever.

I have to make my 1st wedding cake, it will be 4 square tiers.

I have read many ways people apply ribbon to the cakes.
So far the only thing that makes sense isthat I have to attach the ribbon after stacking the cakes.

My concern is getting grease spots on the ribbon, but the ribbon is burgundy.

Also the burgundy dye in the ribbon bleeding into the white icing.

My last concern I only got it because a lady pointed it out in an old thread.
The corners not looking neat, so someone suggested to iron the corners.

What do I do???

Well, first please use edible ribbon. One long piece, rolled in heavy duty vinyl, and then unrolled onto the tier. You will have overlap somewhere, but if there are any flower decoratins, then you plan the overlap to be under the flowers.

With edible ribbon you have no worries about buttercream marring your ribbon, nor to you have worries about the non-food safe dye in the ribbon contaminating the cake.

You could lay out a bit of icing and put a bit of ribbon on it overnight and see if it will dye it. This way you could also see if the icing leaves grease marks on the ribbon. If it does, you could just put the ribbon on when you are at the wedding reception...so it won't have long to let it seep in.

I would probably put the ribbon on after you stack the cake.

Maybe you could get a square box and put the ribbon around the box and see how the corners look. I would say maybe just iron the whole ribbon (in pieces) and then you won't have that problem?

Hope this helps!

Leahs where could I find edible ribbon?

Leahs where could I find edible ribbon?

It's fondant. Just cut it. Although I actually have found premade fondant ribbon for sale somewhere on the internet. But you'd still have to paint it or pearlize it unless you wanted it white and plain.

I used the cake icer tip for this ribbon. It's made out of buttercream. If you want it shiny you can let it crust and then brush with luster dust.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1257838

Jibbies

If you go with non-edible ribbon, then yes, attach it once it's set up at the reception (takes all of 4 minutes). If your icing is a good crusting BC, then you are attaching ribbon to 'dry' icing. the only wet-spot I get on ribbon is the dot of BC I use to glue the two ends together in the back.

On square cakes, though, make sure your cakes are straight up and down (I use the bench scraper to insure this). Otherwise, you get a gap in your ribbon.

thank you ladies, you make feel better already!

I asked this same question several weeks ago...it was a 5 tier round cake ...we just let the icing dry really well and attached it around the cake by just putting a piece of double stick tape to the ends. the icing was crusted well since we also did the diamond embossing on the side.
the ribbon did not soak in any grease..we had considered several of the other suggestions received here, tape, wax paper, fondant ribbon etc..the bride had bought the ribbon from the florest so it was not the fabric satin ribbon, it had some body. worked great...I was fearing the ribbon, now I don't. good luck.