I am going to be making my first wedding cake soon (for my 78 yr old father!) and am wondering if I should do the roses out of gumpaste or fondant. What will get me the prettiest result? I'm a newbie and need all the help I can get. Thanks.

Welcome to Cake Central. Gumpaste rolls thinner and dries faster so I find it makes the best roses.

You can't start this too early. They can be made months in advance, keep them lightly covered (not air tight) to protect them from light and dust. many colors have a tendence to fade, lavender, blue and pink can.

Isn't it delightful when older folks find the courage to get married again?? I love to do cakes for seniors!

Welcome! Having done my first gumpaste roses just recently, I highly recommend you trying them. They come out so realistic! My most recent photo was gumpaste roses made from Tonedna's tutorial on YouTube.
She is an awesome teacher. Here's her site: