I have never done a really huge wedding cake before, so how far in advance do you start to bake and assemble the cakes? How do you store them while in the process of decorating them. It just seem's like too much work to do a 5 tier cake two days before the wedding.

I've never done a wedding cake but I've made tiered cakes that look like wedding cakes. I guess the design will affect the process. Is it time consuming? How big are the tiers?

I personally start fondanting 2-3 days before the event and then decorate until the event date.

You can bake the cakes ahead of time and freeze them. You can also make the fondant in advance (assuming you're making your own), and any decorations that need to be dried before they go on the cake, like fondant or gumpaste flowers, can be made and stored.

I did a 5-tier cake last weekend (Sat). Mom (friend of mine) came over Tuesday and we baked the cake and put it in the freezer. I pulled it out on Thursday and did the crumb coat ... let it sit and settle overnight (on my counter ... I don't refrigerate my cakes). Iced it Friday. Had I been able to do any decorating on Friday, I would have done it then, but I had to wait and decorate after assembly on sat. Delivered it 4:00 on Saturday, added the cherry blossom design (took less than 30 minutes to set up, add borders, add cherry blossom design). Mom tells me she got TONS of compliments on the cake's design and taste! (YAY!)

Can a wedding cake that has to "travel" be totally finished on Wed for a Fri. wedding??

Thank you for your help. That helps answer some of my questions. I have always been confused as to how long a cake will stay fresh while you decorate it.

If they are decorated that far out, they do not loose the moistness? Thank you to everyone that has replied. It really helps to get everyones opinion.