Oh boy - I know the cost adds up big time. I did an 8 inch topper cake and 150 cupcakes on a stand for a distant cousins wedding. He was a sweet boy last time I remembered him & so I was happy to help. He just said...our wedding colors are red & gold. Do what you like.

This sounds a bit over the top. Since you already have the set of 3 pans, I like the idea of just adding one of those pans as the "extra" servings. I don't think it matters what shape they are. Just the servings. What gets you the servings & is the least amount to frost and transport. One of those pans you just bought will do fine I think.

I'm no expert at stacked cakes...but I know the few times I've tried them, I just needed to keep the design simple & manage my timeline, and all was fine.

Also sounds like you need an assistant! Got another friend, sister, or mum? Maybe they'd be happy to help. Sounds like you'll need somebody to vent to!!! Just don't panic. Don't be afraid to tell your friend that in order to make sure her cake is great, you can't add all these other "variables".

Not sure how good a friend she is, but just be honest with her. Tell her it would be difficult for you to add anything more than the 3 stacked cakes, 1 kitchen cake, and cupcakes. As well as transport & set up in fancy clothes.

I don't know about you...but, I'm a clutz. I'd for sure get buttercream in my cleavage and not even know it!!!! Ha ha ha

I can see me having bc everywhere and not noticing!! lol. this will sound like a sob story but its really not ment to!! i dont have anyone i can ask to assist me, i have no family apart from my kids. (i had to flee from my mother due to domestic violence and have not seen her for years)
my friend is a good one and i hope she will understand im just not very good at saying no to people! given that im in the bridle party and will be so busy....

should i transport the cake assembled (the venue is not far away) or is that too risky with a 3tier? i want to get as much done before i get there as possible!

thank you all again for all your help and advice!

I have not stacked many cakes in my time. But, you'll get differing opinions from people here. It depends on what you feel comfortable with I think.

What is your preferred construction method? Some, dowel (plastic, wooden, straws), stack and then drive a very tall, sharpened at one end, dowel down the middle of the entire 3 tiers & just take as is. Others say purchasing an SPS system is worth the money, because you can stack at home and transport assembled.

Because I was a beginner and hadn't done many stacked cakes, I used the hidden pillar/plate method. I made sure my bottom and middle tiers had perfectly cut plastic pillars, from Wilton. I got them at my craft store. Then, I put my cakes on the plates that went had the corresponding "notches" on the bottoms. It was a breeze to assemble on site. My design was very simple. I just had little dots piped on the cakes & made the hidden pillars high enough that I had room to insert flowers all the way around, so it appeared that there were flowers between each tier. I couldn't imagine a more stress free set up.

I tried the direct stacking, one on top of the other & I didn't cut my dowels straight or something. Maybe my cake tops were crooked. Stressed me out. But, if you have more experience, you'll be fine. No worries!

Oh!! You may not have a problem getting the cake from your vehicle to the venue if there is help there...but you may not be able to get it from your home to the vehicle by yourself. Just a thought.

I've been rambling - - - sorry. I'm sure you'll do great.

You are a great person for what you are doing for your friend. First everyone on here gave you very good advice, you should see if your friend will be willing to at least help with the cost of ingredients, you mentioned if you would'nt have done the cake she would have to buy sheet cakes, so maybe she can give you that money, and you can buy the other supplies you need. Breathe stacking a cake is not as hard as you think you just have to have the right materials, and some patience. I used bubble tea straws to stack the white three tier cake in my photos.
http://www.bobateadirect.com/Bag-of-Fat-Bubble-Tea-Straws-7.5-pr-418.html these are what they look like maybe you can find them in the UK, much better to use than dowels, you will only need a center dowel.
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-603925.html these are the sps instructions click on them to make them larger, I have not actually used them, but ther are a lot of good reviews from CC members.
http://www.wilton.com/cakes/tiered-cakes/stacked-tiered-cake-construction.cfm and here is more info on Wilton, just use the straws instead. if you want to see different ways, go to www.wilton.com click on cakes and you will see ways to use the pillar method and so forth.

Good Luck post some pictures on this thread when you are finished.

Also the SPS system would be better, or should I say safer if you want to transport the cake stacked.

yeah, i was going to say that too; you should ask her to at least put in for the materials. just tell her how much you have spent and that may open her eyes to how expensive things are! i have alot of good friends that i would dearly love to do free cakes for, all the time; but they know im doing it tough, so they give me money towards ingredients and usually give me extra after the fact. if shes a good friend, she will understand, i know your trying to get started and what to practise, im the same; but the fact is, if i were to run around doing things for free for everyone; i would have money to put food in my sons mouht.. apart from cake crumbs and leftover ganache! i make sure everyone knows my son comes first. =) always.

i think you need to sit down and have a chat with your friend.
but then again.. i should take some of my own advice, i just realised i have to make three cakes in one week....help me. lol.

I can see me having bc everywhere and not noticing!! lol this will sound like a sob story but its really not ment to!! i dont have anyone i can ask to assist me, i have no family apart from my kids. (i had to flee from my mother due to domestic violence and have not seen her for years)
my friend is a good one and i hope she will understand im just not very good at saying no to people! given that im in the bridle party and will be so busy....

I live in the U.K and if I was close enough I would come to help you, you don't need all this stress. xx

im actualy crying because i am so touched by everyones kindness! thank you Kizrash. i have had a quick look into SPS before but i was tired and it didnt sink in. i will look again in the morning after some sleep! lol

i have just worked out how to upload photos so when this wedding cake is finally finished i will definatly post the photos for you all!

im so proud to be a CC member!

Katies_cakes where abouts are you in the U.k?

Gosh...what a great friend you are. I hope she realizes that!

I agree with the others....lay down the costs infront of her. Maybe she doens't realize how much this will be costing you. If she's not willing to budge and help out with the pans just tell her there will be a slab cake in the kitchen to serve. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Good luck with everything!

Yeah, she's not being nice. The wedding cake I did went from 100 to 200 overnight and that was unexpected, couldn't be helped, but they offered to pay for ingredients, or let me do cupcakes and were going to buy me an impression mat, they were broke and really wanting to get married but they would have busted a gut to help with the expense if I'd needed. If I'd asked them to buy pans, they would have. Be straight up with her, a favour is a favour but that is far beyond the realm of being a good friend.

I have spoken to her and told her roughly what it is costing me to make the cake including the already bought pans. she says she still cant afford to help me with it but not to buy bigger pans. she wants some kitchen cakes to make up the servings. her dads wife has offered to make it and if i dont want to she will. of course i want to, i have bought lots of equipment now!! she better not let her make it now, i would cry after everything iv done. she does however say that i dont have to pay for my bridesmaid dress anymore due to how much the cake is costing. lol

I have spoken to her and told her roughly what it is costing me to make the cake including the already bought pans. she says she still cant afford to help me with it but not to buy bigger pans. she wants some kitchen cakes to make up the servings. her dads wife has offered to make it and if i dont want to she will. of course i want to, i have bought lots of equipment now!! she better not let her make it now, i would cry after everything iv done. she does however say that i dont have to pay for my bridesmaid dress anymore due to how much the cake is costing. lol

Katie, I would try to do as many things in advance, so you aren't too stressed. I bake all the cakes a couple of weeks ahead of time and freeze them, wrapped very well. This time saver is such a relief. You know all of the cakes are baked perfectly, you don't have to worry last minute that one will stick to the pan, or crack, it just gives you relief that its one less thing to worry about. The cakes turn out really moist this way too. I'd love to come help you if i could, you seem like a really good friend, she should feel very lucky...

Cathy, that is a fantastic idea, thank you! i will definately do that. im lucky because i have a frezzer that is the size that supermarkets use! it is massive, so there is always room for cakes!

6 tiers?! that must have been so heavy! Edna when you say well supported is that with SPS or with a center dowl right through the cake? also when the cakes have been frozen how long do you leave them to defrost before filling and crumb coating, do they need to defrost fully first or still be firm and slightly frozen? i want to freeze them in advance to help with my time. but i have never frozen cakes before. x

katie, i take the cakes out of the freezer, the night before, leaving them wrapped. It doesn't take that long to thaw, so a few hours ahead of time will work too. If the cake is large, like 12" or larger, sometimes it easier to level and stack the cakes, a little frozen, they are easier to handle. But after filled and stacked, Let them thaw completely before crumb ice the cakes. i let them settle overnight and put the second layer of frosting on the cakes and decorate. If you need complete instructions, i could pm you with instructions, that is if you need it.