I have a luau wedding cake to do in two weeks. I would like to make the flowers and other decor a couple days ahead of time. Can fondant keep well on counter or do I need to put finished stuff in fridge? I do plan on doing 50/50 with gum paste for flowers but my palm tree leaves... will they dry out done ahead of time? can fondant even be stored in fridge days before? and what happens if they do dry out? Will a spritz of water bring back some life?

You don't need to refrig. On the countr in a cake box is fine. Is your palm leaves going to be made with just fondant and you want them to stay softned? You could place them on parchament paper or wax covered board and wrap good in plastic and place in the box too.

Welcome to cc beckett!

Yes, the palm tree leaves are just fondant. The bride is getting married in las vegas as we speak and wanted some vegas incorporated in with this luau cake so I am doing Elvis and the welcome to vegas sign too. Elvis will be done in 50/50 but sign just fondant. thank you for your help. It's my first cake and my ocd won't let me wait till day of to start decorating. I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!

Is the sign going to be sticking out of cake? If so, you might want to consider using 50/50 for the sign.

can fondant decorations be kept in an air tight container for a week? Want to be ahead of the game not have to redo anything.

The longer they stay out the better, out in the counter. That way they dry well. After that you can store them in a box for months!
No fridge, that kills it!
Edna

Don't use an airtight box! The fondant will melt. (I made that mistake not long ago.) It needs air circulation to stay dry and firm. If you don't have a protected spot where your pieces can sit out to dry, use a cardboard tray or box (like a bakery cake box) that is NOT airtight.

It sounds like you don't WANT your fondant to dry, though, which makes me wonder if somebody is misunderstanding something. Fondant figures have to dry out in order to keep their shape. For the leaves, I would shape them and let them dry, and then attach them to the tree trunks with icing...or edible glue, which I've never tried but have seen some references to around here. (And if you do the decorations well in advance you don't necessarily have to use 50/50 -- the fondant alone will be fine.)

If you are covering the cake with fondant and you just want to make the fondant ahead of time and store it until a day or two before when you roll it out, then yes, you can put it in the fridge, coated with shortening and wrapped in plastic. Let it come back to room temp before using it; a few seconds in the microwave will get it back to a more pliable state quickly and easily. Although you probably don't need to refrigerate it; it keeps fine for a good long while at room temp.

Do keep everything out of the sun. Too much light will fade the coloring.

Good luck!