My SIL has asked me to do her wedding cake. While I am beyond flattered, I don't do cakes (hence the name Cookie Chef). For budget reasons and because she doesn't want to have a grocery store cake, I agreed. I'd like to do something similar to Toniprev's (?) cake, only using buttercream instead of fondant:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1421307.html

The bride wants three stacked tiers, enough to serve 75. They will be using their top tier as a keepsake probably and so I was considering doing 14", 10" and 6", to allow for larger slices. My question is this:

* Should I choose smaller pans, and if so, what configuration?
* What lustre dust/pearlized colors should I order and in what quantity?
* Any tips on transporting a cake several hundred miles?
* I am still struggling with a vanilla/yellow cake recipe. Any suggestions?
* I've looked at seashell moulds (probably buying from Sugarcraft) but am unsure which ones I need to get?

Blog from a person who made a wedding cake and had never done one before. There's lots of help in there among all the comments, and I think she has my favorite vanilla buttermilk cake in there from Alisa Huntman's book:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/06/project-wedding-cake-an-introduction/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/06/project-wedding-cake-mango-curd/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/project-wedding-cake-the-cake-is-baked/

http://smittenkitchen.com/category/wedding-cake/

I have a seashell mold that is made of silicone. I love it. I just push fondant in and because it's flexible, the shell comes out beautiful.

I just made my first wedding cake 3 weeks ago, it was also a beach wedding. I don't kow why but I can't get the pictures to load, anyway for sea shell molds I used chocolate molds filed with white chocolate, then painted them with pearl luster dust and added a little silver and copper color high lights.
I too had over 200 miles to travel so I froze the cakes and traveled with thsm in a cooler, let thaw once there. Crumb coated the next morning and iced that night. Then covered in fondant the next day. Did all final decorations at hall during set-up the next day. Hope that halps a little.

I did a beach themed wedding cake in June....my first wedding cake. It was for 75 people also, and I also used 14", 10", and 6". I used the chocolate molds from Michael's and AC Moore. I used white chocolate in some, and gumpaste in others. I dusted all of them with a bronze luster dust, and white pearl dust on top of that. It's in my pics. Definitely a different style than what you are looking to make....so maybe hold off on the bronze dust and use gold instead.