I don't know how foolish I am for offering to do this yet but I have a couple of questions:

I offered to TRY to make wedding cupcakes for a friend in Sept 2011. I am also helping her plan her wedding so I will be doing the centerpieces the day of also (so the day of needs to be just set up). So I am concerned about proper time management in getting it all done. I was thinking I would bake the cupcakes the week before and freeze them (unfrosted) although I have never frozen cupcakes or cake. Do they freeze and thaw well? Is the texture and taste compromised? Should I thaw and frost them the day before the event? I will have to bake them at my home (I have three ovens) and bring them 4 hours north in a cooler (on dry ice?) to keep them frozen. How long do they take to thaw? I have never made 150+ cupcakes at once before so I don't really know how long everything takes. I'm concerned about time and when to do things. Is this something I should nix?

first, I can't figure why you'd put cupcakes in a cooler on dry ice. they're cake, not ice cream bars. I never refrigerate my cakes or my icings.

Let's break down the numbers....

can you put two 12-cavity cupcakes pans in your oven at one time? If so, then you can bake 24 cakes per batch. To make 150 cupcakes, you'll need to do 7 batches. At a max of 20 mins per batch, that's 140 minutes, or 2 hours and 10 minutes of bake time.

How detailed are the decors going to be? For example, if its just going to be a big swirl, you can box up the cupcakes in the boxes you're going to transport them in, then pipe the big swirl. Assuming 10 whole seconds per cupcakes x 150 = 1500 seconds = 25 minutes.

Not counting mixing and clean up time, it will take you 3 hours to do these cupcakes.

with these numbers as a base, factor in things that you need to do different (fondant figures? something other than the big swirl?) and factor the time.

Well, I am going to have to bake them at least the week before because I won't have access to as many ovens once I go upstate (the week of her wedding). I also have a two year old and I would imagine some last minute wedding preparations. I want to make sure they taste fresh so I figured I should make them ahead and freeze them until we're ready to frost them (so I figured the day before?). Since I have to transport them a week beforehand, four hours driving distance, I wanted to make sure they stay frozen. I would imagine they'd be stale a week out no?

For the decoration I was planning simple. Pipe on frosting and maybe embellish with a fall leaf or flower?

I can do do at least 12 cupcakes per oven.

Thanks for your help!

oh I totally missed the part about you having to take them up the week before! Ooops!!!!

I hope I can help. I have done this many times. First bake all the cupcakes 1 or 2 weeks before. After they bake let them cool completely, then freeze. The day before I take them out of the freezer and put them in the container they are travelling in. I decorate then right in the container. I have a couple of the long flat storage containers you sue for under the bed. After they are all decorated I seal them up and they are ready to go
I premake any decorations ahead of time. Baking that many cupcakes will only take you about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Decorating seems to take a long time, even with everything made ahead. Allow at least 5 hours to decorate.
Unless you are in a really hot, humid place I do not see any need to refreeze them
Adamsgama

First, I would delegate the centerpieces to someone else. Unless they are not flowers and you can make them well in advance to leave the balance of time for the wedding cupcakes.
Second, I would make all of the cupcakes. (make extra, of course) in pretty gold or silver (or whatever the wedding colors are) papers. They need to be wrapped airtight. I would put them in a single layer inside several large tupperware or rubbermaid containers that have been double lined/covered in plastic wrap and then covered with the container cover. Freeze.
Third, I would decide on the frosting and decorations. The cupcakes do not need to be frozen to transport... in fact, they are moist and delicious when they are frosted while frozen and left to thaw on their own under the frosting. Decorate in whatever lovely design your bride chooses. This may take several hours unless you have help or an assembly line worked out. Transport in low sided trays or foil wrapped cardboard boxes with the sides cut down. It is important to wrap the cardboard so that the odor of the cardboard does not permeate the cupcakes or frosting. Also, how will they be displayed? Think about that... will you use tiers? A thought on this would be to drape different size boxes with a large, thin, tablecloth or... fabric and display the cupcakes at all different heights. Bring extra frosting and decorations and extra cupcakes... that is a long ride and keep the AC on! Good luck. and post pics when you can.