I am making a wedding cake for my brother. They want 4 tiers. I want to use the pans I already have as this is a gift and I would prefer not to buy a new pan. The cake will need to serve 100, they will be serving the top tier. It will be buttercream with a minimal border and gumpaste fall leaves as the only decorations and embellishments. I was thinking 6, 10, 12, 14 , but Im uncertain. I want enough space between each tier to place a few gumpaste leaves but I also want the cake to be tall and elegant. I own pans 6,8,10,12,14. Any advice would be appreciated :) Also, I would rather have too much cake and a grand looking wedding cake than the right number of servings and a squatty cake.

Thanks yall!

what about shaving off an inch on two of the tiers? do a 14 x 11 x 8 x 5--i think that is the prettiest graduation in a classic cake--so you'd have to trim the 12 and the 6 a bit--if you have an 11" and a 5" board--just lay it on top and cut to size--no biggie

sometimes that makes people nervous--just an idea--

another really elegant idea--gum paste leaves are awesome and chocolate ones are even more so--IF you have time & interest to learn if you don't already know how--i'm just blathering here ;)

http://candy.about.com/od/otherchocolaterecipes/ss/chocleavessbs.htm

i mean i go out and get the leaves i want and wash them and -- it's so much dang fun

hey something else-- a big deal regarding proportion is to make the bottom tier taller than the others by a half or full inch and then make the top tier the shortest by a half inch or so--

or at least 'appear' to be taller--even if you hot glue a stack of 13.5" cardboard circles together or use an inch tall piece of foam that's 13.5" around (cakes loose about a half inch in the oven right) to create the right height for the bottom tier--set the bottom cake tier on that to elevate it and then ice it all so it looks like one tier--if you don't bake them tall enough.

just some thoughts for you--what a wonderful project you get to do!