Hi, I'm making my cousins wedding cake next month, it will be 5 tiers and I am really nervous about assembling the cake at the reception hall and then leaving to go the wedding. I'm thinking of skipping the wedding and just putting the cake together and staying at the hall until the reception begins. How far in advance to any of you stack the cake? This would be about 4-5 hours of the cake sitting there with waitresses and other people running around. I did my Mother's about 10 years ago, and went to the wedding, it was dowelled and appeared sturdy, but the waitstaff said someone had bumped into the table and the top two tiers literally fell off! I don't want that to happen again. Help, should I stay with the cake?
The cake should be fine, just warn the waitstaff, etc that they can't move the cake, and to be careful around it. Disaster can strike if you're there or not, what would you do if the cake fell? You can't catch it...but it's not worth missing your cousin's wedding for. The time frame isn't a problem. If you're really not wanting to assemble that early, you can get the hall right after the ceremony and assemble then, but sometimes all those eyes watching you can be very nervewracking. Are you dowelling all the way through in the center too? If so, your cake should be fine. There must have been some foul play at your Mom's wedding...I've had people bump into my cake tables at the restaurant, and the cake wobbles, but it's never fallen...they must have been up to something they weren't supposed to be.
I wouldn't miss your cousin's wedding so you can sit around and watch a cake for four hours...your time is worth much more than that.
If you are using cardboard in between the cake tiers instead of plates make sure to cover both sides with fancy foil so the grease from the buttercream doesn't soak thru and make them weak. Also, I would use Wiltons plastic dowels for the two or three bigger tiers and then wooden dowels for the smaller. And then spear the entire cake with a center dowel. And then leave a sign saying not to touch the cake or the table under penalty of death, or public humiliation, or just no cake for them.
4-5 hours is a standard time frame. Most of my cakes are set up before the reception (or even wedding if it is being held in the same place) and then there is all the eating and festivities before the cake cutting. If you have doweled well, you have nothing to worry about. Also try transporting it chilled.
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