Okay - so I'm beginning the research for this wedding cake I'm doing. I'm SO extremely excited about this cake! The specs are as follows. We're doing 8, 10, 12, & 14 inch tiers with the 8, 10, & 12 inch tiers being fake. A 14 inch square cake serves 100 people (according to Colette Peter's Cakes to Dream On).
The client wants cake to feed 200 guests. She chose a chocolate fudge cake with a white chocolate strawberry mousse filling, covered in fondant for the main cake and left the icing choice up to me for the sheet cakes since fondant isn't as appetizing as buttercream.
So, the wedding is August 2 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM. It's hot in Arizona. Even at 9:30 at night it doesn't often go under 100 degrees. The cake will be outside. They want me to set up the 3 fake layers and the bottom real layer at 4:30 for pictures. I'm concerned that the filling which has cream and strawberries in it will melt to near soup between 4:30 and when they cut the cake. What would you suggest I say to them about this? How would you work around this?
Also. The bottom layer (14x4 square) would feed 100 guests according to Colette Peters. However, with it being outside for anywhere from 3 to 4 hours before it is served, I don't want it to be gross. So, do I make 200 servings out of sheetcake and tell them to ditch the bottom layer all together? That is a waste of 100 servings that I'm not going to get paid for if I do that.
What do I do?
Rachel
If the tiered cake is just for show and the cutting ceremony, is it possible to make the bottom layer fake also, except for a section on one corner, for them to cut and for pictures? Will your sheet cakes be double layered with filling? Keep the sheet cakes cool in the kitchen and serve when it's time. Tell your bride she will have a nasty mess if her cake stays outside in the heat for that long. In fact, won't your fondant melt also?
You need to insist on all fake cake on display, and unless it is well shaded, even that might melt. If they want to cut and eat cake, suggest a mini that can be held inside until cutting time. The bride wants something that is extremely risky for you and for the cake so make herr pay for it and be absolutely sure you take pictures.
Couldn't you make a 4 inch square to keep "hidden" behind the TOTALLY DUMMY cake for them to show? Let me try to explain what I am thinking (3 hours sleep last night-this might be difficult!hahah!)-set up the dummy cake to be what she wants (minus the filling stuff)-make the 4 inch to have the filling etc. Let them do the "cake cutting" picture-them holding the knife to the cake-then reach down and pick up a piece of the 4 inch to serve each other-hope that makes sense-but the bride must be out of her mind thinking that the cake would hold up in the heat like that- OR- is there a way to put it on a wheeled cart-wheel it out for the "cake cutting" and then wheel it back in somewhere for serving???
I would go with a completely fake cake. Explain to the bride the conditions will not permit a real cake. No bride wants their cake destroyed. I like nanni's idea of a small cake placed behind the fake cake for cutting/eating. They can get great pics holding the knife to the fake cake. The photo album won't suffer but the cake will unless it sits happily in a kitchen! 
If the bride wants pictures of the cake being cut and served to each other (bride feeding groom, etc.,) how about making only a 1/4 of the cake real and don't make it with all the filling that will go bad and stuff - basically it's just for pictures like she asked. Have the cake and filling she wants inside where it should be cool to be cut and served to the guests. No one is going to know the difference and explain to her that the cake outside could be unhealthy by having to leave perishable ingredients out in the heat for that length of time. Hope this helps somewhat. 
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