I will be doing a bride & grooms cake for a wedding and i'm also a bridesmaid. Since i'm in the wedding i'd prefer to set up the cake before the wedding instead of doing it all in the formal dress and i'm not sure what is too long for the cakes to be out of the fridge. The cakes will be set up between 3:30 - 4pm the wedding is at 4pm. my main concern is the brides cakes will have real flowers and they wont be placed in a bowl of water or anything just placed on top of the cake. and the grooms cakes will have the tuxedo strawberries. so i dont know if these two things will still look good by the time everyone gets to the reception. Any input will be greatly appreciated 
.
Thanks
When I did my brother's cake I set it up at 10am, and the wedding was that evening. My flowers were pink roses just placed on the cake and around it. They looked fine at the reception. Of course, they were in an air conditioned room. Plus, they were in water until the last moment. I'm not sure how durable your flowers are, but if you put them on the cake the last minute before you get dressed, (which, unless you are taking pictures before the ceremony, I'm assuming will be around 3 or so) you might be ok.
Will anyone be at the reception before you? Friend or relative you trust to put the flowers on for you? If you gave them a sketch or photo of where to place them? Same with the strawberries? That way those items could stay refrigerated as long as possible.
strawberries I'm not sure about,I think the flowers would hold up good if you keep them water until you put them on the cake.I also did a wedding with fresh flowers and had to set up at 11am and the reception wasn't till about 5ish and they looked great.they were roses too.good luck.the strawberries would be good to know about so here's a bump 
I personally would not do the strawberries. I think they will start bleeding through before the reception starts.
I am making my daughters wedding cake in Sept. and she wanted tuxedo strawberries on the grooms cake, I talked her out of it. She went with a chocolate fountain instead of strawberries on the cake.
You will be too rushed and stressed to be stacking the last minute. I plan on stacking on site the night before, placing in the fridge and then arranging everything two hours before the 4:30p.m. wedding.
I don't work well when I am under a time stress.
I think the flowers (especially roses) will be fine, just wouldn't risk the strawberries. Why don't you do a test with the starwberries, dip them, and then leave them on your counter for a few hours and see what happens. GOOD LUCK!!! Please post an update after the wedding I would be interested in hearing how it went.
Cindy
I was wondering, what type of cake, filling, icing are you plannign on using?
What type of flowers? Roses are usually pretty good if you give them a fresh cut the night before (make sure you cut under water so their first drink is water NOT air) Then let them sit in some water with a flower food in it. If you can keep them refridgerated that should help also. I know that someone on here use to own a floral shop so hopefully they will see this and be able to help you also.
As for the chocolate strawberrries. I have not done them, but from what i have read on CC as long as you dip them the morning of the wedding you should be fine. You do not want to refridgerate them once they are dipped, or it will encourage sweeting thorugh or around the chocolate.
Hope this helps some.
Leily
I'm probably demonstrating my ignorance here, but my concern would not be bleeding through of the berries. Every single time I've left strawberries out of the frige for more than 2 hours they grow mold.
I don't have the answer to that: thoughI think people would be more likely to eat something that was bleeding through than moldy. Of course, maybe I live in an area where my supermarket strawberries are already too old by the time I get them. I'm thinking that if you can test it like cindy_gl suggested that would be the best route. The extra expense would be more than offset by your peace of mind and perfect results.
Good luck to you, and I'm sorry I'm not much help. With all the brains on this forum, though, you are in good hands.
Well, all I have to say is to build stress into this, because it is going to be a big factor. I remember the day I got married, seemed like everybody was messing with me one way or another, and it sounds to me like you have plenty of stress that day being a bridesmaid and making the cake.
My advice is just to save yourself that stress plan, plan, plan. Maybe go ahead and use the flower picks, although the flowers will probably be fine.
If you're worried about the strawberries, you can either talk to the bride/groom about doing something else, or do a trial run with the strawberries. Make some up and let them set out, watching them, and note at what point they are not so desireable to you.
I don't know about dipping strawberries the morning of a wedding, just seems so stressful to me. Although, if you had them done as early as possible, I guess it could work. It just seems you want to eliminate anything that could cause undue stress that day, and the bride is going to be counting on you as a bridesmaid to provide some sort of calming effect, so stressing about the cake might be a royal pain..... I would have that cake set up as early as I could safely do it.......
I hope this doesn't sound negative....... just sometimes we don't realize how everyone is feeling the day of the wedding.
Just wanted to give everyone an update and thanks for the advice. For the brides cake i just wrapped the rose stems in floral tape and then placed them on the cake at 1:30p and the wedding cake was not cut till 8p or so and they still looked fine. For the grooms cake i started the tuxedo strawberries at 10:30a and they looked fine also when the cake was cut at 8p. Neither cake was in the fridge once it was completed but the reception was in the a airconditioned building. There was no filling in them either. I"ve attached pics for you to see if you like.
I would like bow instructions, too.
Beautiful job!!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%