Well the wedding is finally over with and here are the two cakes I did for my dd's wedding. Her cake was 5 tier stacked...pink...and I had so much trouble with the icing. My Sis in law saved it with her beautiful silk flowers.
The second cake is my bucket of beer cake I did for my son in law . Thanks to Patton78, Sweet Results and Kelly75 for answering my constant barrage of pm's with questions. The cake is choc w/choc icing. Sugar beer bottles, fondant caps, sugar ice and fondant planks. During the 90 min trip from home to my dd's it did fairly well but during the 20 min ride to the reception hall/church it moved off center even with it center doweled. The guys loved the cake and didn't even notice the huge wedding cake right next to it. I even put a sign up that said "Yes this is a real cake" but Indydeb ( who catered the reception) said people were still poking it to make sure... 
My own mother in law had a piece of the cake and got some of the "ice" in hers. She thought it was glass... 
Now the whole thing is over and done and I can finally be put to rest!!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_600673.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_599533.html
I had the honor and privilege of catering the food for this wedding and I have to tell everyone about this groom's cake! First, not only was CakeRN the Mother of the Bride AND made the wedding and Groom's cakes, AND transported them over 100 miles, but OMG they were so fabulous looking!!!!
Now I understand why people poke cakes .... because even MY finger was halfway to the cake when I caught myself! She finally had to put up a sign of "Yes, this is a cake!" but that did not stop people from touching it to see how real it was! As I was setting up the buffet, I'm here to tell you there was a constant crowd of people around this cake! There were more people gathered around to watch CakeRN cut THIS cake than there were to watch the bride and groom do THEIR cake cutting ceremony!
CakeRN,when I showed this cake to my hubby, his reaction was "HOLY SH**!!! That's a CAKE!!!!!!!!!???? How come you can't do cakes like this!?" (And as he hopped away on his one GOOD shin.......!)
And like a typical CC'er, the only thing she could do while I was standing there with her, was point out all the flaws! (big sigh!). The pics don't do it justice ..... these were the two most awesome cakes I have ever seen. The painting on the bucket made it look like real wood. The sugar bottles were so authentic looking! It was a very humbling experience to be in the presence of the talent of CakeRN.
So PLEASE, if you haven't peeked at these cakes yet, please do so and then tell this fellow CC'er that she really IS that good!!!
(edited for a couple of typos)
Oh my lord Indydeb....the sh*% is getting deep in here with all the hooey... I only copied from the true professionals here on cake central. They are my inspiration. It takes me so long to do these that i would starve to death if I had to make a living doing this. Good thing I am a nurse...saves me from losing my house, car and food...
I did these to save my kids money...( like all good mothers do..we go to the rescue of our kids) plus I do love the oohs and ahhs...of the people that have really never seen top notch cakes...
But thanks for the vote of confidence....
Both cakes are fabulous. I have the "beer" cake saved to my favourites, too, and I think it's one of the "coolest" (pardon the slight pun) cakes I've ever seen.
Congratulations on both your dd's wedding, and on your wonderful cakes!
OMG! Those cakes are AMAZING! I wouldnt even know HOW to do the "ice" in the beer bucket!
Oh my gosh!! 
These cakes are absolutely beautiful. That beer cake is absolutely amazing, my finger would have been one of the ones poking it to see if it was real or not!! Absolutely fantastic work and great attention to detail. How do you make those bottles and ice? They look so real!!!
Also, just wanted to congratulate you on your dd's wedding, you must be ecstatic!!
those are both beautiful cakes!!! i can definately see why you needed to put a sign next to the groom's cake!! outstanding!!! 
WOW!!!! you did an awesome job. i saw the beer cake earlier this evening and my jaw dropped, then my dh saw it and we both just looked in awe!!! the wedding cake is beautiful and i don't see a single flaw. i can only imagine how good it feels to do something like that let alone also being the mother of the bride.
Amy
My gosh thank you for all your support!.... I do love this site and Yes Indydeb is one young lady I am getting to know and OF course love! She is actually married to my sister in laws brother..so...she would maybe be my sister in law twice removed??? She is a hoot and a great caterer...
As for the beer bottles...I got these directions from Sweet Results. I would use the silicone plastique if you can order it because the sculpty clay mold only made 2 bottles but tore inbetween. That stuff is pricey too...
Teri
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For the tub, put a LARGER cake on top you will be fine. Then carve the top cake a little bit to try to make them smooth together, use your hands to smooth it over, fill in the gap with a crumb coat and use your hands again to smooth it out. Then you can frost the whole thing one more time before the fondant (if you are using it)
The ice is easy - line a cookie sheet with foil that you crumpeld up a bit and then smoothed out again. 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup. In the microwave together for about 3-4 mintues, maybe longer, just enough so all the sugar is disolved - if it is in there too long it will start to carmelize and turn color. You could also do this over the stove if you like. Once it is cooked pour it out onto the foil and let cool - be careful - it is so hot! Once it has cooled (give it an hour or so, but I am impatient and keep checking every few minutes) break it up into pieces into your mixer bowl and be careful not to cut yourself on the sugar. Using the paddle attachment mix the "ice" a bit and this will make it look frosty and shaved. Then you can spoon it out onto your cake.
To make the bucket I used a 10" round on the bottom and a 12" round on the top, then carved the sides to make them smooth. Fondant over the whole thing, painted with silver Luster Dust and fondant handles.
Here are the instructions for the bottles - thanks so much for your interest!
First my apologies to all you true sugar artists! This was my first attempt at sugar work, so these may not be perfect instructions, but at least I know they worked for a rookie like me The molds and bottles can be done in one day, for best results though, plan on 2 days for overnight drying of your latex mold.
http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html
Remove label and wash the bottle you want to mold, fit a cork wrapped in plastic into the top so that it is even and flat with the top of the bottle. You may have to cut the cork to size first, then wrap in plastic and insert into the top of the bottle. If you do not use the plastic you may get bits of cork in the top of your mold. This will not harm your mold.
Using Rubber Latex (paint several coats over the entire bottle (except the bottom of course), letting it dry in between coats. It is best to let it sit over night after the final coat, but I have made and used a mold in one day.
Once it has dried thorouly begin lifting the mold from around the bottom of the bottle, loosening it all the way around.
Roll the mold off the bottle, do not worry if it begins to stick to itself a bit, it will pull apart. To roll the mold completely off the bottle it will most likely turn inside out. Simply use a mixing spoon to push it right side out. As the mold cures more over time it will stop sticking to itself.
Using any kind of modeling clay, make a half bottle mold using the same bottle, this will be the support for your latex mold. If the mold tilts the top of the bottle downwards at bit this helps, I did not think to do this when I made my first mold.
Rest the latex mold in the clay mold and then prepare your sugar.
Mix ½ cup sugar and ½ light corn syrup in a two cup glass measuring cup and place in microwave. Microwave the mixture for 6 minutes at 50%. then micro at full power for another 2-3 minutes, depending on how dark you want your bottle. It will continue to darken a bit once you remove it from the microwave.
Carefully pour the mixture into the mold a little at a time, rotating the latex mold slowly to evenly coat the mold, letting it rest in the clay mold to keep its shape. The latex will be hot to the touch, so gloves or potholders are needed. Once you have coated the mold, continue to pour the sugar into the mold and continue to rotate until you have used all the sugar.
Once the sugar has cooled, remove the mold from the sugar bottle the same way you did from the real bottle, loosen the bottom, and roll the mold off the bottle. When you get to the neck give it a gentle tug and it will come free.
I was able to make six bottles in one afternoon with only one mold. If you have any trouble with the neck of the bottle you can always wrap it in gold foil like some of the fancy imported beers!
I made my labels in Fireworks, but you could use any program like Photoshop, Word, whatever is comfortable for you. If you are not selling the cakes and do not have to worry about a copywrite you could even copy actual beer labels from a Google search and size them in any similar program.
I printed them on regular paper first to test the size. Once I was satisfied with the design I printed them onto edible sheets and cut them to size. A few seconds in the freezer and they separate easily from the backing paper and I attached them with a bit of corn syrup. If you do not have an edible printer you can always make paper labels and stick them on with corn syrup as well. Just let everyone know not to eat them!
I realize there could be some concern of latex allergies, I am not sure to what extent the latex will transfer to the sugar. If you do not want to use rubber latex for your molds these sites also have mold making materials that may work for you instead. If you use something like the Silicone Plastique I would think you could mold the plastique completely around the bottle, then once it cures cut it in half to release the bottle making 2 half bottles that could then fit back together. Band them together with rubber bands and pour the sugar into the mold, rotating to coat it. Once the sugar hardens you could then release the bottle from the 2 molds. I think I would have tried this if I had more time to order the Plastique.
http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html
http://www.fineartstore.com/cg.....ar6zgx.792
http://www.chefrubber.com/
Teri you did an AMAZING job! I'm so proud of you - I know how much everyone loved it!
Really super and I'm so glad I could help 
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