I just got my first wedding cake order!!!!!
I'm very excited (cant you tell), however I'm a little nervous. The bride to be emailed me a pic of what she wants the cake to look like, and of course, it's some gorgeous cake out of a magazine. It seems pretty simple, and like something that I could do. My main concern is that I've never done a wedding cake. 
I mean check out my cakes, nothing there even close to wedding cakes. The wedding is for Sept 16, so I have some time to do a little research and learn all I can about doing a wedding cake, but I seem to have learned the most about cake decorating from you all here. If anyone has any tips or words of wisdom, I would greatly appreciate it. I have never taken a cake decorating course and am by no means a professional, so I take all that I can and learn from it. TIA!
Congratulations on your order.
I was just as excited last year when I got my first wedding cake order.
A little advice....prepare in advance. I baked, decorated and made my edible pearls all in one day and I will NEVER EVER do that again.
If you are making any royal icing or gumpaste flowers, I would definitely make those at least two weeks in advance. You can bake all your cake layers beforehand and freeze them. Make sure you have all information in your cake contract about cancellations, deposits, delivery & setup, etc.
I'm sure more members will have plenty more advice. I've only had two wedding cake orders so maybe the more experienced wedding cake makers can help you more.
Good luck!
Congrats on your wedding order and welcome to CC!
Congrats!!!!
Not to worry about pulling this off. When I got my first wedding cake order I was thrilled but oh so worried about how I was going to approach the whole thing. Plan ahead and search this site and ask for help. I don't think I would have done the cake without help from this site.
Good Luck 
CONGRATS!!!
I'm finishing up my first wedding cake tonight (the big cake is done, I'm now doing 300 servings of sheetcake!!) so I know the stress and the relief of seeing the first wedding cake coming ot an end.
Rachel
Do you have the pans you need yet? Pillars and all that stuff? I have only done two wedding cakes. My first wedding cake was a rush trying to get the pans and separator plated. I was scared to death to do stacked construction, so I got the crystal clear divider set. It cost $50 but I ended up paying and extra $25 to have it shipped on time because of poor planning.
Congratulations Frog80!!!!
My main piece of advice, especially since this is your first and the photo is from a magazine, is to do a trial run first. Yes - you'll have a lot of extra cake around. But you will also have the knowledge that you can do it, and you'll experience your pitfalls ahead of time and you'll also have a clearer idea of just how much time that particular cake will take you once it's "crunch time".
Good luck and we're here for you!!!!
Good for you. You must have a lot of mixed feels, but good ones. If you are going to take the plunge into wedding cakes you may want to consider taking the wilton class if it is local for you. You can always learn something new and the more confidence you have, the less worries you will have. Good luck.
I agree with DelightsbyE- do a trial run! I would also go through and make sure you practice your pillar system (if you are using one) so that you are sure all the pieces not only fit together easily, but that you have all that you will need.
The other thing that helped me is I found a list somewhere on the internet that lists every possible thing you could need to pack for that day (like back up materials, wet towels, tips, level for the table, etc.
I am SURE you can do it! I just did my first on July 22nd and after it was set up, I mentioned to my friend who came for moral support that it really wasn't that big of a deal after all. I was stressed more that the bride kept adding guests and we went from 150 to 250 servings in two months. I think 250 is a lot for a first cake- good thing it was a simple design and tons of sheet cake!!!!!!
Be sure to post your pics! And remember we are all behind you!!!
Congratulations!
Make sure that you have all your supplies ahead of time. If you are ordering anything off of the internet, make sure to leave enough time for shipping. I recommend you try to order your supplies from this site, for several reasons
1) You help keep this site running when you order from the store.
2) Shipping is reasonable
3) Shipping is FAST
4) If you the total of your order (before tax) is more than $50 you qualify for free shipping!
5) Cakecentral.com's prices are competitive.
Make as much as you can ahead of time. Enlist your significant other's help in the housework. Trust me on this one...my house went to the wayside with my first wedding cake.
Remain calm...things will work out even if they look like it won't right off of the bat.
And if you need any help at any time hop on here for the help you need.
Don't underprice yourself either! Stand firm with your price quote. Also make sure to practice..even if it's a smaller version of what you will be doing.
Congrats frog80.....my first wedding cake is for Sept. 16 too. How cool is that.....we'll get through it together.
My first wedding is for Sept. 16th too!!!! 
Must be the day to do wedding cakes!!! It has to be GOOD LUCK!!!!
I was so pleased with my order. I received it in four days. I really love the americolor, only wish the books wouldn't run out so fast.
A big congrats! I was so nervous w/ my first wedding cake that I threw up! Really. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The most stressful part of it looking back and still is, is delivering the cake. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for assembly and touch ups at the site and be prepared for people to be looking over your shoulder. Mainly because these things are works of art and people love to watch an artist at work. If you can post a picture of the cake your doing, we can all help you down to the last detail, so no worries, relax and relish in your accomplishments!
Amy
CONGRATS ON YOUR 1ST ORDER!! IVE DONE ONLY 1 WEDDING CAKE AND I THINK IT CAME OUT OK. WELL THE CAKE WAS FOR A FAMILY MEMBER OF MINE AND I TOLD HER THAT I WOULD ONLY CHARGE HER THE MATERIALS IT CAME OUT TO $175.00 I DIDNT HAVE THE PANS. WELL NOW IM OUT OF LUCK ITS A BIG STORY BUT IVE LEARNED FROM THIS.
MAKE SURE SHE PAYS AT LEAST 50% UP FRONT AND THE BALANCE 5 DAYS (OR WHATEVER MANY DAYS YOU WANT)BEFORE THE WEDDING B-CUZ IVE HEARD A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT HOW THE MARRIED COUPLE WASTED ALL THERE MONEY ON THE BAND, CATERER , ECT.. AND THAT THEY WILL GET TO YOUR MONEY LATER. NO DONT GO THROUGH THAT. SORRY I DONT MEAN TO SCARE YOU . IM SURE EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE AND YOULL DO GOOD.
Congratulations! I did my niece's cake in July and looking back it was fun and nerve wracking! If you are stacking look at the hidden pillars - I loved them!
I would suggest baking ahead and freezing the cakes. On my 16" layer I torted them and assembled the layers frozen. Much easier to handle!
Here is a pic of the cake she wants. The only difference is she wants it on pillars and she wants a pink satin ribbon around the bottom of each tier. TIA for your help!
Ohhh pretty! That'll be a piece of cake (LOL) For sure! I'm sure you'll be fine if you are well prepared.
I have no wedding cake experience and probably will never at the rate I'm going/learning/improving
But I do concur with the 2 or more posts about trial first- and having all of your tools/equipment/pans/supplies you'll need WELL in advance- have that list that someone mentioned of what you'll need (I've put on /organized a number of larger events)- LIST LIST LIST- lol, really important. Timelines are really cool, they're really helpful, in conjunction with hte practice- and finding out through these wonderful experts on CC what you can do when and how far in advance. So that your time is well managed.
Oh and I agree with I think it was M0use about recruiting help from household members 
Your'e trying to do your first wedding cake stress-free (HAHA as if that exists), as stress-free as possible I should say, and explain/enlist help with other things.
I'm sure they wont mind you practicing on them anyway 
Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement and your advice. I will definately need it. I have 2 small boys, one turning 5 Monday and the other is 8 months, so my DH will be doing alot of housework and tending to the kids!!
I've charged her $125.00 for the cake and told her I needed a $50.00 deposit. I don't know these people personally and don't want to sound mean, but didn't want to get stuck with this cake that doesn't get paid for. I've already got all of the pans. All I have to buy is the quilting embosser, the pillars and cake stands, the ribbon, and the flowers. And I'm going to visit my parents down at Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks and am planning on picking that stuff up then. I live in a VERY small town with a WalMart as the closest thing to a craft store, so I have to either go out of town to get my supplies or order it online. It looks pretty simple and like something I can do, but I'm still nervous because I keep thinking that this cake is going to be in pictures she is going to show off to people for the rest of her life. If it looks like crap, I'm to blame!! 
My DH keeps telling me that if she didn't already like the work that she has seen she would have never asked about me doing the cake. So maybe I'm just second guessing myself for nothing. Thanks again to everyone for your help and kind words.
Also good luck to Jennifer293 and Cyndi1207 on your first wedding cakes as well!!!
I have 2 small boys, one turning 5 Monday and the other is 8 months,
The picture of them is adorable. Really cute boys! I have noticed them every time I see a posting from you.
Thanks TheVienneaus! They are my pride and joy. I know this is way off subject, but I am sooo proud of my (soon to be) 5 yr. old. We had to go and register him for Kintergarden today and he had to take a placement test and scored a 94 out of 100!!!! The only things he missed was his house # in his address and he didn't know where his ankles were or his jaw! Sorry, I'm just sooo proud. I'll be a bauling baby on his first day of school ! The only thing that will help is knowing that I've still got my 8 month old here to keep me busy! Thanks!
I agree with everyone - do a trial run. SueBee and I did one - drove it in the car (slamming the brakes and everything) and reset it up at her house. We had a horrible time with getting it even and we were so glad we did it in advance. No suprises for the real thing.
Best of luck!!!!!!
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