Okay, so this will be my first stacked wedding cake. I am doing 3 double layer square tiers. One 14", one 10" and one 8". I will be assembling the cakes on site about 9:30 in the morning for a 5:00pm reception. To my knowledge, the cake will not be moved once I assemble it. My question is, if I am assembling on site, do I have to put the single dowel rod through all 3 cakes or can I just do the stacked construction without the center dowel? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!
Mariamom 
i don't know that you would have to do the center dowel, but it couldn't hurt, could it?
i would hate to think that if the table got bumped around a bit while setting up for the reception that the layers would shift a little. better safe than sorry i say.
I would be very nervous setting up a cake that early for a reception at 5 pm. I would want to put that central dowel in. If that cake table gets bumped when the rest of the room is being set-up... you could wind up with cake disaster.
It's really easy. You do need to use only cardboard within the cake-no hard plastic plates. Get a dowel that is just a smidgy shorter than the height of the cake-literally just a hair shorter. Then use a new hand-held pencil sharpener (like what you would have in a pencil case for elementary school) to sharpen the tip of the center dowel. Make it as sharp as a pencil. Then stand on a chair/step stool (so you're up above the cake) and gently push the dowel through the top of the cake-right through the buttercream. When you hit a little resistance that means you've encountered the cardboard. Take a hammer (again, new and clean) and GENTLY tap the top of the dowel to break through the cardboard. It will go through very easily so don't whack it with the hammer. Then push through the next cake layer, until you get to the cardboard and repeat with the hammer, repeating until you're all the way through the tiers. When you get the dowel almost pushed all the way through the cake take a shorter dowel and line it up on top of the dowel that's in the cake and push on the second dowel so that the damage you do to the top of the cake is minimal. Once the dowel is all the way inserted take a little buttercream to patch over where the dowel is and you're done. It sounds much worse than it is-it's honestly very easy, the key is just to be gentle. Good luck!
Thanks Flourchick. I think I am going to try it on a small scale soon just to practice. I thought about taking the whole cake assembled, but I will be alone and I have to drive about 45 minutes on small county roads. So to take it and assemble it there seems to be my best bet. I am lucky that the topper will cover the "hole" my dowel will make, so no big deal if I don't get that smooth completely! Thanks everyone! I can't wait to do this cake! Let's see if I am saying that in a few weeks! 
You have been given the correct info on the center dowel procedures, but since you are setting this up so much earlier then the wedding I would put extra support dowels in the cake, you might use the Wilton hidden columns as they are larger and wider, you of course will have to cut them. Make sure you take a picture of the cake, and it probably would be a good idea to have the bride or the mother see the cake and get their approval before you leave the site. Leaving a cake setup that long is asking for trouble.
I am doing a 16,12,9 and 6 tiered wedding cake in 3 weeks. I am going to use the hidden pillars with the clear plates. Do I really need to have a center dowel or will the hidden pillars (lots of them) be enough? I will assemble at site too .
Also if you put ribbon on the cakes how do you attach it at the cut ends? do you use royal icing? I have heard if you grease the ribbon it does better too.
Any thoughts?
Sundine2,
I am so glad you asked about the ribbons. I had the same question for this cake and forgot to ask. Does anyone have any suggestions? I will have to look up the Wilton hidden pillars. Did I mention the cakes are square and going to be offset? One stacked one way and the other the same as the bottom. Thanks again everyone! I love Cake Central!!! 
I am going to use the hidden pillars with the clear plates. Do I really need to have a center dowel or will the hidden pillars (lots of them) be enough?
You wouldn't be able to put a center dowel through the clear plates.
About greasing the ribbon. That makes lots of sense, since it will make the color even, as surely, the grease from the buttercream will bleed through the ribbon. I've never put ribbon on a cake; but with that tip, I might try it.
I put a ribbon on my first wedding cake (square) and had the most luck putting small dots of royal icing all around the cake where the ribbon would be. Just attaching it at the ends didn't keep the ribbon against the cake, but that's up to you. Also ironing wax paper onto the back of your ribbon to make it grease proof didn't work for me.
As for doweling, what I did was I had my base and marked the center. I also marked the center and cut a small hole in each of my cake boards. I had someone hold an 8" straw straight up on the base. I then lowered my bottom tier onto the straw. This left 4" of straw sticking out of the top of the tier and the tier centered. Then I added another 8" straw to that straw and lowered the next tier. You just want to make sure you'll have straw sticking out of the top of your tier after you lower it. I did this so my cake would be centered, not for stability.
They have a name for this technique of central doweling, but I can't remember what it is. Only different is they use one LONG dowel rather than 3 or 4 straws stuck together. But like I said I wasn't doing this for stability, I was doing to make it centered. I think this is better than trying to drive a long dowel straight into a stacked cake. With this technique you know not only is the dowel straight, but your cake is centered.
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