I'm doing my first tiered cake. It's for my own party, so I want it to stay nice, but if it falls over, I won't have anyone mad at me...but me. 
Is there anything I need to know about assembling or transporting? I read a post that says to use dowels. Ok, dowels, check. I read a post about not putting too much filling between the layers. Check.
My tiers will only have about an inch difference all around (I think I'm doing 8 and 6). So, is it ok to assemble before I transport it?
I'm going to bake them tonight, I think. The party is Sunday. I only have to go about 20 minutes away, that day. How far in advance can I ice them?
Thanks for all your help, in advance. Sorry for all the newbie questions. 
You will be fine to frost them even up to 2 days ahead of time-assuming you are using buttercream. When I do wedding cakes I usually bake on Wednesday night, frost on Thursday, decorate on Friday and set up on Saturday. I work full time, so I can only work on cakes in the evenings. Anyway, I think the cakes actually taste better after they have sat a day or two and the frosting seals the cake in anyway. If you are going to transport the cake already tiered, and hopefully this is a stacked cake, you should definitely put a dowel throught the center of both cakes for stability. Just measure the dowel to the height of both tiers, sharpen one end with a pencil sharpener and pound the dowel in with a hammer! (You must put the top tier on cardboard rounds in order for this to work!)
I use 2-3 cardboard rounds and have never had any trouble pounding through--I never stack more than 2 tiers high either--we have to travel on rough roads and I just don't want to take the chance!! I think you also have to pound that hammer with authority--"I think I can, I think I can." I was a nervous wreck the first time I did it, but it's surprisingly easy!!!!!
It is a stacked cake...you're saying I should have one long dowel running down through the middle of the whole thing? I guess the pounding with a hammer must be to get it through the cardboard?
I was going to put little dowels in the bottom and just set the top layer on...could I do that if I transport it un-teired? I'm scared about pounding a dowel down through the whole cake... 
LOL
I baked the cakes last night and they're in the fridge, uncovered, right now. I figured I'd tort them tonight, and maybe ice them (yes, it's buttercream) tonight. My party is on Sunday. (I have to tort them tonight because my fiance is going to cut the dowels for me tonight. He's leaving for his bachelor party in the morning. yikes! don't get me started) LOL
Sure you can transport it untiered! Here's a tip for cutting those dowels--use pruning sheers--they work great, cut straight and aren't nearly as time consuming as sawing away!--Hey, he could get to his bachelor party even sooner!!!! HA! As far as pounding a dowel through both tiers with that hammer--don't be--it just saves on set up time! Good luck!
A trick I read on CC is to leave your dowels sticking up alittle when you insert - this gives you finger room, then when you put the cake on top of them, they sink into their proper places. I haven't tried that, but I am going to tomorrow. (of course you are still cutting them to the proper height). I bought a little coping saw to cut my dowels. I did not have the strenght to nip my with the shears. (hand grip problems)
dsabol2000, I just got back from setting up the wedding cake. Leaving the dowels sticking out worked great. One tier was a chocolate and the tier sank easily with time to get my fingers out. The next tier was going into WASC and sank alittle unevening, but I just supported the lower part until the front caught up with it. This was so much easier than my previous, align and drop with finger smudges 
. Good luck with yours. I will definitely do this again. I wonder if perhaps one of my dowels was not perfectly straight up and down? (I did take my spatula and help it sink alittle) I had made an imprint of the tier on the lower one and it was so easy to line up this way)
Well, I forgot all about leaving the dowels sticking up a little. LOL
It did turn out great, though. The only problem I had was my fiance was trying to help, and he wrapped the cake board I was using under the lower tier. And when he did it, he wrapped it in foil and then cut it, so the foil that was on top of the board wasn't connected to the foil on the bottom of the board. (I should have just used the board without wrapping it, but he wanted to help..) Anyway, it was fine and I figured I'd use it so he would think he had done something useful. Well, by the time I got to the party, the board had shifted on the foil that was under it. but because of the plate I had the cake sitting on, it was ok. I just pulled the useless foil out from under the board and re-centered the cake on the plate.
The was the first time I've transported a cake like this anywhere, so I think it went pretty well, considering. 
I got the idea for this cake from BlairsMom (on this site), so this is not my design. But, I wanted to post some pics of it anyway. 
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