I've never used edible pearls or dragees, so I need some advice. I received a picture of a wedding cake I've been asked to do, and although the design is simple, I'm not sure how to to the cascading design on the side of the cake. First of all, what does it look like they used for the design? If it is dragees, what size should I use and what is the best way to place them? Thanks for your help!

It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like dragees. You could use them, but they are kind of hard and you may have to warn them that eating is not recommended, or someone may end up with broken teeth. You could make your own out of fondant, dusted in luster dust and placed on the cake- they just take alot of time.

They look to me like they're a mixture of dragees, edible pearls and rhinestones. This would make sense because the rhinestones would match the topper...

You could just tell the cake cutter to remove the rhinestones and dragees before cutting...

If you blow it up, it almost looks like aquarium gravel. (I know that's not what it is but that's what it looks like.) I'm a big fan of "make it all edible" so I would make a hard candy recipe, tint it to match the color of the ribbon and then pour it on a flat surface. When it dries, I would crack it into smaller pieces like those shown on this cake. I think a mixture of the cracked sugar and small, multi sized (3 to 5 mm) edible pearls will recreate this look. I'd attach them to the fondant with royal icing.