I wanted to try and stack a wedding cake with coast plates and tier colums. Is this method easier than cutting wooden dowels and? also can any one tell me if I should use coast plates a size smaller than the cake it will be placed on. for example would a 7" plate be used for a 8" cake. Please help. My first wedding cake was a disaster because it was a tall leaning tower.

I use coast. I love their pillars. They come in many sizes. I hate wooden dowels. These pillars are easier to use and are more secure/stable. You can use plates an inch smaller so long as your cakes are on a supportive board, but you don't have to. I've ordered their pillars in a variety of sizes so that when I have a cake, I just measure and stick in the right size. No worrying about my cake height of maybe having a gap, or the legs not being long enough and causing bulging.

my first wedding cake i did last week had tones of bulging. I am hoping this will make this wedding cake look much better. will it be a problem installing a wooden dowel in the middle of the cake for support. how will i place a hole in the center of the plate?

To avoid bulging, use a good dam, don't use too much filling, and use a good support system.

I would not advise trying to use a dowel in the center of a cake that uses plastic support plates. Even if you drill a hole in the plates, then you have to try to get that dowel perfectly centered and into those holes. It would be best just to transport them separately and assemble the cakes when you get there. It would be a lot less stressful for you.