Ok, I have an order coming up for a wedding shower. The theme is "old new orleans", so they want elements of New Orleans to be represented in the cake, but they also don't want the cake to be too "flashy" or "whimiscal". Basically they want it more on the elegant side. They also mentioned representing the wrought iron balconies in some way that are so prevelant in the French Quarter. I've done a little research and I have a basic idea of what I want to do. Cake will be 2 tiered so I do want to represent the iron balconies on the top tier. Any idea of how to do this?? I am so fried!! I have scetched and scetched!! But I have writers block (or cake block) or something! Help please!!

Why cant you pipe them out of royal icing (like folks do for the princess tiaras) but use dark brown royal and dust them or dry brush on some darker blackish for the "old" look.
Then stand them on the cake when finished.

Depends on how 3D you are going and what the rest of cake looks like. You could stencil or paint wrought iron balconies. You could pipe the balconies or make them out of fondant or gumpaste. If you go the fondant/gumpaste route I would place toothpicks in the sides that going to attach to cake, along with edible glue, before balconies dry. This way attaching balconies will not be so hard. Just add the glue to toothpicks before inserting in cake and if balconies are too heavy they should stick.

I would cut the cake board 1/2 to 1 inch larger than the actual cake, cover it with 50/50 gumpaste & fondant let it dry. mean while cut another board the same size and make the iron balcony around it in 2 pieces, but make the so they will be able to attach together when completely dried (might want to wrap wax paper around the edge so the gumpaste doesn't stick . Let the iron gumpaste completely dry when it is dust it with black and browns maybe even a little bronze. Take your covered board and attach the two pieces to the covered cake board with gumpaste glue. and let completely dry. the cake will set in the center so that way it will actually look like the balcony. you could use floral wire in the middle of the iron if you have trouble having the gumpaste staying put while drying. or you could use a cake dummy the same size as you covered cake board to let the gumpaste set in the shape of the cake. also might want to put the cake in the middle before attaching the iron so that way you wont risk hitting the iron.