So, luckily the cake is for my sister and the wedding isn't until next June so I have time to prepare. But this will be my first super duper cake. She getting married at Castle Hill Inn
http://www.castlehillinn.com/New-England-Weddings/newport-ri-weddings-overview.htm
in Newport, RI. It's a very "prestigious" place and there will be like 200 people at the wedding. She said do whatever you want surprise me. My hands are getting clammy just thinking about it.
Her dress is Ivory and the bridesmaids are like a deep plum/wine color. Then maybe some greens and corals in the flowers. So I gotta do something elegant. I'm thinking of making some gumpaste flowers to match the bouqets on just a simple square tiered cake.
I has to be something that can be assembled there because it takes and hour and half to get there and since I'll be in the wedding we're going down at least a day before the wedding and staying overnight. We talked to the place and they said we can store it in their kitchen and have use of the kitchen to assemble it. I'm kind leaning towards doing dummy cakes with one layer that can be cut into for the cake cutting ceremony then doing sheet cakes or cupcakes for the guests.
I don't know! Give me some advice cake peeps!

Making a fancy dummy cake and then making either sheet cakes or cupcakes will easily double or triple your labor requirements - and create MORE work for you rather than less....

Decorating a dummy takes all the time of decorating a real cake AND yet you still have baking and MORE icing to do.
And unless you want the guests to wonder why they didn't get a slice of "real" wedding cake, you really should make layered/filled kitchen cakes instead of slab (one layer, no filling sheet cakes).

Cupcakes require individually baking AND decorating 200 cupcakes. And transporting/displaying them is (IMHO) more work than transporting a 3 tier wedding cake.

A decorated 3 tier wedding cake will serve all the guests (which requires baking six layers and decorating three cakes - and then you're done. There's no transporting a dummy cake AND something else...)

HTH

If you make a dummy cake you can start anytime and not stress about getting it completed right before the wedding. Many brides are now choosing them over a real cake. I make them all the time and they transport very well. A 3 tier assembled square cake for example will be very stable. If the top tier is the real one you can add a fake tier once you return home and use it as a display cake.
If you are making deep plum/wine flowers try adding 1 tsp baking soda to 1 lb coloured gumpaste. Dusting the flowers will also help to preserve the colour. Once the cake is completed, cover it lightly with a dark plastic garbage bag to keep the dust and light out. It can be stored indefinately in a cool dark room.