AOne of my good friend asked me to make her a wedding cake. This should prove to be interesting because I only decorated my first cake last week (but she likes it and she's on a tight budget... So here I am, tackling giants pro bono)

Basically I'm trying to make a Cherry blossom tree like the draft I drawn here with fondant. Her invitations has cherry blossom tree and a pair of bunnies, and I'm trying to replicate that.

[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3224115/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

How do I do a freestanding tree with fondant? If the tree is going to be leaning slightly, do I stab the wooden dowel support at an angle? Or do I do it straight and then bend the tree?

This is also going to be my first time working with fondant and I'm planning to use marshmallow fondant.

Another thing is, only the top part of the cake (about 5" round) is going to be cake. The bottom two tiers are basically dummy cake covered in fondant. Do you think this is a good idea? That way the only thing that need to be refrigerated is the top cake. What I'm trying to do is to minimize as little damage as I can to the cake during transport. I'm staying with the bride at the venue the night before (I'm also the bridesmaid) so the available refrigeration is dubious at best.

If the bottom tiers are just dummy cake, do I still need a dowel support for the top tiers? I'm thinking since the styrofoam is a solid mass, I can just stack them with maybe some royal icing glue.

Lastly do you have any tips before I do something Horribly Wrong™? Thank you in advance for any help and tips!