Help please! What recipe for buttercream frosting will firm up (not melt) for a wedding cake and can be smoothed to look like fondant (via the Viva paper towel method)?

Thank you so much!

I know if I make buttercream with real butter not margarine or shortening then it crusts so that might work and you could also make buttercream MMF if it's just that you want the taste if that's all it is message me and I'll tell you how I make it

Crusting has to do with the sugar to fat ratio, not whether you use butter or not. more sugar to fat means crusting. Look at Crusting Buttercream recipes to get an idea of the ratios.

Some recipes that crust are:

Indydebs:http://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/6992/indydebis-crisco-based-buttercream-icing

Edna's: http://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/28315/crusting-buttercream-recipe

Using shortening helps it hold up better in heat, but some people say it's greasier. Real butter is generally preferred, but it melts faster.

I used this method in the past with this recipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

4 or 5 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)

2 tablespoons unwhipped, whipping cream

more whipping cream to thin

Beat butter until softened.  Add shortening and beat.  At powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Add two tablespoons of cream and beat until smooth.  Add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time to get desired consistency.  Ice cake.  Let icing set about 20-30 minutes.  Then use paper towel method to smooth.

Sewsweet2  had a wonderful faux fondant method and recipe that she used to share a link to. I haven't been able to find a working link to it.  Perhaps someone on this site knows where to find it  or how to contact her.  I lost contact with her but I can tell you that she is a lovely sharing person.  I have tried to find her and note there is another person using the name sewsweet.  The sewsweet you are looking for is Sandy.

I always use the same amount of sugar but when I use real butter it gets crusty not when I use margarine not when I use shortening so yeah but my buttercream fondant recipe is still awesome 

And I. Added so much sugar once to margarine and shortening buttercream that it turned into a dough like, and I left it out and it stayed soft for days and never hardened we just threw it away