A[IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/2861156/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

(Sorry for the poor quality photo -- it's the best I can manage at the moment.)

Ideally, I'd like to do the design in gumpaste, but I'm worried it'll just be too fragile. And since I'd have to make it in advance to give it time to dry, I'm worried I wouldn't get the height quite right. Would you risk it?

Another possibility would be painting directly on the fondant, but I don't think that'd be as effective, visually.

Any ideas I'm not thinking of?

Hope y'all have some brilliant ideas and sage advice for me! ;^)

~Valerie

I'd just cut it out of fondant and glue it to the side of the tiers.

AThanks, Leah. You don't think it'll turn out too floppy-sloppy in fondant?

~Valerie

Oh no, fondant will be sturdy - almost the same as gp, but it won't dry rock hard like gp would.  It still will dry enough to handle - especially if you don't roll it too thin. 

AThe jill & elliot design is sweet! I would twist fondant too look like rope and make tassel ends for them. The jill rope would be brushed with gold with the gold tassels lying up on top of the tier. The elliot rope would be brushed with silver with the tassels lying on the top of the tier below. (Yep, thats what I said) the cake would be a three tier stack with the center tier twice a high and covered in a lightly marbled fondant from the same color family as the main gum paste flowers used in the cake along with maybe a lighter yellow or white small flower accent. The top and bottom tiers would be decorated with a nice bouquet to top it all off. :grin:

AThe MMF recipe here in the cakecentral.com articles that uses the small Kraft jet puffed marshmallows is fantastic. You can look in my photos and see the blue marbled wedding cake with white butterflies on a ivory colored MMF base tier. That was the first time o use that recipe ( on my daughters WC the night before the wedding) make it the day before you intend to use it. I used a quick 15-20 second hit of the microwave to make it softer and easier to handle.:grin:

AHere is the tutorial for making and using MMF.

:grin:http://cakecentral.com/a/mmf-how-to-decorate-cake-marshmallow-fondant

And a post to the picture I mentioned:

http://cakecentral.com/g/i/1176566/u/389813/flat/1/

:grin:

AThanks, kakeladi. I think that too-thin has been my problem with such things in the past. Fondant it is! The wedding's not till January, though, so I've got a wee bit of time to work out the details. ;^)

~Valerie

AThat sounds fun, SgtGoodie...just not what my bride and groom want. ;^)

~Valerie

A

You could also keep it all on the middle tier. A very quick sketch and pic from my ipad is attached. Keeping it all on the middle tier would leave you wide open on the other tiers. You would have to plan it carefully, pipe it in royal first and use the royal as glue then paint the gold and silver later but it's doable. :grin:

http://cakecentral.com/g/i/2861767/a/3269156/sort/display_order/

AThanks, but I'm not really looking for a new design, just advice on how to execute the one I've got, which the bride and groom and I are all happy with.

~Valerie

AThe design you originally posted is cool. Would look striking if it was on a multi tiered cake going straight down the middle of the tiers.

AThanks, AZCouture. Yeah, it'd be more dramatic with more tiers, but they just want two, so that's what we're going with.

~Valerie

That would be easy to do... I'd just use fondant.  You could use a little tylose or any gum powder in it to give it some stability.  i'd just roll our ropes of fondant and make the letters with that.  let them set up a little and then place in the cake.  The ropes that make the L's I'd just roll out right before you want to place them on the cake.

It's a great design!