Great guide! I was asked by a friend to make her wedding cake a few years ago. She was a very easy-going bride so I knew whatever I came up with she'd be happy with. I ended up closely following the wedding cake that Deb at Smitten Kitchen made. Wish I had this article then! A few notes for any future wedding cake bakers... 1. See if you can borrow a kitchen. I was able to use our church's industrial kitchen, and it helped immensely! (especially the refrigerator storage!) 2. I made a test cake (actually a few different layers and flavors) to practice tiering/frosting/decorating, and then had the bride and groom over for a tasting to make sure we were all on the same page (not to mention, I think they liked having that experience even though they weren't hiring a baker). Made me feel much more confident! 3. Lots of planning, lots of note taking (I still have all of mine!), lots of measurements and conversions. In the end, I erred on the side of having too much. When the math got really complicated, I rounded up and made cupcakes. No one complained :) and it saved my sanity. 4. If your friends are having an outdoor reception, PLEASE find a nice air-conditioned and protected place for the cake! A different friend had a destination wedding at a beach resort, and the cake was on display under a tent at night, with bright lights on it... in the tropics. When I went to take a look, there were lots of tropical bugs that had been attracted to the light and sugar... all stuck in the frosting. The reception I was baking for was outside, so we had the cake on a table inside in a window. Some people run a marathon so afterwards they feel like they can accomplish anything. I'm no runner, but after I made this wedding cake I felt like I could handle anything! Good luck! So, so true, Abbey! One virtue of having the test cake tasting in advance is that the couple actually gets a chance to taste and enjoy the cake, without all the hoopla of being on display! Susan

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