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Be warned, wedding cakes cost a fortune for a reason, they actually can take up to several days to prepare and are a stressful nightmare! This might be hard on a bride to be days before her wedding... but if you are determined I can offer you what my amateur (albeit serious amateur) hands have learned...


As for flavours, whatever you go with make sure it's palatable to your guests. I think the nicest I had was a dark chocolate moist batter with a handmade sweet black cherry icing in the middle.


Fondant is usually peeled away and tossed out. I have found one brand that is pretty nice though but you will pay through the nose for it -- Fondarific. It's much less fake tasting and has a longer work time than the "industry standard" Satin Ice, and you can roll it pretty thin so the icing isn't overpowering the yummy cake batter. Fondarific will also let you order little samples of all their flavours IIRC so you can try it for yourself! When most people think of nasty fondant they are probably thinking of Wilton but don't ever use that stuff for anything people will actually eat, use it to cover a dummy cake. You can also make your own VERY yummy home made marshmallow fondant, this one takes some practice though so I advise doing a couple cakes with it before the actual wedding cake >.<


As well, if you plan on using fondant, research a good buttercream or marzipan recipe (this is what goes on the cake but underneath the fondant). Marzipan seems to be more commonly used in Europe than over here in North America, and have a couple goes at it first. Buttercream is the safer bet I think but Marzipan can be quite nice (I personally like just plain almonds, caster and confectioner sugar, the egg whites and a few drops of vanilla, nice and simple and none of those crazy extra ingredients I see in marzipan sometimes like Brandy) Pick your adhesive wisely as well, most folks go with piping jelly or strained apricot jelly (need something to stick the marzipan to the cake and then the fondant to the marzipan right?!)


Also with fondant, get some fondant smoothers, you'll get a cleaner edge to your cakes with them. Some people like the pre made 90 degree ones to get the edge but I prefer the plain old flat ones and a little more elbow grease. You can use these on the marzipan too if you go the marzipan route.


Lastly with fondant and marzipan, if you're going to colour it I really advise a good gel paste colouring and not grocery store bought liquid drops. My brand of preference is Americolor - Soft Gel Paste Colours. It's good stuff, add it in small amounts and knead before adding more.


If you plan on doing it in Royal Icing (which can be made at home with a little work and looks just as lovely as fondant for covering the cake) I'd invest in a good flat edged scraper tool to get that nice smoothness, in a pinch I've sterilized a broad plastic ruler and used that >.< ... but something flat with a good edge should do. Also, piping bags, be they greaseproof paper home made ones or store bought plastic + tips, they're good to learn how to use. Piping takes some practice though but if your dream cake doesn't have any piped designs then no worries! Ribbon and some fresh flowers are lovely and enough for a lot of folks.


I REALLY recommend doing a small simple single tier cake before you attempt multiple tiers but when you are ready Annabelle explains covering and stacking wedding cakes best (imho):

1. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-marzipan-a-wedding-cake
   and
   
   
2. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-decorate-a-wedding-cake-2
   
   Vids in that order.
   
   
   Also... I would advise googling videos one subject at a time, like... "covering cake in fondant", there's a few ways to do it and you need to find what you think will work best for you and try it. Make notes about it if you have to, and keep notes from the various subjects that you've googled handy as you try your first cake. If you dislike a method, write that in and change it for next time.
   
   A couple last things to remember. Beware temperature. I've seen a buttercream fondant cake just fall apart in the heat before, and sticking fondant covered cake in the fridge can do icky things to it too. Not something you'd think about usually but be careful. As well, don't be hasty to decorate your cake as soon as it's out of the oven. Let it cool on a cooling rack until room temp (I don't remove the greaseproof paper yet either), and then a further chill in the fridge is also a good idea for a lot of cakes (covered of course). You want the darned thing to settle and be firm enough before you start fussing with it.
   
   I am sorry this post is so long, think it might be better for you that it is though? You absolutely can do your own cake! But patience and practice are a must. Practice is also going to cost money which is at a premium for couples getting married.
   
   If you want to try some fun recipes with fondant and royal icing work I highly recommend Peggy Porschen's Simply Spectacular Cakes at http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Spectacular-Cakes-Beautiful-Irresistible/dp/0307464555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332486603&sr=8-1 . Everything I have done out of here has been GORGEOUS and tasted pretty awesome. Ms. Porschen is qualified seven ways to sunday and this book breaks down beautiful cake making (and cookies) for big and small cakes in a way that almost anyone can learn from.
   
   /endramble and good luck

It does make a difference - baking really is all about chemistry! I too have a family member who is lactose intolorant, and for quite a while I was baking completely vegan. I used recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, which is an excellent nondairy recipe book! I didn't tell anyone that the cupcakes I made were vegan and they couldn't "tell" either; the recipes were honestly delicious. Not having any dairy in them was just an added bonus!

The vegan vanilla buttercream frosting in the book is the same as this one, which I highly recommend:
>INGREDIENTS

>1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

>1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (like Earth Balance)

>3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy

>1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

>1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

>INSTRUCTIONS

>Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

Just check the labels of the shortening and margarine to make sure they contain no dairy/animal products and you should be good to go. The real trick is to beat it for as long as it states - that's 3 full minutes to combine shortening and margarine, another 3 mins after that, and another 5 to 7 minutes after adding the rest of the ingredients - that's like 12 to 16 minutes total of just mixing alone.

I haven't had a chemistry class in a while but I think the amount of beating has to do with several factors important to buttercream, like it makes it stiffer and gets rid of air bubbles, etc. I skipped out on beating it for the full time once and it was a huge mess - gooey and runny and not as delicious as when I beat it fully.

Hopefully that helps you a bit! Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions or if you try it and it works/doesn't work out for you :) Happy baking!

I have a couple of these silver cake bases that I wipe off and reuse over and over. Very cost effective, and they look nice. I LOVE the cake, btw! Great job!

http://www.amazon.com/Tuck-Shop-Foam-Bananas-Piece/dp/B006521YAM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1374085647&sr=8-5&keywords=foam+banana

I really don't know how to describe them or what to really compare them to for none UK - if i had to i would say kinda like a dryer more stiff marshmallow sweet

This one! Love it so much

http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewart-Crafts-Silicon-Alphabet/dp/B007IQWT6W

Here's an example! These devices heat up a taut wire and the wire basically melts a straight line away as you pull it through the foam!

Reminded me of this!