Dear Lauren,

I have been making wedding cakes for the last 25 years. I agree with Kelly. My favorite home mix is Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Cake mix. I used it for all my cakes when I owned my own wedding cake shop. White cake is over rated, boring. Incourage your bride to think out side the box. Butter cake, Walnut or Almond are so wonderful as a base. Chocolate is always a favorite too.

No matter how wonderful your cake it will be just so so, unless you have a good filling and frosting. If your bride wants white cake: Duncan Hines white cake is very moist and flavorful. I like making different flavors on each layer. Some of my favorite combinations are:

1)Chocolate cake, raspberry jam, chocolate mousse.

2)White cake, cover the top with a paper thin spread of melted white choc, raspberry jam, raspberry buttercream. (add rasp jam to buttercrean, thicken with a little more xxx sugar)

3)layers of cheesecake filled with apricot jam, iced with cream cheese icing.

4)chocolate cake with ganache filling and frosting

5) thin layers of yellow cake and chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse and coffee buttercream, the layers are sprinkled with Grand Mariner. it usually takes 5-6 thin layers of cake to make layer of cake. This is beautiful when cut and delicious.

6) almond dacquois filled with orange chocolate mousse.

7) White chocolate mousse, white cake with spread of melted white chocolate, strawberry jam.
Really the list is endless. Make what ever the bride and groom like: I've made bananas foster filling, Creme Brullee.

It all will work if you, have proper support, good sound structure with plates and dowel rods or plastic tubes.
make damns of thickened buttercream to hold in soft filling (so you don't get that midriff bulge.) use cake crumbs or more xxx sugar added to crumb coating for hot days or soft fillings, then refrigerate your filled layers, I usually freeze them(specially if I am covering them with rolled fondant), tirm so every thing is smooth and level add a lght crumb coat freeze then,bring out each layer and ice and decorate with frosting, put supports in and then cake goes back to the cooler, while each layer is finished. Assemble as much as you can in your kitchen. take apart in layers for transport if at all possible.
Then put cake back into the refrigerator until it's time to go.

Rolled fondant is an excelent way to go. But don't think this is your only choice for summer. Any frosting will hold up in any weather if you plan your delivery time, have a good air conditioning system in your car, and make the cake at least 12 hours ahead so you can refrigerate the filled and iced cake and/or fondant covered cake.
Look at your reception site in advance. I have succesfully made carrot cake with cream cheese icing that went to a tent in the middle of July (100degrees) I watched the weather forcast, refrigerated the cake up until 15 minutes before the reception started and then set up the cake. If you worried about problems setting up (do a dry run the night before, put the cake completely togehter, make sure your cake is supported very well,(I love the plastic tubes)
Make sure the hall is really cranked down low on the air conditioning on hot days.

Never set a wedding cake in the sun, or an area that is not ventilated (like a garage)

Have the bride and groom cut the cake early if the hall is un-airconditioned. We did this for the carrot cake in the tent, The bride wanted carrot cake with cream cheese icing and was happy to cut the cake early so that she could have the flavor she wanted.

In really hot weather cakes will sweat, don't use dark colored piping, put gum paste flowers on at the hall.
Drive slowly, watch corners and sudden stops. I put damp towels down under each layer to keep them form sliding in the car.

Pay attention to sun coming throgh car windows too. the hot sun trhough a slanted back window can act as a magnifying glass and melt cakes or discolor frosting.
Turn the air on in your car, park in the shade and get the inside of your vehicle chilled before you start. ( I usually do this at least 20 minutes before we start)
Make sure you have your cakes on a flat surface in your car.

Hope I helped you, do things in advance and keep it simple if want to enjoy the wedding, I hardly ever get to see the wedding when I make the cake.

Take a fix up kit with you of everything you could need in an emergency.

If something is dinged on the way to the reception, turn that part of the cake to the wall, place somemore decoration on that area........nothing is perfect, just make it seem that way by putting your best side forward.