Bake, double wrap in cling film and freeze. Defrost properly. You can comfortably do this a month in advance without starting to taste ‘freezer’
Find a cake recipe that levels itself nicely but is also structurally sound - the ATK yellow cake recipe is a good place to start.
Mask it, chill it, pseudo mask it AGAIN, chill it for at least an hour and then start your final frosting. This will prevent a lot of frosting clump and accidental crumb escape issues that you’ll get from playing with your frosting.
Pick structurally sound fillings. Don’t fuck around with fruit compotes for your first tiered cake. They are a pain in the butt. You will cry. Okay, I cried. Ganache is delicious and sets up like a solid layer of cake concrete foundation, so is pretty much anything that’s mostly butter.
Naked cakes are deceptively difficult to make pretty. Avoid. Avoid! (Can’t stress this enough)
Structural support for tall cakes is no joke. Ateco makes great cardboard internal structure pieces that are available through amazon .
Make sure you have the right pans. I’ve noticed that a lot of home bakers have cake pans with edges that kind of start to flute outwards towards the top - way easier to frost straight sides if you start with straight sides.
Never underestimate the power of fresh fruit stuck on the tips of toothpicks to make a gorgeous ‘cake topper.’ Blow some petal dust on that fruit and people will think you’re a genius. (See profile history for pic of cake with fruit on toothpicks for a visual)
Give yourself twice the amount of time you think you’ll need, at least.
Handle each tier like it’s own cake until you stack them just before final garnish. It’s way easier to manipulate something that’s a foot tall vs 2+ ft tall and potentially towering over your head if you’re me and work on a counter height table.
TRIAL RUNS. Do it.
Don’t forget to ask yourself how you’re going to get it to your venue. Holding 100 lbs of cake in your lap on windy roads in the middle of winter is not fun. Trust me.
Aaaand... pm me if you’re panicking and need advice :)