The mission, should I choose to accept it...

My fiance and I are getting married in October, and we're paying for the whole wedding ourselves. Needless to say, we're on a very tight budget. Being one who has always had a strong DIY way about her, I decided to make pretty much everything in the wedding myself - from the invitations, to the centerpieces, to the favors, and of course, the cake! That way, we can splurge a little on a nice meal at a great reception hall and still afford to invite about 120 people.

When we chose a date, we picked October for a few reasons. First, it's the month we began dating. Second, we both LOVE our New England state in the fall... the crisp air, the leaves, the bright beautiful days. Third, several couples in both our families have October anniversary dates, so it's a good month all around.

But the thing I happen to love the most about fall are the flavors - apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg... yum! We've chosen to center our reception around the colors and flavors and natural beauty of the season. And that means I'll want to tie in a few of those flavors to our cake.

Now, I am not a baker or a professional cake decorator by trade. I just like to tinker in the kitchen. So in lieu of trying to learn how to bake, stack, frost and decorate a tiered nightmare, I've decided to go fun and trendy, and make a cupcake tier instead.

I bought a GREAT cake tier online and think it will do the trick. My plan is to make a small 6" cutting cake for the top tier, and have individual cupcakes for all the guests. How hard could that be?

So I've got my plan, and I've got my tree... now all I need is a recipe for great fall cupcakes and some lessons in making fondant decorations. Wish me luck as I get started!