Help! Wedding Cake Decorating Woes!

My wedding is this Saturday and we are decorating the cake. We were operating on the assumption that we could decorate the cake with ribbon as per Beranbaum's Cake Bible. When we put 'test' ribbon on the cake, the buttercream made big greasy marks on the ribbon. Any ideas? We would still like to use ribbon if possible. (We tried acetate, cotton & grosgrain ribbon)

[Spoons]

Hi Foxglove,
Yeah touchy subject, what kind of ribbon?
Some suggestions.... Use a waterproof type ribbon first on the cake, then wrap the (say you are using satin)on top of the waterproof ribbon. (Once, I used a heavy dbl-faced satin and scotchguarded the top lightly)then placed it on the waterproof ribbon.
Or, try getting waxed paper and put your ribbon in between the waxed paper and iron over the ribbon that is enclosed in waxed paper.It coats the ribbon. Does this all make sense?
Hope this helps, good luck.

[Svadhisthana]

I've never heard of the ribbon as a decoration. I'm sure yours will be lovely.

Svadhisthana

[monpetitchoux]

I usually use a piece of waxed paper cut exactly to size with the ribbon. Wrap the waxed paper around the cake first directly on the butter cream and then the ribbon around that. Secure with a pearl tipped hat pin. I was amazed that the wax paper didn't even stick to the buttercream. If your ribbon is see-thru and your buttercream is not white or yellowish (as made with whole eggs or yolks), then I suggest you change the ribbon to something that is more opaque so that you don't see the waxed paper.

Congratulations! I hope you have fun at your wedding. Remember that wedding cakes always look good once you put them up. I don't know how it happens but they do.