What to make for a girl's 17th birthday cake?

I am very excited to be asked to make a cake for my son's sweetheart. She will be turning 17 next month. I am thinking something tiered and simple. Maybe with ribbons around the bases and a few large, beautiful gumpaste flowers. The fancy kind. :) Daisies? Sunflowers? I really like this one:

Or maybe a cake and cupcake combo on a pretty tower, like this:

Or am I off the mark entirely? What do you think? Any suggestions???