The Style
When you think wedding cake, what comes to mind? Contemporary or traditional? Dramatic or whimsical? Simple or ornate? Your wedding cake can be inspired by anything — from the embellishments on your wedding dress to the flowers in your bouquet. The cake can match your reception theme, your bridesmaids’ colors or the season. No matter what you decide, choose something that reflects your personality as a couple and blends with the overall style of your special day.
The Shape
Although round tiers are still a favorite, other shapes are just as appropriate. Round is a perfect backdrop for making the color, texture or decorations center-stage. Square with its sharp lines and angles, gives a modern, clean look. A six-sided Hexagonal shape is a creative alternative to square. You also can jazz up your cake by turning each tier 45 degrees. The spin also gives more space for flowers or other embellishments.
The Flavor
Even if your cake looks fantastic, if it doesn’t taste special, you’ve missed out. Long-gone are the days of a simple yellow cake with white icing. Brides and grooms have a plethora of flavors from which to choose. Dark, rich chocolate, exotic fruit flavors, sweet subtle almond, carrot cake and many others. Can’t decide? Consider making each tier of your cake a different flavor under a unifying icing.
The Color
Stick with tradition or select shades that complement your wedding colors — think bridesmaid dresses and the bridal bouquets and pick up a subtle variation of the same.
The Embellishments
Real or sugar, flowers are always a pretty adornment to your cake. Choose flowers to match the season, your bouquet, or the colors of your wedding. If you are using fresh, work with your florist and baker to choose flowers that complement the look of the cake and can hold their freshness for several hours.
Use the flavor of your cake as a jumping-off point. If the cake is infused with a fruit flavor, repeat the fruit as a decoration either as a motif in the icing or use fresh fruit as a topper and garnish. Is your cake a decadent chocolate? Use a shower of chocolate shavings to hint at the flavor inside.
Use your wedding theme as a roadmap to decorating the cake. Pick up the lace pattern in your dress; top the cake with seashells for a beach wedding; or incorporate a well-known element of your honeymoon destination.
Cake Cutting 101
The traditional cake cutting can be a special moment. Usually taking place near the end of the reception, it is a chance for you and your new spouse to gaze loving in each other’s eyes as you join hands to cut the cake. On a more practical side, it also usually signals that the reception will soon be coming to an end.
Like all other facets of the wedding and reception, the cake cutting can be a reflection of your own personal style, be it traditional and stately or full of fun. Customarily, the groom puts his hand over the bride’s, and they slice through the cake’s bottom layer together, allowing plenty of time for photos. Often the bride and groom will then each take a bite from the first slice. For some bizarre reason, the notion that this is a good time to smash icing covered cake in the face of your beloved exists. We beg you, resist the temptation and serve each other with grace and style. You’ll thank us for that. From there, someone else takes over to continue cutting and serving cake to your guests.
