Your Guide to Wedding Cakes!

Selecting a wedding cake for your reception can be overwhelming for many brides and grooms.  You already need to select a dress, the wedding colors, centerpieces, and whether or not to use photo wedding invitations. Wedding cakes can come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles, so there are a lot of options for you to consider.  Before you get too caught up in the process of choosing a wedding cake, however, there are five basic decisions to make that will lead you to the wedding cake of your dreams.

First and foremost, you have to set a budget for your cake.  Will you spend less $100 on your cake?  Perhaps you’re planning a wedding with a large budget and plan to spend several hundred dollars.  Whatever your budget might be, you can be certain that it will guide many of your choices.  Be honest with your wedding cake decorator about your budget so that he can help you design a cake that fits your needs.

Another important factor in selecting a wedding cake is the number of people you will be feeding.  Small, intimate weddings may only require a small cake with one or two layers.  On the other hand, if you’re hosting more than one hundred people at your wedding reception, you’ll probably need a cake with three or more layers.  Knowing how many servings you will need to buy will help you estimate the final price of your wedding cake, too.

Deciding what type of icing will be used on your wedding cake will greatly affect both the price and the appearance of your wedding cake.  Most cakes are covered with either butter cream icing or fondant icing.  While either of these styles of icing will result in a beautiful cake, each has its own impacts on the design of the cake.  Fondant usually results in a sleeker style; butter cream, however can be applied in several different textures.  Take care to select the type of icing that works with the cake you want.

The size of a wedding cake can also vary greatly.  Of course, some part of the cake’s size is determined by the number of servings you will require.  A cake that feeds two hundred people will never be a small cake.  However, a cake that feeds fifty people doesn’t have to be a small cake.  If you want a massive wedding cake, but don’t want to purchase more cake than you need, you may opt to include a few “false” layers in your cake.  They can be iced to match the rest of your cake so that no one will ever know the difference.

Finally, you will need to make a decision about the overall style of your wedding cake.  Do you want something sleek and modern looking?  Or have you always dreamed of a traditional cake with icing flowers on top?  Flipping through magazines or browsing the internet can help you get an idea of what your ideal wedding cake looks like.

Once you’ve worked your way through these five decisions, you will be well on your way to selecting the wedding cake you’ve always wanted.  Your cake will be the perfect complement to your wedding and reception.  Now, you’re ready to move onto the rest of your wedding planning.

Imagine for a moment all of the different types of weddings that are enjoyed throughout the world.  One wedding might be extremely formal and elegant and include all of the traditional elements of a wedding.  Another might be more laid-back and include a beach locale and flip-flops.  Whatever type of wedding is imagined, you can be certain that there is a type of wedding cake to go along with it.

Wedding cakes are available in as many sizes and shapes as there are colors in the rainbow.  Cake sizes can be large enough to feed gatherings of hundreds of people or small enough to feed the bride and groom alone.  Some cakes adhere to the traditional round shape while others break the norm and feature a more modern square shape.  There are no hard and fast rules about what a wedding cake should look like so brides and grooms are free to choose something that appeals to them.

The most traditional style of wedding cake is undoubtedly the round wedding cake.  In some form or another, wedding cakes have been using the round shape for decades.  However, the way those round cakes are put together have changed over the years.  Some weddings feature round wedding cakes that are built upon a system of pillars to achieve great height.  Another way to use a round-shaped wedding cake is to stack increasingly smaller cakes directly on top of each other until the cake has reached the desired size.   Even small weddings that only require a small, single layer cake often choose a small round cake.

For a sleeker, more modern take on the traditional wedding cake, some couples are turning to square-shaped confections.  Square wedding cakes can be stacked and layer in many of the same ways that round cakes are created.  However, square cakes are easier to cut and serve making them a caterer’s dream.  In addition, square or rectangular sheet cakes are a wonderful alternative for a bride and groom on a budget.  A large sheet cake is inexpensive and can feed many guests.

Particularly romantic weddings often present the bride and groom with the perfect opportunity to select a specially-shaped wedding cake.  For instance, a single layer of heart-shaped wedding cake is an especially sweet touch for an intimate wedding.  That doesn’t mean, though, that heart-shaped cakes can’t be used for larger receptions.  They can also be stacked or mounted with pillars in the same fashion that their more traditional cousins are displayed.

Of course, not every wedding cake is built around a symmetrical shape.  Some wedding cake bakers specialize in a type of cake that seems to defy gravity:  the topsy-turvy cake.  These cakes appear to lean one way, then another, as the layers are added.  Hidden rods inside the cake, however, ensure that this delightful creation is as stable as any other wedding cake.  Usually accompanied with bright colors and fanciful designs, topsy-turvy cakes are a sight to behold for wedding guests as well as the happy couple.

In any shape and size, wedding cakes are a welcome addition to any wedding reception.  By serving as part of the wedding’s décor, as well as part of the wedding’s refreshments, the right wedding cake will become a memorable part of the celebration in the minds of everyone in attendance.

What wedding cake would be complete with some type of decoration on top?  These little pieces of décor, known as wedding cake toppers, are part of what sets wedding cakes apart from other special occasion cakes.  A bride and groom must take great pains to select the best cake topper for their wedding cake.  Fortunately, from silly and cute to elegant and sophisticated, cake toppers are cheap wedding favors that can be found to complement any wedding cake.

Many traditional weddings include a wedding cake topper in the shape of traditional bride and groom.  Some couples look for a miniature bride and groom that resembles them.  Others are given the honor of using the figure used on a family member’s cake, perhaps a parent or grandparent.  A couple can’t go wrong by choosing to display these little works of art on their cakes.

For a more fun-loving spin on the traditional bride and groom cake topper, some wedding cakes are adorned with a bride and groom figurine that doesn’t quite fit the traditional mold.  These figures may include humorous poses of a bride dragging her husband to the wedding.  There are also bride and groom figurines created in the image of popular cartoon characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as well Cinderella and her Prince Charming.

Couples who are in search of a more stylized look for their wedding cake may opt for an acrylic cake topper.  These clear toppers are usually embellished with some type of etched design.  Designs vary from a pair of wedding rings to a romantic heart.  The bride and groom can choose anything that strikes their fancy.  Some acrylic toppers are even cut into a custom shape.  Palm trees, castles, and even horses are just a few of the options available.

Another stylish and elegant choice for a cake topper is a simple monogram.  Letters are available in a variety of materials that include brushed metals and rhinestone.  Couples can proudly display the initial for their newly-shared name atop their wedding cake.  A different option is to showcase the initial for each of their first names.

Couples who prefer to forego any time of figure at all can always choose to embellish their wedding cake with a cake topper made of flowers.  Fresh flowers can be ordered with the rest of the wedding’s flowers to ensure that the cake coordinates with the rest of the décor.  The wedding cake decorator can add the flowers to the cake when he sets it up at the reception site.

If the bride and groom prefers, they can also chose to use artificial flowers for the wedding cake topper.  In either case, however, a floral cake topper can be a beautiful display.  The cake may feature a few blooms of an eye-catching flower such as a lily, or it may be covered with a mass of smaller flowers such as carnations.  Some cake designers even plan a waterfall effect by creating a trail of flowers falling down one side of the cake.

Selecting a wedding cake topper is much like choosing the right accessory for an outfit.  A cake topper alone is not enough to stand out at the wedding reception.  However, a well-chosen cake topper will help the wedding cake make an impression on everyone.