Wedding Cakes | Ideas, tips, and advice

 The Wedding Cake.

It used to be a traditional, inedible, heavy fruit cake. Each guest would take home a piece wrapped in foil and doilies. A work of art on display at the wedding reception only to be discarded after the “cake cutting” photo. Then came the era of the edible wedding cake. I like this era much better!

At my own wedding, 17 years ago now,  my Mom and I searched for a baker who would make me a tasty wedding cake I could actually serve to my guests. It wasn’t very easy to find. We did end up with a beautiful and tasty wedding cake, a decision I am very happy with. I did not want fondant, which I dislike the taste of. It had to be buttercream icing for my wedding cake! Oh it was good. The bottom layer was chocolate fudge cake with chocolate fudge filling. The middle layer was french vanilla with strawberry filling, and the top layer was vanilla cake with blueberries (this was back in my gluten filled days)… my favourite. I still remember the look on the baker’s face when I told her I wanted it made from real cake, not fruit cake. “Really?”  The excitement in her eyes could not be contained.

Shown is the recent famous Royal Wedding Cake of Kate and William. Simple, classic.  (And very large too!)

The brides and grooms I have photographed over the years, have more and more frequently chosen delicious edible wedding cakes. Here are a few ideas and comments to help you decide what to do about your wedding cake. Do you even need one?  Many brides aren’t doing the wedding cake thing anymore, but if you do it right and have it taste yummy, it can be both beautiful and double as your dessert. Not a waste of money at all.

Watch out  where your cake is placed at the reception. If you want a cake cutting photo, make sure the cake table isn’t near an ugly kitchen entrance door, or a fire extinguisher. As a wedding photographer, the cake is poorly placed so often, I swear it must be on purpose that someone chose the worst photographic corner or wall possible. 

Also be sure that if it is intended to be eaten, you’ll want to bring it out before guests start wandering home. Many brides have told me that it was served so late that few people actually ate it.

Sometimes the colour can come from a simple ribbon around each layer, sometimes it’s just tone on tone. I have only seen a few cakes in recent years that had pillars or layers between them, most cakes tend to have the layers sit directly on top of each other.

Live flowers often adorn the cake, although the icing kind are so beautiful too!

Make sure you plan time to have the cake actually be cut and photographed. It is a shame when I am at an event and there is a lovely cake and the couple don’t want to be photographed with it. 

I like to do this either in a staged way before any guests are even in the room. Or, it can be done very well right after the Bride and Groom’s reception entrance announcement. Instead of going to the head table, head over to the cake first and immediately do a cake cutting. You’ll get the photo you want, the caterers can take the cake early to cut and plate it, and your guests will love the photo-op while they are all still around.

Writing all sorts of words on the cake in a contrasting colour is something I’ve seen several times recently. An example is above. It is a cute and personable way to have fun with your cake decorations. You can personalize the wedding cake to have your pet names for each other, names of places you have visited, your pets (or children’s)  names. Maybe even your parents names as a tribute to them.

Cupcakes started making their appearances at weddings I was photographing about 10 years ago. I have seen it done very well, and sometimes not so well. They should be individual works of art. They should be in line with your wedding look. And, they should not look like they belong at a children’s birthday party. The display is key in making it elegant and substantial.  I’ve included examples of cupcakes and more wedding cakes below.