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Wedding Features

Let 'Em Eat Cake

By Renee Houston Zemanski

Your love story is unique, different from any other. You’ll want your big day to be special and unique, too—all the way down to your wedding cake—or lack thereof.

A wedding without a wedding cake? Let’s clear this up, first. We’d never suggest such a thing unless we had some super-tempting alternatives to present. And we do.

A continuing trend in wedding treats this year is “wedding cakes” made of cupcakes—a perfect choice if you decide to have a more informal wedding, want to do something different, or just simply love cupcakes (and who doesn’t?). There are many advantages to offering tiers of cupcakes. Cupcakes are easy to serve as well as easy to eat, and your guests can choose their own flavors (if you decide to offer more than one, of course). They are also very simple to transport and assemble at the wedding reception. And with the right embellishments, tiers of cupcakes can make a stunning focal point. You can even box the cupcakes and use them as wedding favors! And for the bride and groom who still want to incorporate the cut- the-cake ritual into their reception, many bakeries offer a six-inch version of a wedding cake to place on the top tier.

Another cool variation on the cupcake wedding cake is to serve miniature cakes to your guests—a growing trend that is already quite popular in Europe. This clever alternative includes a number of different options, from miniature wedding cakes to delicate, handmade chocolate cups filled with fluffy mousse. Centerpiece cakes are another European trend that is beginning to pop up here in the United States. These are wedding cakes sized to serve the number of guests at each table. Centerpiece cakes, as you might have guessed, double as the table’s centerpiece, eliminating the need to spend extra on flowers for the table. (Now, ain’t that sweet?)

Traditionally Untraditional

There are also many fun, new alternatives for couples that prefer to stick with one, big wedding cake. No longer are cake shape choices limited to round or rectangle. They now include unexpected squares, octagons, and hexagons—which are often stacked in stunning asymmetrical tiers. Playful, whimsical cakes with lots of bells and whistles are also all the rage, taking the place of traditional white-on-white tiers. Local bakeries report that brides- and grooms-to-be from the Chesapeake Bay region are requesting many vivid, bright colors and (not surprisingly) nautical colors for their cakes as well.

Personalized cakes are incredibly popular right now. Couples are making their wedding cakes one of a kind with monogrammed initials, calligraphy (a favorite phrase, poem, or song or part of the wedding vows), handwritten signatures or notes to the wedding party, photos, and custom designs that tie in favorite elements of the couple’s lives or relationship. Some use their cake as another way to incorporate cultural or local traditions into their wedding; others might choose a pattern that matches the fabric or detailing in the bride’s gown (another big—and quite beautiful—trend). Maybe you’d like a sand castle cake to celebrate your walk down the sand-covered aisle of your beachside wedding?

To find out what’s next to come our way, we can look to Europe again, where we are seeing Parisian cake trends such as black with white icing, gilded chocolate patterns with hand-piped black pearls, elegant bead trimmings, and black-and-white polka dots. Metallic looks are also making their way to cake decorating, in the form of metallic-looking flowers and icing—silver and gold are quite popular for our dear cupcakes, too! Or, nontraditional to us, but traditional to the French, is a croquembouche, a tower of profiteroles (cream puffs). To cut this “cake,” the French traditionally pose with a sword.

Finally, if you choose a wedding cake with a traditional look, you can always go for a nontraditional flavor. There are plenty to choose from beyond chocolate, vanilla, and carrot cake. Try amaretto; spice; cheesecake; dark chocolate; or a hot fruit-flavored filling, such as pineapple, mango, berry, cherry, blood orange, or passion fruit.

Do me a favor

Wedding favors, like many other things, have gone green. Trendy couples are now choosing to give edible favors rather than litter landfills with little monogrammed chotchkes. Custom-made truffles; personalized lemonade or hot cocoa; and monogrammed cookies, candies, and brownies are among today’s hottest favors.

Some local bakeries have embraced the cookie trend, adding delectable dozens to their repertoire, while others are leaving the cookie baking to Mrs. Fields. Here are some incredible edibles for you to consider presenting to your guests: