YOUR cake is one of the major talking points at your reception.  So how do you go about choosing and preparing the one that’s right for you?  Perhaps the first decision to make is what type of wedding cake to have.

The traditional wedding cake is a rich fruit cake with thick icing. It’s either square or round and comes in two or three tiers.  These tiers can be separated by pillars or stacked on top of each other which is more of an American style.

The traditional cake is generally decorated with icing, and perhaps sugar or fresh flowers.  If you like the style of a traditional cake, but not the idea of fruit cake, a traditional cake can be made with other fillings.  How about a chocolate, lemon, carrot or vanilla sponge cake?  Or, you might choose to have a combination of fillings to give guests a choice.  Fruit cake is generally heavier, but if your cake maker supports the tiers properly, it can be used as a top tier.

There are some very creative cake designers who can make wonderful novelty cakes.  This is a great idea if you're having a themed wedding.  Perhaps you might choose to have a cake with images of the sea, or in the shape of a stack of suitcases.  A talented novelty cake-maker will be able to show you a selection of designs, and work with your ideas.  For something completely different, how about a stack of fairy cakes or miniature pavlovas?  You could choose to follow French tradition and opt for a croquembouche, or even just have tiers of wonderful puddings.
Cake-buying options

When buying your cake, you’ve a number of options:

Buy an iced cake and decorate it yourself have the cake made by a specialist have the cake entirely made and iced by a relative or friend order your cake from the local bakery.

If you decide to have your cake made professionally, make sure you shop around.
Some cake designers, for example, will specialise in sugarcraft and make wonderful tiered cakes with incredible designs in sugar, while others might specialise in chocolate and patisserie, such as the croquembouche.  It's important to make the most of someone's talents.

When you visit a cake designer, ask to see examples of other cakes they have created. You might also ask to taste a tiny sample.  Take along any ideas you have and see what they suggest.  A good cake designer will work with your ideas while also offering a few suggestions of their own.

Seasons eatings

Why not go for a wedding cake design that perfectly suits the time of year.

Winter

Winter weddings are becoming more popular - well, it is typically the time of year for giving and sharing with family and friends.  Get creative and incorporate various wintry aspects into your wedding.

What about a cake in the shape of ski slope with white pine trees and a snowboarding bride and groom figurine on top.  Pinecones glistening in gold or frosted silver make beautiful decorations for a winter cake.  Add a few sugar pine needles and you have a beautiful result.  If you like traditional white on white, consider sugar snowflakes and silver sparkles.

Autumn

The season of reds, oranges, yellows and browns.  Together these colours spell autumn.  How about a carrot cake or pumpkin spice cake?  You could use fondant fruits of the season - apples and pears - to decorate a tiered cake.
Spring
Spring is the time for all those beautiful pastel colours and flowers.  Pick your favourite shade or shades and make them the inspiration for a truly beautiful cake.  Consider cute daisies on a background of palest green.  Or, perhaps you would like a cupcake tower with beautiful light pink roses on every cupcake.

Summer

In the summer, there are endless themes - seashells, roses, etc.  Fresh flowers make gorgeous decorations and you can be really creative with the colour, but on the whole keep it simple with one two or three shades.
Chocolate dipped strawberries are also very popular and extra refreshing on a hot summer’s day.