Let them eat cake!
In ancient Rome, guests broke a wheat bun over the bride's head to bring good luck and fertility. Fortunately, the buns sweetened up, and in the 17th century a creative French baker stacked and frosted them. Voila! The first tiered wedding cake was born.
One cake tradition is still under debate - saving the top tier for the first anniversary. "You can save a fruitcake," says Cheryl Kleinman, of Cheryl Kleinman Cakes in Brooklyn, N.Y. "Beyond that, I don't encourage it."
White cakes, buttercream frostings, columns and dazzling sugar flowers are wedding cake classics, but feel free to break from tradition. If you prefer a trendy design, try a colorful Southern red velvet cake, a mango creation that boasts Caribbean flair or even an Asian-inspired creation with red frosting.
As colors go bolder, style and form are also changing. Askew cakes, whose tiers are placed off center, are gaining popularity. Even wilder, Krispy Kreme has seen a number of requests for multi-tiered cakes made entirely of its doughnuts - one for each guest!
So what's on top? Joining the ranks of the plastic couple, new toppers are simple and design-oriented: a slim, petite vase with a single rosebud; a layer of flower petals; a plain tiny top tier. Family is in, and some couples are choosing a portrait of themselves, a sentimental keepsake like a keychain or small stuffed animal, or their initials in royal icing, an egg white-based icing that can be sculpted into shapes.
Cake presentation is also important. What's surrounding your cake is just as visible as the cake itself, especially in photos, so plan ahead. Possible cake surroundings include a nature-inspired display of twigs spread on the table, baby photos of the bride and groom, or a handmade tablecloth from Grandma that matches the cake's colors.
