10 Unexpected Wedding Cake Ideas

1. 1. Leave it naked

   

   Philip Ficks

   Resist the urge to frost it and show off the inside instead. For a summertime wedding, fresh berries work well; in winter and fall, ask your baker to fill the layers with seasonal fruits, like apples, pears, persimmons or blood oranges.

2. 2. Go For Chocolate

   

   Philip Ficks

   If you love chocolate, order it! It doesn’t have to be frosted in white buttercream to count as a wedding cake. Choose creamy chocolate buttercream, smooth ganache or opt for fondant or chocolate marzipan.

4. 3. Give Every Table A Cake

   

   Michael Segal Photography

   Let everyone have a turn at cutting the cake by placing small cakes at each table. Order a variety of flavors and encourage guests to get up and try cakes throughout the room. Or top your cakes with numerals so they double as table numbers.

5. 4. Create a Custom Cake Stand

   

   Sarah Yates Photography

   Stick to a simple cake design and add interest with a stand made to coordinate with your colors and theme. We’ve seen everything from plexiglass stands filled with plants to rustic wooden ones and even flower-covered tables.

7. 5. Feature Your Favorite Quote

   

   Pure 7 Studios

   Pick a quote from your favorite poem or movie and let it take center stage on your wedding cake. This also works well with song lyrics or excerpts from your written vows.

8. 6. Make it Sweeter

   

   Anastassios Mentis

   Take things up a notch by adding other confections to the cake, like truffles. Or turn the cake table into a dessert buffet complete with some of your favorites, like oatmeal cookies, or a nod to your honeymoon destination, such as key lime pie.

9. 7. Get Creative With Shape

   

   Devon Jarvis

   Square cakes look sleek and modern, but you could even go for a hexagonal- or petal-shaped cake for a totally unique design.

11. 7. Serve Mini-Confections

    

    Kate Mathis

    Have individual or mini-cakes served to guests as you would any other course. Or display a large table of them stacked to look like one big cake, and then invite guests to help themselves.

12. 9. Suspend Your Cake

    

    Jeremy Hess Photographers

    Hang your confection from the ceiling or above a table for a super-cool effect. Just make sure it’s out of the way of tipsy guests and really secure!

13. 10. Go Small or Really big

    

    Kristen Weaver Photography

    Change the perspective and order a petite two-tier wedding cake, decorated to perfection (and then serve alternate desserts, like pies or sorbet). Or go big—really big. Ask your cake baker to create a seven- or nine-tier wedding cake (some of the layers could be Styrofoam) for a serious wow factor.

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