Some art-forms progress quickly because the creators and audience are always trying to improve on their last effort. But wedding cakes are supposed to be a one off tradition. We want the once in a life time event; we’re not usually trying to improve on a previous effort. Nonetheless we find ourselves combining individuality, tradition and originality into something we want to be memorable.
CAKES WITH WRITING: Popular at the moment, and with all the possible variations it will probably remain popular. The vows can be written on the cake, of the lyrics to an appropriate song (maybe just the chorus), poetry, a classic quote, a Bible verse. This probably started with just the bride and groom’s name, and then a short message and people just kept adding to it.
EDIBLE DECORATION: Not new, but always popular. Flowers made of sugar and colouring, little carriages, a sculptured headpiece. Fondant decorations
SOUVENIR DECORATIONS: Cake toppers – Okay, the very opposite of the previous one. I still have plastic and porcelain cake decorations from years ago. Literally a piece of the cake that lasts forever. No reason not to have both edible and non-edible decorations, just don’t eat the wrong ones! BRIDE SHAPED CAKES: A non-traditional shape cake in the form of a traditional bride. Haven’t seen a bride and groom done this way, but it’s probably been done by some couple somewhere.
HAND PAINTED CAKES: A solid white cake is so conventional. The same cake with victoria flowers painted on it looks classy. If you have the ability to paint with food colourings it doesn’t take too much to lend some style to a cake. Thinks of classic pieces of porcelain or Victorian vases. Google a few idea. A single image on a white background can look very swarve.
The MULTILAYER MULTI-TYPE: Who said every layer of the cake had to be decorated the same way, or made of the same type of cake. One cake even had a gluten free layer because that ran in the bride’s side of the family.
ANYTHING PERSONAL: Not the ‘oh so typical of them – groan!’ attribute of couple’s shared beliefs; the thing you like that everybody else forgot about till you reminded them. Show the depth of your personality.
For your ideas on your wedding cake talk to Sweet Olivia in Sydney’s North Ryde.
