Getting the Cake of Your Dreams Part 3: STYLE

Now for the fun part – coming up with a style. What are your wedding colors? What does your dress look like? Do you want something extravagant? What words do you use when describing your wedding? Is if playful, simple, whimsical, classic, extravagant, traditional or fun? How do you want to personalize your cake? A good cake designer will take this information and come up with a design sketch.

Many cakes today have fondant for a clean and modern look, but you aren’t limited to that. Buttercream feathers, monograms, and embroidery are popular. A modern twist is to mix up the cake shapes and do different things on different tiers. Sculpted cakes are also fun (see “Ace of Cakes” on Food Network). When you're working with a talented cake artist, the sky's the limit. Check with your baker to see if they can do what you want, and if it’s in your budget. If they have design limitations that get in the way of your dream cake, find another baker.

Don’t deal with the cake until all your decisions about dress style and reception colors have been made. If you know what you want with that then it will serve as a blueprint for the wedding cake design. Consider your wedding style, the season, your gown, the flower arrangements, and so on. Make sure to bring color swatches and a copy of the invitation to the cake design session. The cake is an integral part of the wedding, not a glaring sideshow.

Here are 5 Top Trends from “The Knot” website under wedding cakes and planning (http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-cakes.aspx):



Trend 1: Mixed Shapes
Say au revoir to the classic stacked square or round wedding cake. For a truly modern look, couples are going for cakes with added shape. For a classic cake with a twist, have your cake baker make a three-tiered round cake finished off with a petal-shaped bottom layer. Or, mix-and-match square and round for a bold and funky look.



Trend 2: Tons of Texture
Cake designers are experimenting with allover texture. A big idea: frosting embossed with unique designs, such as the motif from your wedding invitation or the lace from your dress. Also consider a white-one-white cake with simple allover buttercream dots, or a pleated design in your wedding day colors.



Trend 3: Bold Graphic Flowers
Flowers will always be a classic, but trendy to-be-weds and cutting-edge cake designers are rethinking floral cake add-ons by going beyond the classic cascade. The most of-the-moment cakes are accented with super sized blooms -- think anemones, dahlias, and mums. Have them clustered on the first tier for a show stopping topper or used as bold accents on each and every tier.



Trend 4: Creative Cake Toppers
These days, the cheesy bride and groom cake topper just doesn't cut it. Instead, cake jewelry, such as floral pins and heirloom brooches; chocolate molds with your monogram or wedding day motif; and antique cake toppers, like the ones your parents used on their cake, are making their way to the tops of cake tiers. If you're looking for something a bit more funky, consider a bride and groom on a bicycle cake topper, or a kitschy topper with two love birds.



Trend 5: Calligraphed Cakes
Pretty scrollwork and delicate design isn't just for stationery. The most experienced cake designers are turning out cakes with beautiful designs, reminiscent of the most formal wedding invitations imaginable. The key to a stunning scrollwork cake is in the color -- this design works best with light hues and little contrast. Choose a light blue fondant base for the cake and have your cake baker add scrollwork in white. Or, go for an ivory cake with light brown frosting. While you're at it, have your baker add sweet nothings to the your cake, like "love," and "promise" in the same scroll-like style.

TOMORROW: Flavor