If you ask the guests, one of the best parts of going to a wedding is the wedding cake! The wedding cake is often the centerpiece of the reception; it’s not only beautiful to look at and photograph, it should also taste great! A classic white, tiered wedding cake is beautiful – but its not your only option! If you’re the one getting married you may want to transform a traditional wedding cake into a unique representation of the bridal couple. 

So, for some wedding cake inspiration, let’s take a look at some of the top wedding cake trends heading into 2022. 

Edible Flowers
Flowers are beautiful throughout the wedding and couples are decorating their wedding cakes with flowers as well. Only certain types of flowers can be used with food. Edible flowers create a beautiful accent when pressed into the buttercream. Flowers a beautiful look to celebrate couples who love nature, flowers and gardens.

Floral Painting 
If you’re not quite into edible flowers you may opt for a wedding cake decorated with painted flowers, especially with foil details to add an even more elegant look to your cake. Cakes decorated with floral painting can be bright and colorful or elegant and regal, depending on the style and colors you choose. 

Wafer Paper Flowers
Wafer paper can be turned into just about any type of flower you can imagine and they give you more wedding cake options plus a budget-friendly design compared to edible flowers or elaborate floral designs. 

Pressed Flowers
Pressed, dried flowers are another way to incorporate real flowers into your cake. They can give a very vintage look to your wedding cake, and there are many types of flowers you can use this way. 

White Sugar Pearls
Another way to make your wedding cake look regal and elegant is to add white sugar pearls that add a little bit of sparkle and shine to the look. You can add a lot or only a few depending on your personal style. 

Custom Painting
If you have a specific design that you really want for your cake you can have your wedding cake custom painted. This gives you more design freedom and options, letting you create a unique style that is exclusive to your wedding. Watercolor designs are a trendy way to give a custom-painted look to your cake. 

Sweet and Simple
Keeping things classic and a little simple is a classic wedding cake trend. A plain white cake with smooth buttercream accented with just a few fresh flowers and/or berries is a classic choice especially going in warmer climates. 

Dynamic Looks
Smaller weddings are a recent trend, and as a result wedding cakes are smaller too. That means couples choose to make their cake a true showstopper with complicated multi-tier cakes, more elaborate designs plus a lot of creativity. 

Wedding Cake Alternatives
Not everyone likes cake, and you don’t have to have a traditional wedding cake at all! Many couples think outside the classic cake box for wedding dessert alternatives such as:

• Macaron towers in your bridal party colors 
• Stacks of brownies, donuts or cupcakes 
• Iced and decorated cookies 
• Help yourself candy bar  
• DIY ice cream sundae bar 
• Cheese and fruit trays 
• Favorite childhood sweets such as Rice Krispie treats, banana pudding or cotton candy
• Dessert crepes 

Individually packaged and served sweets and treats – and even individual mini-cakes! – have become popular at weddings as more couples share their personal favorites and flavors. 

Wedding Cake Tips and Tricks 

Here are some wedding cake do’s and dont’s to help you plan your perfect wedding cake.

• Make sure that your caterer, wedding planner, or whoever is in charge of cutting up the cake puts aside a couple of pieces for you and your partner to enjoy at a later time – after the reception, for breakfast the next morning or to celebrate your 1 year anniversary! 
• A groom’s cake lets you show off the groom’s personality in a fun and unique way alongside a more traditional (or not) wedding cake.
• Design a designated table for your cake to really shows it off. It’s the highlight of the decorations, so create a cake showcase!
• Coordinate your cake delivery with your baker, your wedding planner, and your venue to make sure it’s set up properly so your photographer can capture it and can store it properly while catering and guests are arriving.
• Make your cake truly custom by giving your baker something that really highlights your wedding style to use as inspiration for the decorations. This could be lace from your wedding dress or veil, a photo of your dress and jewelry or anything that captures the uniqueness of your nuptials. 
• Schedule a tasting before you choose your cake to make sure you get a flavor that you’re going to love (and to make sure you choose the right baker).
• Consider your other choices when choosing your cake design such as your venue, your gown, your flowers, and even the menu that you’ve chosen so everything fits together the way you want it to.
• Always pay attention to the weather in your area, which can influence the type of cake or frostings that you want to use. Hot weather is generally bad for buttercream and meringue unless your baker and venue are very attentive to keeping your cake cool.

Understanding Wedding Cake Pricing

How much does a wedding cake cost? The average U.S. wedding cake costs around $350, but every bridal couple has different dreams and requirements. There are many different aspects to pricing a wedding cake. You can spend a few hundred dollars or thousands of dollars on your cake, depending on the size, the baker and the design. 

Ingredients are also going to affect your cake cost so your cake pricing will take into consideration:

• Time required to make and decorate the cake
• Ingredients used such as gluten-free or vegan cakes and harder to find flavors
• Number of tiers that could be difficult to transport and assemble
• Intricacy of the design, which can take more time to create
• Frosting choice, which can require special ingredients or time to create
• Delivery fee to your venue 
• Decorations and stands that are required to display and cut the cake

Choosing Your Cake Size

The size of your wedding cake depends on the number of people you’re expecting to have. Make sure you talk with your wedding planner and baker about what you really need to get a good size cake for everyone. Below is the average serving size for a single, round tier. 

• 5 inch: 8 servings
• 6 inch: 12 servings
• 7 inch: 16 servings
• 8 inch: 24 servings
• 9 inch: 32 servings
• 10 inch: 38 servings
• 12 inch: 56 servings
• 13 inch: 67 servings
• 14 inch: 78 servings
• 15 inch: 89 servings

Working with an experienced, creative wedding planner will help ensure the wedding cake of your dreams, and make sure that it’s a style that truly represents the bridal couple. After all, your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so make the most of it!