For more information and tips, visit Brides.com";
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An iconic motif both safe and sensational, floral cakes always look beautiful and stylish. Real blossoms (pesticide-free, natch) say fresh and flirty, but breathtakingly lifelike sugar flowers — realistic or stylized — are red-hot. Deconstructed blooms — imagine a big sugar rose topper “shedding” its petals over tiers — epitomize romance.
Hand-painted flowers can evoke any artistic style. Three big daisies painted on a stack of square tiers is wonderfully Warhol-esque. Brush embroidery can be intricate and delicate, replicating the precise femininity of a hand-painted silk kimono.
Most floral cakes are made with fondant, but buttercream flowers piped on yummy buttercream cakes win raves, too. Size-wise, remember that a dainty cake demands flowerets, while big cakes call for large-scale decorations. If you’re thinking about large, statement blossoms, keep the rest of the embellishment simple. And although colorful cakes have their fans, most brides give thumbs-up to traditional white or creamy hues.
Something Sweet by Michelle Bohigian, Worcester , MA; somethingsweetbymichelle.com
";
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Monograms both personalize and modernize cakes. And they usually don’t preclude other embellishments. Go with one big initial representing your new last name, the initials of both of your first names, or a classic three-letter monogram (his last initial is largest and in the center; your first is on the left and his is on the right).
Put monograms anywhere or everywhere. As a cake topper. On one tier near the top. In a so-this-season wallpaper print. (Order such elaborate cakes six months out.) Black lettering on white cake is uber-glam, pearlized white-on-white is subtly sophisticated, white lettering absolutely pops against most any color.
Rebecca Nicklin Cakes from Cabin Ridge, Bozeman MT; cakesfromcabinridge.com
";
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Cupcakes are cute, but cookies are completely current. The quintessential comfort food, they remind you of childhood and Mom’s kitchen — a charming way to dress up a wedding cake, especially for an at-home reception. Pick your favorite cookie and take it to your baker to see how she can build the cake around it. She might use the actual cookies as a decorative edging — as in the staff's favorite, featured in our July/August issue — or do a riff on the old-fashioned ice-box cookie cake. Have extra cookies packaged as favors for guest to take home at the end of the night.
Cake Crumbs, Encino CA; cakecrumbs.com
Casue Sweets, Long Island NY;casuesweets.com
";
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Themes make cakes all about you. They can mirror how you met or got engaged, trumpet a shared sport like golf, or even salute your beloved golden retriever. Most themed cakes reflect the reception motif: shells and starfish for seaside parties, bamboo for eco-aware affairs, Japanese characters for Asian celebrations, and orchids for tropical weddings — you get the picture.
A cake shaped like a chapel or fairy-tale castle — after all, you’re a princess today — always weaves a magical spell. Exchanging vows barefoot on the beach? A Rice Krispies treats sand castle makes the biggest splash.
";
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The one-cake rule is so yesterday, particularly for large affairs. Three or four smaller cakes — versus a 12-tier giant —make receptions more intimate. Multiples are also golden when choosing flavors proves difficult. Each cake can be different, yet they can share a unifying visual theme.
If you really can’t narrow it down — or you think one cake’s a tad quotidian — go hog-wild and give each guest her own cake. Expensive? Yes. Unforgettable? Absolutely.
Cheryl Kleinman Cakes, Brooklyn, NY; 718.237.2271
";
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Cake and filling flavors are like fashion; they can change on a dime. Carrot-walnut, chocolate-coconut, and blood-orange pound cakes are the current darlings.
Pomegranate curd, cannoli cream, and mocha cream win the hottest fillings award. But sample what grabs you: Cakes that have the look but not the taste are passé. Some wedding planners call the cake the punctuation mark of the reception. With these tips in tow, we’re talking one major exclamation point.
";
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TDY_Wedding_cakes[i-1].body = "1. Forgo fondant icing and bet on buttercream. The former, used for intricate styles, needs to be molded like clay and requires many man-hours. Buttercream is easier and faster to work with.
2. Order a small, fancy cake to cut, and a simply iced sheet cake (in the same flavor and icing color) that will be sliced in the kitchen.
3. Serve the wedding cake as your only dessert — as long as it’s scrumptious, no one will miss an additional sweets course.
4. Ask if your caterer can “upgrade” a serving on plain wedding cake by decorating each plate with a colorful flavored sauce such as mint, raspberry, or apricot; or order plain white cupcakes and decorate them with premade sugar flowers.
5. Downsize the cake. If you have a guest list of 175, order a cake that feeds just 150. Some people will pass on the cake or share a slice because they’re dieting; others won’t leave the dance floor.
";
// END editorial data