This guest blog was written by Fiona Hackshall, one of our wonderful recommended suppliers. Fiona is a Nantwich-based wedding cake designer who was a regional finalist in the 2018 and 2019 North West Wedding Industry Awards. Below, Fiona gives our blog readers her top tips for finding yourself a wedding cake you and your guests will love.

Tips For Finding The Perfect Wedding Cake

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. No wonder people hunt high and low to find the perfect venue, dress, décor and more – it’s going to be a day to remember! Your wedding cake is no different. After all, it’s one of the most important photo opportunities of the day – the classic photo of the happy couple cutting the first slice.

Traditionally, there might have been a set idea of what a wedding cake looks like, but these days, anything goes. As long as you and your partner are happy – and you think your guests will be too – there’s no end to the individual twists you can put on your centrepiece.

Without further ado, here are my top tips for finding the perfect wedding cake for your special day.

Keep Your Style Individual

It might be tempting to copy designs you have seen floating around online, and although imitation is the highest form of flattery, it’s pretty uninspiring to simply replicate something like-for-like!

Talk to your wedding cake designer about what it is you would like and allow them to help you come up with a unique design. They can help you match the cake to the style of your wedding. For example, if you are having a relaxed intimate wedding, this could be reflected with a less formal design, such as a ‘naked’ or ‘semi-naked’ cake.

Alternatively, if you are having a themed wedding, the cake of course can be decorated to fit in with this – as bold, bright, and beautiful as you’d like!

Consider Your Cake Flavours

It’s not all about looks – how your cake tastes is just as, if not equally, important. It’s not just for photos, after all!

Choosing a classic flavour such as vanilla, chocolate or lemon is always a safe road to go down. However, if you can’t make your mind up, multi-tiered cakes can be made up of different flavours. A more traditional flavour in one, with maybe more unusual ones in other tiers, could be the perfect combination for reflecting your personal taste, or encompassing a special meaning.

Alternatively, if you like the look of a really big cake, you can have a false tier put in the bottom, meaning you will have the ‘wow’ factor – without lots of cake left over. You’d be surprised at how many couples go for this option!

Think About Positioning

You might not have given it much thought, but the backdrop behind where your cake is actually pretty important too. The placement should enhance your cake and should not be too ‘busy’. This allows the cake to stand out and look its very best! I find that plain colours usually work well. I love working with Combermere Abbey as a venue as the Pavilion is very neutral and can be dressed to the style of the couple.

Take a look at your venue and see where the cake might be best displayed – if you need any advice, don’t be afraid to ask. Usually, venues are quite flexible.

Cake Trends By Wedding Size

This coming year is looking to be a year of contrasts in terms of wedding cake style.

As more couples opt for intimate celebrations, with only the closest of family and friends, I’ve noticed that cakes are more likely to be relaxed and modest. Buttercream covering, accompanied by decorations of fresh flowers, is still popular and suits the smaller wedding.

In contrast, with the bigger and more extravagant weddings that we’re beginning to see more of, the cake will likely be larger and more glamourous – such as iced cake covered in large handmade sugar blooms.

Popular Cake Trends Now And For 2022

I believe that the use of edible wafer paper will continue to grow in popularity. Flowers made from this material are light and airy, adding a really delicate feel to the cake design. Wafer paper sails are also being used to lend a sense of movement to modern designs.

Flowers of all descriptions as remain popular as ever, I have noticed more couples making use of beautiful, pressed edible flowers on cake designs as well as dried grasses and flowers this year.

Whatever cake you opt for, the most important thing is that it’s one you love – and feels just right for you and your special day. There’s no better feeling than seeing your guests enjoy something you spent time making just right, so spending a little time personalising your centre piece will go a long way!