Our wedding cake is all designed and ordered! We’re working with Andrea of Superfine Bakery. I saw her talents on her website, and fell in love (especially with her amazing sugar flowers). She’s baking us a small 20 person cake—2 tiers of champagne cake with pistachio filling. Throughout this process I’ve learned some things and wanted to share them this week for Wedding Wednesday.

First, here’s the inspiration for our cake: white buttercream with gold sugar ribbons and real succulents!

succulent cake   //   gold ribbon cake

 5 Tips for your Wedding Cake:

1. Fondant or buttercream? We don’t particularly like the taste of fondant. I think a lot of times the way fondant is used looks unnatural and unappetizing. So I specifically looked for a baker who would frost with buttercream. That being said, I really wanted a smooth “glass finish” for the cake. So basically for it to look as perfect as fondant, but to taste better! If you aren’t as picky, by all means go for the fondant. It’s easier to work with and will hold up longer on the big day.

2. A cake to cut and desserts to serve – We couldn’t afford a huge cake to serve all our guests, but I really wanted to do the whole cake cutting thing and have a pretty white tiered cake for the photos. So we’re ordering a small delicate cake to cut, and serving our guests Sprinkles Cupcakes. M always buys me a Sprinkles Cupcake for my birthday, so it’s a way to bring in something meaningful into our reception. And I don’t think anyone will complain… Sprinkles Cupcakes are so delicious.

3. Florals from your florist – Another way we’re saving money is by ordering a few extra flowers and succulents from our florist for the cake. The florist will clean them really well, and tape up the ends to make them food safe. Then the baker or my coordinator will gently place them on the cake when it arrives. I love the way fresh florals look on cakes, don’t you?

4. Let him choose the flavor – Most likely your fiancé doesn’t care about the cake design. M really didn’t but he was excited about the different flavors. Unfortunately he had to work on the day of the cake tasting, so I brought him home a doggie bag. He sampled them all the next morning, and we chose our favorites. M is a big pistachio fan, so we’re going to have pistachio filling in our cake even though I loved the strawberry. It’s an easy way to bring him into the planning since so much of it is my decisions.

5. Cake stands – Don’t forget a cake stand! Figure out how large the base of your cake will be, and then account for 2 more inches. Also think about the lip of your cake stand. Try to choose something the baker can easily slide the cake onto. If you don’t feel like finding your own, ask your baker. She probably have one you can rent. Or think about making one based on the theme of your wedding. We’re using lots of industrial materials like wood and metal in our wedding. I think we’ll try to get creative and put something together ourselves.