{1} Scroll through enough DIY wedding websites and you’ll quickly recognize the fabric and paper crafts this cake evokes. Inspired by crafty bloggers, Rachel Wille of Stillwater’s Fresh Fields Bakery replicated the look of buttons, pincushions and ruffled flowers on this delightfully demure design. The only difference? These decorative touches are made of fondant, not paper, petals or—ouch!—actual pins.
{2} If you met your hubby-to-be in Shanghai or he proposed under the Eiffel Tower, a cityscape cake like this can sum up your relationship. For this metropolitan design, Sarah Herr of 3 Tiers stenciled silhouettes of skylines onto smooth white fondant, using black food dye. Translate this graphic look for your wedding day, representing the stops around the world that mean the most to your new marriage, whether it’s the Foshay Tower or the Leaning Tower.
{3} David Mess and his Buttercream team kept it classy while devising this deceptively simple design. As good as this cake looks, it tastes even better: Each layer is topped in a white chocolate mousse and patterned with colored ganache, while custom black elevations add striking stripes and height between tiers. If you want to treat your guests to this exact design, ask the Buttercream folks for the “Black Passion.”
{4} Thanks to a bridesmaid’s dress with a similar motif, Robin Martin of Gateaux replicated the look of upside-down roses for this cake—a sharp design perfect for a black-tie wedding. This was a labor of love for the Gateaux team: The entire cake took more than 50 hours to decorate, as each petal, leaf and stem of the fondant appliqué is hand-cut. As for flavors, Martin recommends a devil’s food cake with a port-wine tart cherry filling coupled with a white mousse, which you can alternate with another flavor of chocolate ganache.
{5} No need to wait until the next royal wedding or the Kentucky Derby to be inspired by fanciful hats. This cake by Jan Stephens of Cakes by Jan features an oversized flower and lifelike ribbon, while textured dots flutter up three tiers of fondant. The inside can be just as delightful: Lately Stephens has been mixing batches of banana batter with cream cheese filling. Hats off to that!
{6} Though this cake, made by Audrey Maloney of Wuollet, is topped with swirling shapes of fondant, it’s also available in a yummy white chocolate putty. Don’t just pop into just any Wuollet location for cake tastings though; all of the bakery’s wedding consultations are held at their 50th and France location in Edina.
