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Everything evolves and just like wedding themselves, wedding cake of the 21st century represent some new and fresh ideas.

Personalization – a definite trend in wedding cakes

21st Century brides and grooms want the wedding cake to be as individual as they are.

There used to be a time when brides chose a cake from the catalog the baker gave them, or brought a picture from a magazine. Today brides as well as grooms, realize how special they are and do not want a replica of a pictured cake. Aware that the wedding cake is the centerpiece of their reception, they want to have their cake individually designed to their own personal style and taste, both taste in design and taste in flavor. So they put on their thinking caps and are coming in with their own ideas, usually coordinating their cake design, the frosting design, the decorations and the cake topper, with the wedding color scheme, wedding theme, bridal attire, flowers, wedding accessories, reception hall decor, and if they have children, the family.
Having provide the bakers with details to adhere to, they expect the result to be a totally unique and PERSONALIZED cake.

The Shape

Gone are the over-embellished cakes. Today brides and grooms want to express themselves with wedding cakes to look luxurious, classy and elegant, coordinate well with the wedding motifs and taste scrumptiously good.

Though round tiers are still the favorite, tiers shaped as square, octagon, and hexagon are gaining popularity, as do tiers of different shapes stacked together. For example, round tiers on square or hexagon tiers. Once assemble the shape(s) and color(s) chosen should produce a simple yet luxurious, classy and elegant look.

The Structure

The trend in cake structure offer a few choices all leave plenty of room for personalization and creativity.

A 21st Century traditional wedding cake is usually assembled of 3 to 5 tiers stacked upon each other without a separation such as the once popular Greek columns. A variation is a wedding cake ensemble that displays each layer individually rather than stacked. connected by a motif.

A relatively new comer is the drum. This is a popular technique that brides and groom appreciate. Basically, bakers add a layer looking Styrofoam insert that adds height and volume to the cake without the expense of a cake layer. The inserts provide a perfect place to tuck in charms for the charm pull, flowers or cake jewelry should the couple want to utilize it in this manner.

An ever-growing number of marrying couples are choosing alternatives to the traditional wedding cake save one tier for the bride and groom to slice and feed each other and for wedding photos.

With the costs of weddings in general and the rise in wedding cakes relating fees, a few new trends have become quite popular. Brides and grooms, especially if they have to stay within a specified budget are looking for ways to save money.

So, what used to be a creative alternative by some became a trend.

The trend concentrates on options that eliminate the cutting and serving fees usually charged by caterers.

Other benefits that were realized, are that they can also shave off the centerpiece expense and serve as dessert.

Following are two options that are favored.

An individual single layer wedding cake for each table to makes a spectacular and edible centerpiece. For additional fun, guests are invited to cut and serve the guests seated at their table.

A cupcake wedding cake actually, cupcake tower as a wedding cake is a well-liked trend. Most couples top their cupcake tower with a cake tier for the bride and groom. Quite a few brides and grooms we interviewed, planned to place a mini cup cake tower on each table as a dessert and centerpiece in one.

We even came across brides and grooms who chose Golden donuts because donuts look like wedding bands.There are a few reasons the single layer centerpiece. the cupcake or mini-cupcakes and even the donuts wedding cakes to some extent, are becoming very popular.

They are real money savers.

They do not require special skills and can be home-baked way ahead of time and frozen.

They can be lavishly decorated and makes a wonderful edible centerpiece to be enjoyed by all.

They can have different flavors, various delicious fillings, different though coordinating colors and fancy decorations.

Busy brides and grooms can order their cupcakes or single layer cakes in a supermarket bakery, or shopping clubs such as Costco and Sams Club where they are very reasonably priced.

They eliminate all slicing and serving costs.

They allow, actually invite creativity.

A common denominator we encountered was couples who utilized different icing colors and – or themes for their centerpiece cakes to distinguish the different tables. matching the place settings and place cards.

Whether sophisticated, whimsical or anywhere in between, Cupcake and mini cake centerpieces are unique and gaining popularity fast.

The Icing on the Cake

Though butter cream, and cream cheese frostings are still in demand, the current trend in cake frosting is flavor and color enriched Rolled fondant or the less expensive faux-fondant with its smooth and elegant porcelain look that encourages creativity. Cake bakers can match wedding colors, motifs, duplicate intricate details and create silhouettes and scrollwork to complement wedding themes.

The Flavors

When I got married, the weding cake was either vanilla, chocolate or a marble of the two. Today there are tens of flavors for the bride and groom to choose from. Many tend to choose a different flavor for each tier, cake, or a certain number of cupcakes to represent their individual favorite cake flavors. Some add different filling for each cake flavor as well as frostings of different flavors.

The Decorations

Personalization is paramount. Brides and grooms use their freedom of expression throughout the wedding and the cake is no exception. The latest trend is to surround the center layer with a ribbon personalized with the bride and groom’s first names and wedding date. Though the cake is consumed, the ribbon becomes a wedding keepsake.

Wedding theme and seasons are dominant throughout the wedding and the cake as well.

Cutout silhouettes may accent the wedding theme upon the wedding cake. Flowers, marzipan fruit , candy pearls, curving scrollwork, and family initials are also very popular cake decorations and so is incorporating two or more shades of the same color within the frosting.

The Wedding Cake Companions – recent trend.

Two 21st trends one a historical custom renewed and the other brand new are the Grooms cake and the Children Family wedding cake.

The Groom Cake is a concept that was unfamiliar, when I got married 42 years ago but was familiar earlier in history. It has made a comeback and is occupying center stage. placed on the same table with the wedding cake is a single-layer rectangle Groom Cake. Many brides like to choose his favorite flavor and color and have the decorations represent his unique personality, hobbies and interests.

Another cake that has recently been added to the cake table is the Children Family wedding cake. This is a rather new concept that evolved quite recently, as more and more Blending Family Weddings that celebrating the kids, began to take place.

Celebrating their becoming a family, many couples use a Family Cake topper.

We have come across a few variations of the cake.

A Single-layer rectangle, Frosted and decorated with the kids various, hobbies and interests, topped with a Family Cake Topper currently available with a bride a groom and a boy, a bride a groom and a girl or a silhouette style a bride a groom and two children.

A cupcake tower is very popular with the kids too. Each layer of cupcakes can be devoted to a single child.

The Cake Tops

Wedding Cake Trends: Unique Cake Top

The cake tops is the crown of the wedding cake. It is a keepsake that should also make the wedding cake a conversation piece.

Personalization is the current trend. Cake toppers are often chosen because they either reflect the lifestyle or hobbies the bride and groom share together, coordinate with the wedding theme, emphasize the wedding flowers or display their initials.

One of the hottest cake top trends is individual initials or a monogram created with stunning Cake Jewelry, another is a couple resembling the bride and groom.

Flowers and ribbon cake tops have never died out and though they are not a trend, they are quite popular.

For family weddings, family cake tops that represent a bride, a groom and children are in very high demand.

TIP:

Set and adhere to your wedding cake budget.

Visit with at least 3 wedding cake chefs, leaving room for negotiations.

Check out their portfolios and taste samples of their cakes.

Be sure to get everything in a written contract that does not leave room for price changes.

Even if you are on a strict budget, your less inexpensive cake should taste just as good as an expensive one because it is not the taste but the size and decorations that are costly.

For an article dedicated to 21st Century Wedding Trends in general CLICK HERE

Whether you are a trendsetter or follow the current trends, I hope you gained some insight from this article.

Copyrights © 2007 All Rights Reserved Nily Glaser, A-wedding Day and Gan Publishing

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Source by Nily Glaser