63 Incredible Wedding Cake Ideas to Inspire You

We’ve scoured the web for all of the best wedding cake ideas so that you can make a statement at your wedding reception!

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By Sophie Cockett

December 20, 2019 at 12:00 pm

Choosing a wedding cake is such an exciting part of the wedding planning process. There’s not much else that can satisfy us more than a good wedding cake can – both in taste and in style.

A beautiful wedding cake can be a real focal point at your wedding reception, adding to your wedding theme and really making a statement. It will also make a seriously Instagram-worthy wedding photo idea which you’ll love to look back on for years to come.

And it’s not just appreciating (and eating) the finished product that’ll bring you joy. Gathering inspiration for your wedding cake is so much fun, too. Whether you’re dreaming of a rustic semi-naked wedding cake or you’re after something simple and modern, hours can pass scouring the web for ideas.

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If you’re a bohemian bride, consider leafy vines entwined around your bake as well as earthy tones and a rustic cake stand. If your style is more contemporary, geometric shapes, marble-effects, geode wedding cakes or celestial-inspired designs would be among the most perfect of choices.

Understated couples or couples looking to save money on their wedding budget should consider single-tier wedding cakes, while those dreaming of a classic affair may wish to update the traditional ivory wedding cake with hand-painted florals and watercolours.

You could even take inspiration from Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020 and go for a super on-trend ‘Classic Blue’ marble-effect design. The choice is entirely yours!

Whether you’re baking your own wedding cake by way of saving money or you’re enlisting the help of a wedding cake maker, we’ve got 63 wedding cake ideas for you to take inspiration from. Now all that’s left to do is decide on your favourite…

1. Pink Pearl Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @tort_annako93

We can’t get enough of this pearl-encrusted wedding cake. It’d be perfect for a classic and traditional celebration!

2. Abstract Paint Smudge Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @soulcakeshop

Paint smudge wedding cakes are a huge 2020 wedding trend, and this lovely colour palette would work perfectly at so many styles of wedding.

3. Rustic Semi-Naked Wedding Cake

Image: Jackson’s Catering via Rock My Wedding

Visibly imperfect semi-naked icing gives an otherwise simple wedding cake a serious edge.

4. Floral Installation Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @cake_ink

Make your simple wedding cake pop by decorating it with a bold floral installation.

Remember to ensure you choose flowers which match the flowers in your bouquet!

5. Pastel Spatula Painted Wedding Cake

Image: Sweet Lion Heart

We fell in love with this pretty pastel design as soon as we laid our eyes on it. Three tiers of pure perfection, if you ask us…

6. Blue Ombre Wedding Cake

Image: Burgh Brides

This wedding cake idea combines two huge wedding trends: marble-effect and ombre icing.

If you have multiple tiers, we love the idea of flavouring each one differently.

7. Rustic Gypsophila Wedding Cake

Image: Virginia Photography via Love My Dress

Adding sprigs of gypsophila can transform an otherwise simple rustic wedding cake. Displaying your bake on a log slice cake stand is another fabulous idea.

8. Berry & Chocolate Drip Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @nyuta_zelenskaja

This chocolate drip wedding cake almost looks too good to eat, don’t you think?

9. Doughnut Stack Wedding Cake

Image: Enchanted Wedding Photography

Who says you need to have a traditional wedding cake on your big day? Consider a doughnut stack if you want something which is much easier to share around.

This doughnut stack has a small cake on the top tier, so you’ll still be able to cut the cake in front of all your guests!

10. Rainbow Flower Wedding Cake

Image: Casey Avenue Photography via Rock My Wedding

One way to make a simple, semi-naked wedding cake feel more unique is to add lots of colourful flowers to the stand and the top tier. The more colours, the merrier!

11. Modern Dried Floral Wedding Cake

Image: Carley Jayne Photography

Pampas grass is a huge 2020 wedding trend, and we love its inclusion on this modern wedding cake. Ghost layers are all the rage.

12. Pink Marble-Effect Wedding Cake

Image: Cake Central

Marble-effect wedding cakes might be our favourite wedding cake idea, like… ever. If you’re a lover of all things pink, this could be the sweet treat for you.

13. Best Day Ever Rainbow Wedding Cake

Image: Mary Costa Photography

An acrylic or glitter cake topper makes for a contemporary take on the traditional wedding cake topper.

Each tier of this wedding cake has been iced in a different way, but every contrasting layer has been tied to the others with metallic details.

14. Dessert Stack Wedding Cake

Image: Erika Ellis Photography

How about stacking all your favourite desserts onto one wooden cake stand? Think cupcakes, chocolate brownies and miniature doughnuts!

READ MORE: Our Favourite Dessert Table Ideas

15. Rustic Orchid Wedding Cake

Image: With Love and Embers

A simple wedding cake can pop with elegantly placed flowers. This wedding cake would be perfect in any season.

16. Simple Citrus Wedding Cake

Image: Jessica Jaccarino Photography

Pick a motif from your wedding decor or breakfast – like oranges or lemons – and strategically place one on each tier of your wedding cake.

17. Pampas Grass Wedding Cake

Image: Cathy Lessard

All hail pampas grass! The trend has made an appearance again, this time on a seriously cool three-tiered cake.

18. Modern Gothic Wedding Cake

Image: Ayelle Photography

If you’re hosting a gothic wedding, this monochrome and marble wedding cake would be perfectly fitting.

19. Minimalist Tropical Wedding Cake

Image: Cari Courtright

This simple wedding cake pops thanks to the addition of palm leaves and flowers. Now all you need is an opulent gold cake stand!

20. Mint Macaroon Wedding Cake

Image: Winifred Kriste Cake

Brides and grooms with a sweet tooth will love this wedding cake which is finished with a tower of macaroons.

We love the juxtaposition of flowers and geometric outlines.

21. Single-Tier Marble Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @duchess.bakes

Metallic leaves and pretty roses make this single-tier wedding cake feel totally whimsical.

22. Traditional Autumn Wedding Cake

Image: Cupcakes and Counting

Perfect for an autumnal wedding, this three-tier wedding cake features cascading flowers and berries.

23. Navy Blue Wedding Cake

Image: ADJ Brown

Inspired by Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2020, this Classic Blue wedding cake boasts textured icing with silk flowers and metallic edging. It looks so luxe!

24. Pretty Pastel Wedding Cake

Image: Julian Angel

Rainbow wedding cakes aren’t just for kids birthday parties, you know. This design wouldn’t look out of place at a unicorn-themed celebration but we love it all the same.

25. Black Marble Wedding Cake

Image: Jessie Shultz Photography

This black wedding cake proves the marble-effect trend is still going strong.

26. ‘Classic Blue’ Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @ninecakes

This impressive five-tier wedding cake has everything from Pantone-inspired icing to cascading icing sugar roses and metallic accents… yet it still doesn’t feel too busy.

27. Modern Monochrome Wedding Cake

Image: Jimmy Raper

Who knew a wedding cake decorated with black roses could look quite so chic? Your guests will be wowed if this is the bake you choose.

28. Glamorous Countryside Wedding Cake

Image: Pear & Bear Photography

You can still make an impact with your wedding cake even if you go for a simple design.

Keep every tier plain except for one, as this couple have done. The oversized flowers provide the perfect accent.

29. Cube-Shaped Personalised Wedding Cake

Image: Kyle John Photo

We’re obsessed with this cube-shaped wedding cake. Not only does it throw the idea of traditional circular tiers out of the window, but it displays the couple’s wedding date too!

30. ‘Living Coral’ Single-Tier Wedding Cake

Image: Aurora Grey Photography

This bold and vibrant wedding cake takes inspiration from Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2019, Living Coral. One tier is all you need if your cake is this beautiful.

31. Single-Tier Wedding Cake with Over-Sized Flowers

Image: Instagram @historiasdelciervo

We’re not sure what we love more in this snap – the marble-effect icing or the chic, gold cake stand.

32. Simple & Romantic Personalised Wedding Cake

Image: Jeffrey Gleason Photography

Keep things simple with a single-tier wedding cake and personalised cake topper. A cake like this won’t break the bank yet still looks totally fab.

33. Painted Single-Tier Wedding Cake

Image: Julian Angel

If you don’t think many of your guests will fancy a slice of cake after all that wedding breakfast food, stick to one tier. We love the additions of fresh strawberries and macaroons on this cake.

34. Celestial Wedding Cake

Image: Alex Mari Photography

Astrology-themed parties are set to be huge in 2020, so pay homage to the trend with a celestial-inspired wedding cake like this one. Once you’ve checked what your wedding will be like according to your star sign, of course.

35. Simple Celestial Wedding Cake

Image: Instagram / @aliceandrosa

Keep things simple with a single-tier wedding cake like this one. The repeated celestial motif makes for a stunning finish.

36. Tropical Mr & Mrs Wedding Cake

Image: Z Create Design

From the orchids to the tropical flower garland and laser-cut cake topper, there is so much to love about this wedding cake.

37. Ripple Wedding Cake with Statement Cake Topper

Image: Our Labour of Love

The visibly imperfect icing gives this three-tier wedding cake a serious edge.

38. Bird of Paradise Flower Wedding Cake

Image: Angie Diaz Photography

Striking, vibrant and colourful, this bird of paradise wedding cake will look stunning in your wedding photographs.

39. Statement Tropical Wedding Cake

Image: Studio Baron Photography

Just when we thought we couldn’t love palm print more, we stumbled across this palm-print wedding cake. Obsessed.

40. Simple Hooray Wedding Cake

Image: Whipped Bake Shop

Keep your wedding cake simple and let a cake topper do the talking. Check out our round-up of funny wedding cake toppers if you want to make your guests giggle.

41. Purple Fig Wedding Cake

Image: Especially Amy

This purple wedding cake looks so delicious – our mouth is watering just looking at it! Replace the figs with any fruit which is in season when you get married.

42. Ombre Initial Wedding Cake

Image: Minted

The addition of the initials in the bottom corner of this wedding cake is such a cute touch.

43. Colourful Naked Wedding Cake

Image: Maytree Photography

Choosing different flavoured sponges for each tier is a great way to add a bit of interest to your naked wedding cake.

All that’s left to decide is whether you’ll go for a slice of lemon or a slice of chocolate…

44. Modern Orange Wedding Cake

Image: Amy Kate Photography

Modern wedding cakes don’t have to be decorated in muted colours. This vibrant orange shade works seriously well.

45. Lilac Country Garden Wedding Cake

Image: Francesca Hill Photography

There are just as many non-edible parts to this wedding cake as there are bits you can eat… but we kind of love that.

46. Cheese Wedding Cake

Image: Cassandra Lane

How about ditching the traditional sweet wedding cake altogether and opting for a cheese wedding cake? This set-up is something we can totally get on board with…

47. Safari-Themed Wedding Cake

Image: Ashlee Hamon Photography

If you’re a lover of animals, adding dainty animal wedding cake toppers to your bake is a subtle way of nodding towards your theme.

48. Chocolate Brownie Wedding Cake

Image: Damian Brandon Photography

Oh – wait. We’re pretty obsessed with this chocolate brownie wedding cake, too.

Remember to dust your brownie stack with icing sugar to make it look extra-rustic!

49. Pressed Flower Wedding Cake

Image: Kacy Hyder Desserts

Scattered rose petals that match the flowers in the bride’s bouquet make this wedding cake look so pretty.

50. Blue Geode Wedding Cake

Image: Hope Helmuth Photography

We’ll never get bored of geode wedding cakes. Not when they look as impressive as this.

51. Hand-Drawn Abstract Wedding Cake

Image: Pinterest

Artistic couples will love this abstract wedding cake. This could be adapted to match any colour scheme.

52. Abstract Textured Buttercream Wedding Cake

Image: Whipped Bake Shop

The touches of purple really make this abstract wedding cake pop.

53. Winter Wedding Cake

Image: Kalabasa

We feel festive just at the sight of this winter wedding cake. Pine cones, orange and cinnamon sticks make it feel extra Christmas-y.

54. Art Deco-Inspired Wedding Cake

Image: Cassandra Lane

If you’re hosting a Great Gatsby-themed wedding day, this art deco-inspired wedding cake would quickly become the star of the show.

55. Tribal Geometric Spring Wedding Cake

Image: Anneli Marinovich via BLoved Blog

Combining a geometric print with a succulent cake topper, this wedding cake idea showcases two of our favourite trends in one.

56. Artistic Painted Wedding Cake

Image: Maggie Austin Cake

Opt for a wedding cake which is a total work of art like this hand-painted beauty. Your guests will be marvelling at it for hours.

57. Chocolate Brushstroke Wedding Cake

Image: Kalabasa

We’re so impressed by this pastel wedding cake which is adorned in brush strokes made out of chocolate. Make sure you get plenty of snaps before cutting into it!

58. Mint Green Geode Wedding Cake

Image: Taylor Faith Photography

Thanks to the vibrant combination of mint green and gold, this might be the prettiest geode wedding cake we’ve seen so far.

59. Burgundy & Gold Geode Wedding Cake

Image: Krysten Ashlay Photography

If you’ve been on the hunt for a cake stand for a while but can’t find anything you love, consider using a mirror.

You can write your favourite love quote or your names and wedding date around the edge.

60. Yellow Spring Wedding Cake

Image: Michele With One L

This wedding cake will have your guests feeling as though spring has sprung the moment they set their eyes on it. The bold colour choice has really paid off.

61. Black Floral Wedding Cake

Image: Cobi & Coco

Black wedding cakes aren’t just reserved for gothic weddings. The addition of brightly coloured flowers and one printed tier lift the design endlessly.

62. Bold Floral Print Wedding Cake

Image: Bees Bakery

This impressive wedding cake by Bees Bakery uses contrasting floral prints and artificial silk flowers to add numerous different dimensions to the design.

63. Gold & Pink Fig Wedding Cake

Image: Whisk & Drizzle

If you love pink, order an entire cake iced in it! It doesn’t have to be frosted in icing sugar or covered in ivory fondant icing to count as a wedding cake.

How to Choose a Wedding Cake

Image: Let Them Eat Cakes

If you’re wondering how to choose your wedding cake, we’ve got a few top tips. Take a look!

1. Consider the Size

The size of your wedding cake will depend on how many guests you have attending your wedding.

Remember, you might also wish to have enough wedding cake to enjoy afterwards and for the guests who couldn’t make it.

2. Consider Your Theme

Your wedding cake needs to match your wedding theme, so before you settle on a design, think what style of cake might suit the other décor details you’ve gone for.

A semi-naked wedding cake with real flowers would look great if you’re getting married at a barn wedding venue, while a traditional, ivory bake would look lovely in a stately home.

3. Think About the Flavour

While it is important that a wedding cake appeals to the visual senses, it’s (arguably) even more important that it tastes good.

Whether you want a traditional flavour like vanilla, chocolate or fruit or something a little more exciting like passionfruit or lemon, you’ve got to make sure you’ll enjoy eating it.

If you’re tempted by lots of flavours and you can’t make up your mind, why not flavour each tier differently?

4. Go for a Cake Tasting

You wouldn’t order a wedding dress without trying it on, so why make any sort of final wedding cake decision without attending a tasting?

Once you have a rough idea about the size, design and flavour of cake you might be after, go out and meet a couple of cake makers. You’ll be able to taste their work, chat to them and make sure they’re just as excited about your wedding as you are!

5. Don’t Forget the Weather

There would be nothing worse than choosing a beautiful wedding cake which ends up melting on your big day.

If you’re hosting a summer wedding or getting married abroad, stay away from whipped cream, meringue and buttercream. They melt quickly.

Ask your cake maker about summer icing options, delivery and refrigeration. Summer brides might do well to choose a fondant-iced wedding cake.

Now that you’ve chosen your wedding cake, check out these alternative wedding food and drink ideas for more delicious inspiration!