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Whether it be a traditional tier or a hat
box flowing with ribbons and bows, your wedding cake can be drop-dead
gorgeous and also add delectable artistic flair to your celebration.
Your choice of cake shapes, styles and decorations are ways you
can express yourself, tie in a wedding theme, celebrate the season
and/or coordinate the colors of your day.
If you want to think outside the traditional tiered circle, then
consider stacked squares, circles or hearts. Enhance these shapes
with embellishments such as ribbons, lace, charms, beads, pearls,
tulles, bows and/or streamers. With the right flourishes, squares
can appear as a stack of gift boxes with bows, while circles can
be styled into a stack of hat boxes.
Tiers or stacked shapes can be finished off with filigree detail
and edible roses; grapes and leaves; or garlands of fresh or icing-sculpted
flowers. For a unique touch, consider seashells with pearls and
a few specially placed small bouquets. This might be the just-right
showcase for your Southeast Alaska wedding or reception held at
the beach.
Those who enjoy diving into local waters might want to consider
a bubble-look cake. A creation of simply decorated stacked circles,
surrounded and topped with various-sized luminescent, round baubles
should produce the desired effect.
A cake that showcases the season is a pleasing way to tie in indoor
and outdoor activity. Enhance a winter wedding with a pale blue
iced cake set off with simple white flowers and/or pearls. Or think
about a white chocolate icing with touches of gold. Magnify the
fall with a wedding cake adorned with oak leaf-shaped white chocolate
or marzipan painted in fiery colors combined with a few acorns.
Cakes garnished with spring or summer flowers and/or fruits and
berries are an easy and colorful way to celebrate weddings held
during those warm seasons.
Flowers make terrific trimming for your wedding cake. As well as
lauding the season, flowers can express a theme. Honeymooning in
Hawaii? Top your cake with tropical flowers from the region. Finally,
a cake decked with flowers can simply be a lively exposition of
wedding colors.
When determining what you want your cake to look like, you might
want to start at the top. Wedding stores, gift shops, and Internet
sources offer a wide array of decorative cake tops. Outdoor enthusiasts
might like a small kayak knickknack. Motorcycle aficionados may
be drawn to a Harley-Davidson replica. Footballs fans might like
an emblem of their favorite team. Don't be afraid to buck tradition;
after all, it's your day.
Whatever topper you choose, just ask your baker to coordinate the
rest of the cake. For example, if only your grandmother's wedding
cake topper will do, consider a cake exterior of lightly tinted
buttercream with bunches of brightly colored flowers for old-fashioned
charm.
It's best to have a general idea of what you want before you begin
choosing a baker. So be sure to peruse books, magazines and bakery
portfolios for inspiration. Once you have a concept in mind, begin
to consult with wedding cake providers to find out if they can create
the cake of your dreams and to compare costs and services.
By Catherine Parmelee
For the Juneau Empire
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