by Ashley Burr

Created on: October 29, 2008

The cake is one of those wedding elements that everyone just does. Sometimes I wonder why. Hardly anyone eats it; the main purpose of the cake is a photo op with you and your new husband holding a knife, ceremonially cutting the first piece together, and often times shoving it in one another's face. Many people feel the cake, and the ceremonial cutting of the cake is trite and wasteful. If you consider yourself to be slightly non-traditional, however unready to abandon this particular tradition entirely, then consider at least varying the look and/or taste of the cake.

No longer does it have to be a perfectly symmetrical, ascendingly smaller, tiered white cake with fondant frosting and fresh flowers atop. You can get creative with the cake topper or the entire cake itself-or don't do a cake at all. Instead, do a decorous stack of cupcakes. Or arrange your favorite fruit into pretty piles. Or hire a real artist to design a cake that looks nothing like a cake, but a sculpture of something else entirely that fits in with your personality or wedding theme.

If you still want a real cake but just something with a little bit edgier or more distinctive flare, sculpt the outer layer frosting into a tower of flower petals so the cake is indistinguishable from the frosting. Use dark or bright colored frosting or decorations. Use several cakes side by side instead of having them stacked or tiered. Have small cakes at every table as exciting centerpieces that can then be served as dessert after you and your spouse cut your own and take the picture; not only does that enhance your entire reception dcor, but then the cake itself does not go to waste or sit in your freezer for a year.Here are some tips for a more traditional cake:
-Use a custom monogram design to create a cake topper display. The nice thing about using monograms is that they are uniquely yours. You can also use the logo to decorate multiple things for the wedding, which can then essentially become your theme. A monogrammed logo for your cake topper is a great decorative item that not only looks beautiful on top of the cake the day of the wedding, but can also adorn your home for years to come.

-Fresh flowers look and smell delicious and add a fresh and natural finishing touch that enhances rather than dominates the cake. You can also use bright colored fresh fruit as well. Recently, I attended a wedding where the cake rested on top of a piece of glass supported by rows of bright green apples. It looked so fresh and crisp.

-A glass ornament or picture can add the perfect touch of personality when used as a cake topper. Glass is translucent and unobtrusive enough to rest lightly and just look elegant; a close up picture in a frame or ornament can also highly personalize the cake and serve as a lasting reminder of your wedding.

The cake is definitely one area of your wedding where you can be decidedly untrendy and get full credit for it. The tradition of the cake, while often superfluous and wasteful, can still be a lot of fun. And, when it all comes down to it, cake tastes good whether it is traditional or not so much.

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