Your wedding cake will be the star of your wedding reception. After months of designing and planning, it’s time to showcase your wedding cake in the most beautiful setting possible. Take as much care in planning a display for your wedding cake as a stage designer does for a hit Broadway show! Here are some helpful hints:
- The Backdrop – Consider what will be behind your wedding cake before you decide where to place the cake table. The cake and the cake cutting will be the focal point of some of your most beautiful wedding photographs, so be sure the cake is accented, not overwhelmed by what’s behind it. If possible, do not place the cake table in front of windows, which may show glare or reflect camera flashes. A cake in front of a window becomes part of the landscape, and may be lost in the view. Instead, try to choose a location where the cake is complemented by what is behind it. Choose a wall with a neutral color, or darker if your cake is totally white. A purple cake won’t show up very well against a purple wall. Since repainting the wall is probably not an option at your reception venue, if you find the wall color does not work with your cake, drape the wall with a lush-looking fabric or curtain. Another option behind the cake is a screen of wood, lattice, or fabric that matches your cake. Plants can also be a beautiful background for the wedding cake. Make sure, however, that there is enough space between the background and the cake table to facilitate serving.
- The Stage - The cake table is the stage for your wedding cake. There are literally hundreds of ways to decorate a cake table, but here are a few of my favorites. I like to take cues from the wedding cake itself, and have the cake table be an extention of the cake decorations. I like to choose a beautiful fabric with which to cover the table: satin, silk, or sheer, usually of the wedding colors. Then, if the cake has swags and ribbons, I will put swags and ribbons around the table. If the cake has roses, I will sprinkle colored rose petals around the table. If there are pearls on the cake, I will use strands of pearls on the table. If fresh flowers adorn the cake, I will place the bridal or bridesmaid’s bouquets in vases around the wedding cake. If the cake has a lace motif, I will use lace on the table. The tablescape can also dictate which type of cake stand to use. Traditional silver round or square stands, pedestal stands, multi-tiered stands, columns, and even inverted wine glasses make beautiful cake displays. Cakes can also be placed on glass or mirrors on the cake table. Traditionally, two filled champagne flutes are placed on the cake table for the wedding toast.
- Lights – Lighting the cake table can create a dramatic display for evening weddings. Small candles or battery-powered votives are beautiful around the cake. Another impressive lighting option is a string of mini twinkle lights under the sheer tablecloth. Recessed overhead lighting should be subtle, but bright enough for photographs.
Don’t leave the cake table design to a caterer or the manager of the reception venue. Use your imagination and work with your wedding cake professional to create the perfect stage for your wedding-day work of art – the wedding cake!
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