Ready to jump on the DIY wedding band wagon but not sure where to start? How about decorating your wedding cake yourselves! Whether you bake the tiers at home or order some simple fondant covered cakes from Marks and Spencer, it’s a piece of cake to add your own finishing touches – and we’re going to show you how!
STANDING OVATION
If you want your cake to garner compliments from your guests, it needs a sparkling foundation to stand upon. That’s right – decorating your wedding cake doesn’t actually start with the cake at all, it starts with choosing a cake stand, because before you can add the finishing touches, you need somewhere to actually put the cake! And there are more options than you might think…
We recommend styling your cake stand to suit your wedding theme or décor, so if you’re holding a rustic wedding in a barn, go for a charming log slice or slate board. For city, contemporary or boho weddings, why not try a mirrored or geometric cake stand? And if you still can’t choose, a timeless gold plate will always add a glamorous touch…
HAPPY TIERS
Tried, tested and turned to time and time again, tying ribbon around each layer is an easy and effective way to spruce up your wedding cake. You could colour match the ribbon to your bridesmaid dresses or flowers, or opt for different types (think lace, satin, organza…) to suit your theme.
While your wedding cake will take pride of place on display for much of the day, you do want it to be eaten after you’ve cut the first slice. For this reason the best cakes are also the ones that invite you to tuck in. Make it simple by decorating your cake table with pretty signs that encourage exactly that. You can try these heart-shaped blackboard labels for starters (they’ll also look brilliant on your sweet jars!).
Whether you choose a naked, semi-naked, ganache, buttercream or fondant-covered cake, cascading flowers are the favoured decoration for many. They can be daintily made from sugar or provided fresh from your florist, but you can also add cascading artificial flowers. Using these will often save you money and means you needn’t worry about keeping them their fresh best on the day. Naked and buttercream cakes can be given a more rustic look, ideal for barn and country weddings, while fondant offers a more traditional style for country house weddings.
And to top off your cake in sweet style? Add a cake topper of course! You could attach some of this Mr & Mrs bunting to cocktail sticks to put on top of cake or add miniature sparklers to each tier or cupcake in your tower – venue permitting – for a show-stopping sparkling effect just before you cut the cake.
TABLE STYLE
Since you’ve gone to the effort of decorating your wedding cake so beautifully, it only makes sense to decorate the table it stands on too! Keep a few vases ready to display the bridesmaid posies, then scatter crystals across the table top for a glimmering effect. You can also make your cake table a decorative focal point – simply hang bunting above it and tie on colourful tassels (we love these blush and gold ones!) to fall from the tabletop to the floor to very simply create a cake table that becomes a talking point! Jars brimming with sweets and plates of cookies will also turn heads…
