21 wedding cakes so gorgeous they'll melt your heart
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Sweet treats for special days
Wedding days should be filled with love, laughter, happiness and good food. But the pièce de résistance at the centre of any celebration is the cake. From multi-tiered wonders to intricate artworks, these are some of the most stunning creations ever made.
Marble tower – Knead to Make, San Francisco
When colour coordination is key, you need expert planning and design. Knead to Make in San Francisco created this stunning three-tiered cake, the perfect match for the wedding invite.
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All white everything – Melissa Fine Pastries, New Orleans
From the subtle gold-brushed base to the intricately painted floral wreath, this cake is sure to capture your attention. Sometimes the simplest designs can still steal the show.
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Floral haven – Charm City Cakes, Baltimore
Can there ever be too many flowers at a wedding? Incorporating sugarcraft florals and dainty stems, this cake could be straight out of an enchanted forest.
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By invitation only – Sugar Flower Cake Shop, NY
A brush embroidery technique makes this cake from Sugar Flower Cake Shop extra special. It showcases all the skill you'd expect from a baker whose creations have graced the cover of The New York Times.
All in gold – Cakes by Cliff, Australia
Gold and cream are a classic wedding colour combination, perfectly balanced here with gold-painted sails, edible gold buttercream and gold-sprayed florals. It almost looks too beautiful to slice.
Blossom Tree Cake Company
Pink swirls – Blossom Tree Cake Company, UK
Kean Ong, the owner of Blossom Tree Cake Company, specialises in everything from breathtaking wedding cakes to show-stopping celebration bakes. This three-tiered tower is a romantic's dream with swirls of pink icing and delicate roses.
The library collection – Keiron George, UK
Keiron George’s 'library collection' combines dramatic modern techniques with elements of intricate, 18th-century designs. Which of these elegant options would you choose?
Lavender love – Sugar Ruffles, UK
Charlotte Tyson specialises in handcrafted sugar flowers. Here they're used to bring a traditional white cake to life with extraordinarily lifelike mauve lilies and roses.
Pastel power – Kalabasa, Moscow
Who says three-tiered wedding cakes have to be traditional? We love this pastel-hued scorcher, perfect for a modern summer wedding.
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Va va voom – Artistry of Cake, Sydney
Watercolour cakes are a big hit this year, and they don't get much finer than this lilac bake from Artistry of Cake. Both striking and dainty, it's impressive without being over-the-top.
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Blue marble – Nutmeg Cake Design, Philadelphia
This four-tiered marble cake features swirls of blue fondant, a generous showering of gold leaf and a buttercream centre. It would make a simple and elegant centrepiece.
Reach for the stars – Alpharetta, Georgia
This geode cake is out of this world. The purple, lilac, deep indigo and blue jewel tones really pop against the white icing.
Frills and flowers – Maggie Austin Cakes, Washington
Dainty frills are one of cake artist Maggie Austin’s design hallmarks. This cake showcases them from top to bottom, hinting at wildflowers hidden behind.
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A futuristic fairy tale – Erica O'Brien, New York
This cake is based on an abstract Alice in Wonderland theme. Would you go down the rabbit hole? We certainly would.
Blue lace – Copper Whisk Cakes, Tennessee
Soft brushwork hints at layers of blue lace on this cake. And just in case a little extra good luck is needed for the big day, it even provides the bridal party with something new and something blue.
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Buttercream flowers – Peach and Petals, Sydney
Buttercream flowers tumble down the side of this elegant cream-coloured cake. It'll bring a warm summer vibe to any wedding, no matter the weather.
Silver surfer – The Caketress, Dubai
If you subscribe to the theory of 'the bigger the better', this giant cake won't disappoint. Falling sugar petals and a crown of white blooms complete the drama.
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Pretty in pink – Marguerite Cakes, Applecross, Western Australia
Simple and subtle, this design is almost angelic with its flakes of gold leaf and pale buttercream roses.
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Metallic romance – Hey there, Cupcake! California
Hey there, Cupcake!'s design shows colours don't have to be traditional to impress. Neutral hues, marbled icing and hints of a metallic sheen grace the sides of this cake.
Cherry explosion – Juniper Cakery, East Yorkshire, UK
This isn't your ordinary pink wedding cake. The tiers consist of Belgian chocolate, cherry buttercream, fruity cherries, rosemary and various cherry-flavoured macarons. We wouldn't say no to a slice, or the whole thing...
Flower power – Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, New York
Master confectioner Ron Ben-Israel choreographs in sugar, and his speciality designs have been featured in publications including Martha Stewart Weddings. We can see why: with flowers so lifelike, no more decoration is required.