Desserts have long served as metaphors for wedding gowns. Have you ever described a ball gown as a cupcake or compared a voluminous skirt to a cream puff? It’s not unfounded; In fact, crepe fabric comes from the same etymology as the crepe, the thin pancake-like pastry.
So it’s no wonder that pastry chefs and cake bakers pull inspiration from a bride’s dress when it comes time to make the sweet treats for a wedding day. The garment, often one of the first items purchased for a wedding, informs everything from the overall formality of the event to bouquet and flower types—and yes, the wedding cake.
How does it work?
Savvy confection designers can recreate floral appliques in sugar form on the top of a cake or place pearl-like balls around the sides like its own necklace. All sorts of dress details can become a standout moment on the cake.
Here are 7 dress details that will certainly inspire a wedding cake.
Floral appliques
Floral elements are no surprise on the cake but they are when replicated the floral details on the wedding gown. Wow your guests by recreating the flowers of the 3-D lace on the gown, like the Carrie, as the sugar flowers on a fondant masterpiece—whether it’s two tiers or seven.
Imagine printing your lace pattern on a cake? Wedding cake designers are crafty, and they jump at the change to copy the petals and leaves of your lace pattern onto a fondant confection. Take a swathe of fabric, such as the sleeves of the Uma gown’s matching bolero jacket, to your baker and dream up the possibilities.
Gathered and draped chiffon finds another life as the inspiration for textured icing of a buttercream cake. Instead of smooth sides on a round, multi-tiered cake, use the dynamic quality of buttercream frosting to your advantage: add character to the finish by folding the icing into a drape-like structure that echoes the bodice of the Hailey gown.
Short dresses say celebratory with carefree vibe, and that calls for a playful, single-tier cake that’s as laid-back as this bride. The flared sleeve and flowy skirt of the Lola beg to be accented with a loose bouquet and possibly a flower in the hair—just like this cake asks for a matching fresh bloom for its topper.
Sheer and delicate tulle feels feminine and traditionally bridal, but it’s finding its way into modern gowns like the beaded tulle of the Kendall. The high-slitted, glamorous gown is a new classic for a bride who wants to feel sexy on her big day, and that speaks for nothing more than the barely there buttercream of a semi-naked cake. The icing is just as sheer as the ethereal fabric.
Form-fitting, column-style gowns like Eva are entirely modern: clean lines, simple yet luxurious fabric, and crisp tailoring, which can only mean a cake that’s just as precise. Consider a square cake made from fondant, where the icing matches the hue of the white gown and the edges are as exacting as the seams of the dress.
Sleek lines of the modern Eva gown
Sparkles
A wedding cake deserves as much razzle and dazzle as a dress covered in crystals, pearls, or sequins. The metallic fabric of the Gigi gown or the crystals adorned on the sleeves of the Leonie (and matching sparkly veil!) need a cake with shimmer too: accent the cake with brushed gold leaf or add edible glitter for a sparkly confection. It will twinkle almost as much as the bride.
