In the Bag

Love designer handbags? Have your favorites—right down to the trademark logos, straps, and buckles—masterfully re-created to form each tier of your wedding cake (Cakes by Design, cakesbydesign.com).

Brownie Points

Garnish your wedding cake with cookies in the shape of a bride (wearing a tiny tulle veil!) and groom (Ginger Betty's Bakery, gingerbettys.com).

Floral Flourish

Create a blissful match between your cake and flowers by topping your confection with a fondant replica of your bouquet. Or, sprinkle fresh flower petals on your cake table.

Top Initial

Top off your wedding cake or stacked desserts (like cupcakes), with the first initial of your last name in stunning silver or gold.

Charming 'Maids

Have your confectioner place gold or silver charms with ribbons—which each bridesmaid will pull before the cake is cut—under the frosting. Legend has it that the woman who selects the ring-shaped token will marry next.

Faux Layers

If you want a tall, intricately designed cake but don’t have the cash to pay for it, ask your confectioner to make the bottom tiers out of real cake and the rest out of iced Styrofoam.

Sweet Tart

For a dessert both sweet and tart, core crab apples from the bottom, fill them with chocolate ganache, and seal them with hot caramel.

Trendy Topper

Cake-top jewelry is the latest trend, from stunning monograms accented with Swarovski crystals to sprays of Swarovski gems.

Glamorous Glitter

Rhinestones, crystals, or other gems will add a chic twist to any wedding cake. Tie the sparklers to something fabulous you're wearing, such as diamond chandelier earrings.

Hot Frosting

Choose a cake frosting that can take the heat if you're marrying outdoors. Buttercream, for example, will melt right off in the sun. Fondant, on the other hand, will stay put.

Leftover Layer

Tie a ribbon around your top layer when you stick it in the freezer―that way you won't mistake it for leftovers. Constantly opening and resealing the cake could cause it to spoil.

Be Square

Order a square wedding cake to save money. It'll yield more slices than a traditional round one.

Architectural Design

End your reception on a dramatic note by unveiling a topsy-turvy wedding cake. The asymmetrical tiers create a striking, sculptured look that's fresh and modern.

Tasteful Tower

Not a fan of wedding cake? Create a towering pyramid of croquembouche, doughnuts, cupcakes, or petits fours.

Delicious Decoy

Cut costs by displaying a small, beautifully decorated wedding cake for the ceremonial cutting, then serving your guests from sheet cakes tucked out of sight.