Decorating Wedding Cakes: Pro Tips For Beginners

Wedding cakes are a focal point of any wedding, so it's important to get them right. Decorating a wedding cake like a pro is all about creating a stunning visual impact with a good range of colours and decorations. A well-decorated wedding cake will grab your guests' attention and ground the space.

Using fresh flowers

Decorating a wedding cake with fresh flowers is a great way to add a personal and unique touch to your celebration. Here are some tips to help you decorate your wedding cake with fresh flowers like a pro:

Firstly, consider the wedding theme and colour scheme when selecting the right flowers. Choose flowers that complement the colour palette of your wedding and add a touch of natural beauty to the cake. Make sure you have a good range of colours, with at least 2-3 blooms in your darkest palette present to avoid a bullseye effect.

When arranging the flowers, there are countless ways to style them. You can create a cascading effect with blooms flowing down the cake's tiers for a glamorous and elegant look. Alternatively, a single large flower can make a simple and elegant statement, or you can add a romantic touch with a delicate floral crown. If you're having a casual and laid-back celebration, consider a whimsical arrangement of wildflowers. For a more formal affair, classic flowers like roses or peonies will create an air of sophistication and elegance.

To insert the flowers, use straws to avoid ruining the appearance of the buttercream icing and the structure of the layers. This also allows for easy removal. If you don't want the flowers to touch the cake at all, place a frosting-covered board on top and adorn it with flowers.

Finally, pay attention to the placement of each flower and fix any imperfections in the icing. Ensure the cake is displayed in a well-lit and attractive setting, so your beautifully decorated wedding cake can be captured in all its glory!

Using icing to trace a design

Fondant is a popular choice for wedding cakes, as it looks neat and keeps the cake fresh for longer. It's also a good base for stencilling, as it allows for a neat finish. You can use fondant to create fabric-like ruffles, plaits, wooden planks and more.

If you want to trace a design onto your cake, you can use Wilton decorating icing tubes. These are convenient and easy to use, but some colours work better than others. Homemade frosting can also be used to trace a design, but black is a hard colour to get.

Using gold foil

Gold foil is a great way to add a touch of luxury to your wedding cake. It is a metallic foil that can be applied to both buttercream and fondant, and is typically used in tiny, abstract flakes to create a shimmering effect. Gold leaf is made from 24-karat gold, which is pure enough to eat and is harmless in very small doses. If you want to create a more glamorous look, you can cover the entire cake with gold leaf sheets, or just one layer of a multi-layer cake. This can be an expensive technique, requiring tens of edible gold transfer sheets to cover the entire surface.

You can also use gold foil to create a design or pattern on the cake, allowing it to take the place of piped decorations. For example, you could use gold flakes to create an outline or frame around a piped design. Gold leafing can also be added along the top and upper sides of the cake, making it look like the gold is dripping down.

If you're looking for a more subtle way to incorporate gold foil into your wedding cake design, consider using it in combination with other decorations. For example, you could use gold-coated sugar balls, which are pearl-sized sweets that can be used for a variety of decorative purposes, either in clusters or individually placed around the cake.

No matter how you choose to use gold foil, it's sure to add a touch of elegance and glamour to your wedding cake.

Using feathers

There are many ways to incorporate feathers into your wedding cake decorations. Feathers are usually used in art deco (20s-inspired) and boho/rustic wedding cakes, but they can also be used in modern wedding cakes.

If you're going for a boho chic wedding, you can make an elegant cake with several little sugar or real feathers and unique flowers. You can also add wreaths, dream catchers, succulents, greenery, air plants and even macrame. If you're going for a more rustic boho wedding, you could try a bark cake with boho detailing and feathers on top.

If you're going for an art deco wedding, you could try a plain square wedding cake with sugar blooms and many feathers for decor. A chic white wedding cake with lace and plain tiers, with beads, a veil and ostrich feathers is another idea. You could also try a white wedding cake with brown ribbons, patterns, nuts and painted feathers on the tiers.

If you want to make your own feathers, you can make them out of white chocolate. Make these ahead of time and wrap the baking trays in plastic wrap until you're ready to decorate.

Using a cake stand

When using a cake stand, it's important to consider the overall look of your cake. You don't want your cake to look like it has a bullseye in the centre, so make sure your decorations are evenly distributed and that you have a good range of colours. Take photos as you work so you can see how the cake looks from different angles.

Frequently asked questions