For me, one of the many interesting parts of photographing a wedding is finding what the Bride and Groom have decided to go with as a wedding cake design - and usually how they’ve created something very personal to them. As with most things wedding related, there are so many choices out there today it’s incredible - and mouthwatering! I’ve decided on this wet and cold Wednesday to share with you some of my all-time favourite cakes, ranging from Skye and Liam’s personalised Halloween cake at South Farm and Gemma and Dylan’s afternoon tea-themed cakes at The Savill Garden to Robyn and Jamie’s tower of cupcakes at Fanhams Hall Hotel and Beth and Tom’s homemade cakes brought to their wedding reception at Caswell House by their guests and family members. All are without doubt beautiful to look at and I’m sure tasted as good as they looked…but all are sweet works of art!
So, lick those lips, grab a steaming hot cup of tea and enjoy a flavour of my favourite wedding cakes from 2008 to 2013!
First up, here’s Alex and Karl‘s beautifully beaded classic wedding cake with real flowers to serve as their topper…
Beth and Tom enjoyed a reception laced with pretty retro details (including a giant tea cup) and requested that their guests bring some cakes of their own to their reception and they were overwhelmed with the response (and choice) from their friends and families…
…and here’s the main wedding cake - beautiful, isn’t it?
Fabi and Chris had quite an ‘alternative’ wedding, complete with purple wedding dress and they carried the colour scheme through to their wedding cake, the detail of which was a glory to behold…
Gemma and Dylan decided on an afternoon tea-party marquee reception in The Savill Garden, Windsor. Apart from their main beaded wedding cake with flowers, they had tables full of tasty treats for their guests…
I absolutely adored Jade and Simon’s gingerbread cake figures, set atop a fantastic rustic sponge cake creation…
Following on from that theme, here’s Kate and Charlie’s wonderful personalised cake from their wedding at Gosfield Hall…(the penguin signified some of the travelling the couple had done around the world)
Kate and Martin were married at Offley Place Country House Hotel and chose to have a fresh strawberry and chocolate combination for their wedding cake…and what a cake! If you weren’t before, I hope by now you’re drooling!
My favourite of 2013! Kathy and Jon had this fantastic creation made for their marquee reception last month in Essex…loads of detail and humour went into this one, complete with suitcases on top and trailing cans at the back of the bus!
Classic yet contemporary with fine detailing all over - at Hanbury Manor, Laura and Daniel’s beautifully understated wedding cake…
Mohammed and Saira had a marquee reception after their wedding in Berkshire in June this year. After enjoying a veritable feast of middle-eastern goodies, the cakes came out for the guests…
Pia and Ian’s autumnal wedding at South Farm was another that featured a variety of tasty treats before the main wedding cake was unveiled…complete with rubber duck toppers!
One of the most impressive wedding cake displays I’ve seen since starting working as a professional wedding photographer was this tower of cupcakes at Robyn and Jamie’s military-themed wedding at Fanhams Hall Hotel in 2009. I always believed that the top part was meant to signify the Queen’s crown, found on many Army Regimental cap badges. The tower was truly majestic and very impressive!
A nice understated wedding cake with fresh flowers - simple but classic. The lovely Sam and Chris chose this cake for their big day…
In the very grand surroundings of the Victorian Conservatory at The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill in London, Sarah and Shirl had this elegant beauty of a cake, featuring intricate beading all around. I think it perfectly reflected and complemented both the couple and their chosen surroundings perfectly…
One of the first weddings I photographed was that of Selena and Robin, two friends of mine. Robin is an officer in the Army and they enjoyed a military wedding, complete with a guard of honour with swords! Their wedding cake choice was comprised of half cheese, half chocolate cake and was beautiful - especially with their home-made knitted figurines!
Shoshana and Ed had a church wedding and then held their marquee reception at Ed’s parents’ farm in Suffolk. Along with lashings of bunting, mini cricket bats used to denote table numbers and an inflatable giant kangaroo on the top table (a rugby joke), this was their breathtaking cake made entirely of cheese and fruits, including figs, plums, strawberries and grapes…delicious!
After the meal, each table enjoyed one of these stunning pavlovas, complete with sparklers!
Skye and Liam were one of my earliest couples, being married in October 2009 but what a wedding! It was Halloween that evening and the couples’ guests had brought along hand-carved pumpkins to the reception. As is the custom, each was lit from within and placed on tables in the barn at South Farm in Hertfordshire. The cake itself was shop bought but then completely customised by Skye, using real leaves and hand-made toppers, depicting the couple in their wedding outfits - just like them, absolutely gorgeous!
Vicki and Mark were married at Down Hall Country House Hotel last year and decided on a classic wedding cake, enhanced by small beads and the addition of beautiful fresh peonies (my favourite flower) and roses. Once the Bride’s and Bridesmaids’ bouquets were placed alongside and the evening party lights were switched on, the effect was glorious!
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at these beautiful cakes with me - pop back soon to see another blog post - this time all about some of my favourite Bridal bouquets from previous weddings!