As I mentioned in last week’s post Jemma from the cake company Grace & Violet will be sharing her thoughts and inspiration on the wedding cake scene with a new monthly column on the Magenta Cakes blog. So put the kettle on, relax and take five minutes to be inspired by the latest trends in wedding cakes.
If you have any feedback, thoughts or comments, don’t forget to mention them in the comments box below.
Ever since I was young, I have always been blown away by the artistic beauty of wedding cakes. I would read through my mother’s 1980′s cook books and would always be in awe of how these works of art were created. Honestly, I never believed I’d be able to emulate them.
You see, my idea of drawing inevitably included a stick man wearing a dress and my houses still have a curly path with a sun smiling in the sky. However as I grew up I realised the one thing I could do well and that filled me with pure joy was baking. So I baked and baked and I didn’t stop. Literally.
In my house there’s always something new coming out of the oven, so much so there’s way too much to eat! So it came to me that I should stop over feeding my family and start my own business. Which I did. The more cakes I made the more intricate my designs got and this showed me that in fact with time and patience you can teach yourself anything. And so I learned the art of cake design and am still learning.
I now own a cake company called Grace and Violet where I hand craft beautiful bespoke cakes. I love how creative you can be with a wedding cake and how it can really epitomise someones personality. Now the wedding cake scene has changed a lot from those pictures I used to admire as a child. It is hugely influenced by the catwalk and what’s hot and what’s not. Things move fast in the fashion industry and so it seems, they move just as fast in the wedding cake industry too.
This summer the vintage style cake is still popular with mint being the focal colour. I love this style as it’s so pretty and elegant and has a familiarity to it that feels comforting. It’s a style I like to capture when designing a cake. Think soft hues of mint with accents of white for a more subtle look, or complement mint with lemon yellow which is reminiscent of long summer days (and after the summer we’ve had, who wouldn’t want a cake that evoked memories of bygone days relaxing in the sun!). If mint isn’t for you then soft pink, ivory and baby blue are still popular choices.
Another popular cake trend at the moment seems to be the striking contrast of using black and white. Whether it’s a vintage style theme where lace and pearls are used, or a more modern clean edge look, black and white is definitely going to make a statement at your wedding. You can even add a splash of colour. Bright pink and vivid yellow work well. This may not be to every ones taste, but put together with a simple and elegant black and white design, can really make an okay cake into an ‘okay look at me cake!’ Look at these black and white cakes that show the use of vintage lace and also some bright colours to add more interest. I love the lily cake, it looks alive. I think it’s beautiful!
If black and white is still too tame for you, there is another trend that seems to be on the rise and set to rule the roost in 2013 and this is the use of COLOUR. And lots of it… Now this is a theme that emanates happiness. Think bold and bright, and picture every colour of the rainbow.
Wedding cakes no longer have to be ivory with a soft colour dotted around, they can excite the senses on a whole new level. Old trends are back and the use of colour is one of them. It definitely takes a certain something or someone to keep this theme elegant and not tacky but executed carefully this could be an incredibly memorable wedding cake! Take a look at these beauties that really make me smile as although they are not technically groundbreaking, they do push the boundaries of wedding cakes and bring something new to the table.
In my opinion the wedding cake is one of the focal points of a wedding, after the bride and her dress, oh and the groom of course! For this reason your cake needs to be personal and reflect what’s important to you. I have talked about wedding cake themes that are currently ’trendy’ (I shudder when I use that word). To me what’s more important is how the cake makes you feel and that it evokes the couples personality. It needs to display your tastes in life, whether it be simple and elegant or bold and bright, be sure that it’s ‘you’ on the cake stand and not a ‘trend’ that you felt compelled to follow…
Written by Jemma Joakim at Grace & Violet
Photo credits from the top down,left to right: Yummy Cupcakes & Cakes, Bobbette and Belle, Perfect Petal Designs, Dream Cake Factory, Rise & Shine Bakery, Wild Orchard Baking Company.
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