Elegant wedding cakes never go out of style, so it’s little wonder you want one for your special day!
But what makes a cake elegant compared to one that’s a little more rustic, for example? Well, it comes down to a few important factors, which we’re going to share with you.
Knowing what separates an elegant wedding cake from the rest will help you and your partner find the perfect one that shows off your style and taste (quite literally) to take center stage at your reception.
Top Tips To Keep In Mind When Opting For Elegance
It’s important to remember that an elegant wedding cake isn’t limited to an evening reception at a luxury hotel.
We see them at beach receptions, dinners, garden, and barn parties. Keeping our seven tips in mind when choosing your cake will ensure you have the cake of your dreams.
Don’t Overthink the Shape
Elegant wedding cakes are, more often than not, simple in shape.
Think of a round or square cake, rather than tilted layers and complex shapes. Adding too many shapes takes away from the cake’s elegance, so keep it simple.
What about the height? A common misconception is that an elegant wedding cake has to be as high as possible. This isn’t the case. Opt for a beautifully decorated single, two, or three-tier cake rather than a cake that looks like a stairway to heaven.
Coordinate Your Cake with Your Theme
Ensure your wedding cake makes the elegant impact you want it to by coordinating it with your overall theme. For example, use the same flowers to decorate the cake that you have in your bridal bouquet or your hair.
Another option is to coordinate the color of your square or round cake with your overall color palette. It’s a simple and effective way to tie your cake in with your theme and ensure there’s no clashing.
For more specific themes, like a beach wedding, we suggest using a simple, coordinating topper that ties everything together.
Color Is Key
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying you can’t incorporate colors into your wedding cake. However, for a more classic look, it’s best to keep the palette as simple as possible.
While a monochrome or ivory or eggshell-colored wedding cake is always a good base, you can bring the color in with accents such as fresh or sugar flowers, a personalized or coordinating cake topper, or gold foil.
How You Arrange the Cake Matters
Keep in mind how the cake is arranged!
Too much detail on or around the cake can distract from its elegance and can come across as over the top or gaudy.
Simple tiers, a gorgeous stand, and a dessert wall are all great ways to show off your cake.
It’s All in the Details
While the arrangement is important, decoration is also key!
Going overboard with too many elements and textures will make the cake look more kitsch than classy.
Simple details such as a few flowers, a topper, or greenery are the way to go. This is why naked cakes are so popular!
Topping It Off
We’ve mentioned the importance of cake toppers several times, but we can’t stress this enough.
The most elegant wedding cakes are finished off with a simple topper that is personalized or matches the theme or wedding colors.
While a humorous cake topper has a place, it’s not your elegant wedding cake!
Keep It Tasteful and Tasty
When it comes to your wedding cake, how it tastes is also important.
Keeping the flavor simple by sticking to one or two flavors will ensure your guests enjoy tucking into the cake as much as looking at it.
If you’re having a celebration that includes children, avoid liqueur fillings, or make sure there is an alternative wedding dessert for those younger and less sophisticated taste buds.
15 Ideas for Elegant Wedding Cakes
Sold on an elegant cake for your wedding? Take a look at our top 15 ideas – they include themed and personalized toppers, stunning cake stands, sugar flowers, arrangement ideas, and a whole lot more.
Keep It Classy with an Elegant Themed Topper
This unique wedding cake topper features a vibrant full color tropical floral wreath and "Mr & Mrs" embossed in white across the center.
Keep your beach-themed wedding cake elegant with this gorgeous tropical floral wreath topper with “Mr & Mrs” embossed across the center.
Unique and utterly divine, it’s the most elegant way to top off a simple white buttercream cake.
Use an Elegant Personalized Cake Topper
Our Round Wedding Cake Topper with painted circles and your last name in a large script in the center is a timeless addition to a wedding or anniversary cake.
We love this elegant, personalized acrylic cake topper that includes the happy couple’s first names, new surname, and date of the wedding.
Add a sprig of greenery, some gold foil, or a single flower to keep your cake classy.
Display Your Cake on an Elegant Stand
A custom made 10, 12, to 14 inch cake stand in walnut or maple wood makes any party great!
You can’t go wrong with an elegant cake stand, and this custom-made one is quite simply stunning!
Available in three sizes, the stand is made from maple or walnut wood, with a white plate. It’s strong, sturdy, stylish, and the perfect way to show off your cake.
Fresh Flowers Are Bloomin’ Elegant
One of the easiest, and most affordable ways to present your wedding cake elegantly, is by using fresh flowers.
Coordinating these with your bouquet makes perfect sense, in the simplest, and prettiest way.
Wow Your Guests with an Elegant Cake Stand and Separator
This beautiful cake stand and separator is just what your cakes needs to get the woow factor.
If you’re wanting to wow your guests with an elegant display, this cake stand and separator is the way to go.
Stay on-trend by incorporating fresh flowers into your display or serving up a delicious wedding day dessert such as donuts. But take note: keep the display simple to avoid it looking tacky. Less is more!
Incorporate Color into Your Elegant Wedding Cake
Soft or neutral colors are a great way to create an elegant-looking wedding cake. We love this idea that uses intricate icing details and peachy pink flowers to finish off the tasty treat.
Top Your Cake off with Sugar Flowers
To make your cake look stunning all you need to o is place it on top, voila a stunning masterpiece.
We love the idea of using sugar flowers to decorate a wedding cake!
Delicate and dainty, there’s a wide variety to choose from and more often than not, the seller can custom-make them to suit your specific needs.
A Picture-Perfect Cake
There are no limits on how you arrange and display your cake. Using elements from your wedding, like a macramé hanger is such a novel, and gorgeous way, to create that WOW factor!
Frame Your Cake with a Unique Display Stand
Modern Display Stand-A modish medley of rustic charm and geometric chicness; this hoop stand will take the presentation of your decorations and delicacies to the next level of sophistication.
It’s all about balance when it comes to elegant wedding cakes. The simpler the cake, the more elaborate the display stand can be, just take a look at this metal round arch cake stand riser.
The stand comes with the floral hoop and wooden base, as well as the screws and screwdriver needed to assemble it.
Glam up a Naked Cake with Gold Foil
What’s better than a naked cake? A naked cake decorated with touches of gold foil, that’s what!
Possibly one of the best things ever invented, (in our opinion) has to be gold foil. It’s a really easy way to decorate a naked cake, instantly adding glamour and elegance.
Serve Alternative Cake Ideas in a Unique and Elegant Way
If you’ve attended a wedding recently, you may have noticed that some couples are moving away from traditional cakes and serving up their favorite sweet treats instead.
This macaron wedding cake alternative is a great way to give your guests something sweet.
If this sounds appealing, then take a look at this macaron display wall! Designed to hold 40 magnificent macarons, the wall can be placed on top of your treat table. It’s suitable for mini donuts too!
Elegant Monogram Cake Toppers Are a Must
Monogram cake toppers add a personalized touch to any wedding cake.
This wire wedding cake topper is modern, rustic and simply elegant.
This wire initial cursive monogram wedding topper is simple and elegant.
Complete the look with a few fresh flowers, some sugar flowers, and fake or edible greenery (yes, there is such a thing)!
This adorable simple rustic greenery garland would be the perfect addition to any cake.
Add Your Personal Touch to Your Wedding Cake
Who says wedding cakes can’t be quirky and elegant? This gorgeous creation shows off the couple’s fun side with its carved initials, surrounded by a heart and arrow, circa high school, and tree trunks.
Say It with a Song
A beautiful personalised song lyric wedding cake topper. A romantic personalised finishing touch to beautiful wedding cakes.
How divine is this song lyric wedding cake topper?
Couples can customize their very own topper using their favorite song or lyrics from the first dance. It’s such a clever way of personalizing your simple wedding cake, elegantly and creatively.
Serve Elegantly
Often it’s the little details that have the biggest impact! Serving your guests their cake with a personalized serving set adds a nice touch, and it’s something you can keep as a reminder of your big day.
This stainless steel cake cutting set features gold tone, acrylic handles and hand painted, acrylic tags with your initials and date added.
This gold cake knife and server set features acrylic handles, silk laurel or gold ribbon, and acrylic tags with the couple’s initials and wedding date. It would be such a pretty addition to your cake table.
