From multi-tiered masterpieces with floral garnishes, to one-layer creations adorned with fruit, to naked cakes finished with a touch of frosting – wedding cake styles run the gamut from classic to over-the-top. Which style will grace your dessert table?

Traditional

LEFT: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Joe Mikos | MIDDLE: Cake by Cakes by Liz | Photograph by Larisa Stinga | RIGHT: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Jocelyn Filley

For a timeless classic, you can’t go wrong with an expertly iced vanilla buttercream cake adorned with real flowers. Sonia Destefani, owner of Sweet Bites in Vineyard Haven, loves when she can incorporate fresh-cut blooms on to the finished product. Some couples keep it simple with white roses while others take the opportunity to add a pop of color with bright flowers and emerald green foliage. Either way, it’s a “classic and beautiful” look, said Destefani.

Naked

LEFT: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Joe Mikos | MIDDLE: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Tim Correira | RIGHT: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Jocelyn Filley

The name says it all: a naked-style cake omits the majority of frosting to expose the various layers. There’s also a semi-naked look, in which peeks of the cake can be seen through the frosting. It’s a style request that Valerie Stoyer, owner of Val Cakes, receives frequently from couples. “Because a lot of weddings on the Vineyard tend to have more of a ‘rustic’ or ‘organic’ feel, the ‘half-naked’ cakes seem fitting,” she said.

Ombré

 
LEFT: Cake by The Black Dog Bakery Café | Photograph by David Welch | RIGHT: Cake by Cakes by Liz | Photograph by Mila Lowe

Ombré often turns heads in the fashion and beauty world, so why not incorporate it on a cake too? With cascading gradients of color from light to dark, ombré wedding cakes give a subtle, modern pop without overwhelming the eye.

Floral

LEFT: Cake by Cakes by Liz | Photograph by Randi Baird | MIDDLE: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Randi Baird | RIGHT: Cake by Nine Cakes | Photograph by Elizabeth Cecil

From press-on to fondant, blooms can take center stage on the wedding cake – and can be edible too. “Right now, I’m loving the pressed flower cakes,” said Stoyer. “The flowers are edible, organic, and colorful. I love when it’s time to lay them all out next to this blank canvas of a cake and figure out how and where I’m going to place them on it.”

Themed

LEFT: Cake by Cakes by Liz | Photograph by Betsi Ewing | MIDDLE: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Larisa Stinga | RIGHT: Cake by Cynthia Pockalny | Photograph by Mila Lowe

There’s no need to limit your creativity to just the groom’s cake (if you’re doing one). Themed cakes – whether they’re portraying an inside joke, a hobby, or a special memory – are a fun way to put your personality on display. Destefani once created a wedding cake (similar to the one pictured above right) that had a heart and the couple’s initials “carved in wood.” Though themed, it was “a very delicate and romantic cake,” she said.

Avant-Garde

 
LEFT: Macarons by Val Cakes | Photograph by Larisa Stinga | RIGHT: Cake by Val Cakes | Photograph by Tim Correira

Think outside the box for your dessert table display with a cake (of maybe even a rainbow-colored macaron tower) that features an eye-catching composition. Stoyer said that she once created a multi-tiered cake in white fondant with “crazy design accents of fuchsia and navy.” But that wasn’t it: the flavors inside were pistachio and raspberry “so when you cut into it, it was quite the combo of colors!”