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An obvious place for a kitchen-savvy bride (or groom!) to save a chunk of wedding money is on the cake. The DIY version is going to be substantially less expensive than one made by a professional. Of course, you have to be pretty confident that yours will look as good -- or maybe you're of the mindset that a cake should look like a cake, not a piece of edible sculpture or avant-garde architecture.

Whatever your approach, you'll have to start with cake batter. Will you make your own (the famous "scratch cake"), or will you use a mix? This is completely a matter of personal taste, of course. Various factors to consider are health or allergy issues, consistency of mix, how long it takes to make, how long it will last, cost, ingredients, etc.

In the end, though, your decision will probably be a sentimental one. You'll choose the scratch cake recipe that grandma always made for you, or your fiancé's father's favorite flavor of cake mix. Whichever you choose, so long as it tastes good, you know your guests will be happy!

Here's a fun twist on the traditional cake. This is a pretty unexceptional wedding cake: four round tiers, nothing unusual there. The colors could easily be changed to match any wedding, and the decorations of flowers and pearls are not unusual.

It would be a pretty, but not exceptional cake, except for the obvious: all those words! A cake decorated with words and phrases, like this one by Manassas Cakery offers great range for personalization and creativity. That date at the top: is it the date of the wedding, the date of their engagement, the date of their first kiss?

"Singing in the Rain": What does that refer to? We bet it probably has special meaning to Maggie and Steve! We love this idea. What a simple way to add an enormous range of creative, quirky, fun, romantic, meaningful potential to a simple cake!

Have you ever wondered why we save the top layer of wedding cakes, only to freeze it and consume it an entire year later when chances are it won't be quite as delicious?

Here's a hint:

First comes love,
Then comes marriage,
Then comes a baby in a baby carriage.

It used to be a very common occurrence that by the time the one-year anniversary rolled around a couple would be busy planning a christening. So instead of baking another cake for the occasion, people just baked a huge cake for the wedding and saved part of it to be served at the christening.

How very practical yet sad for the little one, don't you think?

Of course, nowadays there is no such expectation, but the tradition of saving a piece of cake lives on. And now you know why.

If you're in the market for a high-end, custom wedding cake, but need it to be kosher, you have no reason to worry (at least, not if you're in the NYC area or willing to pay top dollar for transportation). Ron Ben-Israel Cakes are everything you've dreamed of and more.

Combine fresh, exotic ingredients, an artistic passion, and a team of talent and you'll see what we're talking about. Ron traveled across France, training to become a wedding cake master, and he now shows cakes regularly on shows like Oprah and Martha Stewart Living Show in addition to creating cakes for myriad magazines, including Modern Bride and Town and Country.

One of the things Ron Ben-Israel cakes are best known for is the perfection of his sugar flowers, which are often mistaken for real flowers. Everything on his cakes is edible -- flowers are made of sugar, and no plastic columns or fabric ribbons are used. Browse through the gallery -- you'll be amazed to know that everything on the cakes is edible!

We told you last year that hand-painted wedding cakes were going to be big this year, and we were right. Many top cake makers are taking orders for more hand-painted cakes than ever, and while many are traditional in design, there are plenty that are artsy and funky and unique.

The thing that's great about hand-painted cakes is that they can be as individualized as you want it to be. Match your colors, match your theme, or go with something else completely, like your favorite work of art.

We're digging the cakes by JollyBe Bakery because they have a great variety of traditional and totally offbeat designs, plus they have everything in between. Check out the gallery to see what we mean, and get inspired!

Think for a moment about how important cake is at a wedding -- it generally gets its own table, a special song is played while the couple cuts it, and everyone stands around to watch the bride and groom feed it to each other. It's practically as important as some members of the bridal party!

For many couples, the emphasis on cake leads them to want something really unique. They might want to match a design on their invitations or use the color from the bridesmaids' dresses, which is no big deal. But when it gets more involved, you need to be choosy about who you hire. After looking through their gallery, we think I Dream of Cake would be a smart choice.

Not only do they have cake after cake designed to mimic a specific design, but they also have cakes that are actual replicas of the wedding gown, shoes, purses, and about a million other things (Buddha, sushi, and a piano, just to name a few). And they are exquisite -- the detail is mind-boggling to the point where these cakes aren't just dessert, but actual works of art. Check out the gallery and pick your favorite -- then invite us to the tasting. Please?

When you're considering the type of cake you'll be having at your wedding, the choices can seem endless. There are so many amazing designs out there!

In fact, there are four basic types of cake:

1. Sheet cake. We've all seen those: large, single-layer cakes. Just because they have only one layer doesn't mean they have to be boring. There's a wide range of shapes besides the commonly-used rectangle: circle, oval, ellipse, heart, paisley... Sheet cakes are very commonly used for groom's cakes.

We've seen super-tall cakes, crooked cakes, cakes decorated with photography, cakes in all shapes and sizes. Just to prove that no, you haven't seen it all, and there really are no limits to the imagination, we introduce the wedding dress cake.

It's obviously easier when there is a distinctive color to your gown, but with a little ingenuity -- and a creative baker! -- you can have your dress and eat it, too!

via: yumsugar

Chapeau de Gateau creates some of the most exquisite cake toppers in the wedding industry. Each topper is handmade from fine Japanese Mokuba ribbon and is packaged like the miniature work of art that it is. They can customize each piece to match the mood or theme of your wedding: From sweet pastels to glamorous metallics, we're impressed with the sheer variety of what they can do. In addition, they can work with you to coordinate your topper with centerpieces, table accessories, favors and any other decorative elements that can be enhanced with ribbons.

Take a look at a cake topped with a Chapeau de Gateau - isn't it smashing? Click through our gallery for more inspiration:

You've said your "I dos," you've been toasted by your best man and maid-of-honor and you've made your way around your reception to say a quick hello to each guest -- it's now time to cut the cake. Once you have your sugary slice in hand, do you sweetly offer it to your new husband/wife or do you get feisty and smear it onto his/her unsuspecting face? Although it is your wedding day, and you should be allowed to do things in your decided-upon way, etiquette suggests you steer clear of this (somewhat tacky) trend. If not in the name of keeping cake off your wedding dress, resist the urge for the sake of your guests. Your reception will be filled with friends and family of all ages, and the majority of them came to witness an outpouring of love -- not an outpouring of icing. If it's something you're set on, save it for your one-year anniversary, a much better time to avoid eating the cake -- after it's a year old.

By now you've seen hundreds of design options for your wedding cake, but we've yet to address one crucial part of the cake selection process -- the flavor! You probably know what you like, but if you're having a traditional layered cake, you might as well add a few options so that your guests can have choices.

Just because you looooove coconut doesn't mean all of your wedding guests will be thrilled with those papery, flavorless flecks of white all over the icing (ahem). And while some folks love a nice layer of fruity goodness down the middle of each slice of cake, some of us (ahem, again) feel like these more exotic twists ruin a perfectly good chunk of chocolate. And when you mix the fruit flavor right in with the icing, so that we see chocolate and smell chocolate but taste raspberry -- that can be rather disappointing. Just sayin'.

So we propose a wedding cake compromise. For all those tiered cakes, go ahead and make the bottom, biggest layer whatever you desire. Then try to make the next layer something totally different underneath the icing. If the bottom layer was fruity and exotic, make the next one something plain, or vice versa. Or you could make the whole cake plain, then have sides of all your favorite fruits and other dessert toppings. We believe this will maximize cake enjoyment for even the pickiest eaters among your guests.

Once you've picked out your cake, it's time to accessorize it. Most cake toppers are small plastic figurines made to look like the bride and groom. These figures are normal and expected, but does anyone really notice them? Would anyone notice if they weren't on the cake?

We've found some cake toppers that will make an impression. Wedding Mountain has hundreds to choose from, including themes and humorous toppers. Most of their toppers come in various interchangeable ethnicities, so you can find a figurine that looks like you.

Check out the gallery below for dancing toppers, athletes, horny couples, and several variations on the reluctant groom.

In many weddings, the bride and groom make the ceremonial first cut into the cake, everyone takes advantage of the photo op., and then the cake is passed off to the caterers. Subsequent slicing of the cake takes place in the kitchen while the reception continues.
If, however, your wedding is not too large, the two of you might decide to slice and deliver the cake to your guests. Even for a small wedding, this could go on for a while, so why not have some cake-cutting music? There are actually lists of potential music for this event. But really: timing the cutting to fit within a three-minute or five-minute song? Who knows exactly how long it takes to cut 30 or 50 pieces of cake? Who needs to add another worry to an already full and tightly-scheduled day?

Cynical, or reality? Me, I feel sorry for the guy.

Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year. Uplifting, vibrant and full of hope and promise. It's the perfect time to get married. Make the most of pastel colours, fresh flowers and fun details.

• The most uplifting Spring colour palettes are pink, baby blue, lemon yellow and green. Choose your colours and then ensure that the theme runs right through your stationery, decorations, flowers, bridesmaids dresses, cake and even your favours.

• Introduce your colour accents in the details, such as these pretty lanterns from dotcom gift shop. Decorate your wedding car in gorgeous floral ribbon for a romantic getaway.