How to Display Wedding Cake Tiers
So you’ve decided on the colors, shapes, and styles you like – but have you given much thought to the final arrangement of your wedding cake tiers?
How Many Wedding Cake Tiers?
Most wedding cakes have between two and five tiers – or levels – with the most common number of tiers being four. Of course, how many tiers you need depends on the size of your guest list and the diameter and shape of each tier.
How to Display a Wedding Cake
Wedding cakes have a prominent place on their own dedicated “cake table” near the front of your reception room, slightly off to the side of the head table where the bride, groom, and wedding party are seated.
Wedding Cake Arrangements
How you show off your cake on the cake table is just as important as any other element of its design. What should the cake look like when it’s all set up? There are various arrangements for wedding cakes, such as:
Stacked with separators
In the most traditional wedding cake arrangement, tiers are stacked on top of each other from largest to smallest, with special columns or pillars called separators creating a few inches of empty space between each tier. Cake separators are available from your bakery or local wedding supply store. The space between tiers is sometimes, but not always, filled with flowers.
Stacked without separators
Wedding cake tiers may also be stacked directly on top of each other, largest to smallest, with no space at all between the tiers. These types of arrangements are sometimes tied up with a bow to look like a stack of gifts. You may also create the illusion of separators by lining the bottom of each tier with a boldly colored ribbon.
Modern Cake Arrangements
Brides and grooms who want to do something really different can try more unusual arrangements. Square tiers can be stacked at varying angles. Round tiers can be slanted like the Mad Hatter’s top hat, stacked on top of each other, and offset with rigid geometric designs like stripes or diamonds.
Separately on pedestals
Some cakes are displayed with each tier on its own separate pedestal. The pedestals should vary in height and be spread across the cake table. Sometimes, brides choose to connect the tiers with delicate archways and bridges specially made for cake decorating. Only cakes with three or more tiers are suited to this arrangement, and it usually looks cleaner if your cake has an odd number of tiers.
Cupcake Wedding Cakes
Cupcakes are easier to transport, quicker to serve, and less expensive than traditional wedding cakes. Many brides and grooms on a budget purchase a wedding cupcake stand to display groups of cupcakes as if they were stacked round cake tiers. Some order a small cake tier for the top to give it a finished appearance.
Of the many cakes you will have at holidays, birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries throughout your life, none will be as important as your wedding cake. Brides and grooms should realize that how they display their cake is every bit as important as its design, and that skillful arrangement can make a cake of any shape or size look great.
♥ Jenny Evans
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