When you’re deciding what wedding cake or dessert to have, think about making it reflect who you both are as a couple and let it symbolise your story or embrace the theme or essence of your wedding. Ditch the three-tiered extravaganza and go for something unique and unusual that represents you both.
I did without a wedding cake altogether and instead had a huge surprise birthday cake made for the Irish catholic friend that miraculously set Jeremy and I, a Jewish couple, up. It had a photo of her edibly printed as Yente the matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof and it went down a storm! You can see pictures of the cake, and her reaction, here.
Here are some other alternative and unusual wedding dessert ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
1. A novelty cake featuring something you love. Natasha & Jez absolutely love cow print and went for a lifesize cow cake!
image: Susan Stripling
2. Do you and your partner love playing a particular board game? How about a Monopoly cake, a backgammon cake, or a Scrabble cake where you can really have fun with the tiles and words!
iimage: weddingwindow.com / pinkcakebox.com / projectwedding.com
3. If you have a wedding logo or monogram, have cupcakes displayed in your monogram design or have it iced onto a cake.
image: p-a-r-t-y-planning.tumblr.com
image: rockmywedding.co.uk / Ed Peers
4. Cupcakes are always popular but what about the twist of a cupcake in a jar in your theme colour(s) or in your favourite flavour, like this scrumptious mojito cupcake in a jar?
image: gdesserts.com
5. A wedding chocolate fountain is fun, indulgent and sociable, but it can get messy if not manned properly. Having said that, no one ever said indulgence was a tidy business! For a toned-down version, chocolate-dipped strawberries and ice cream are perfect for a summery wedding
.
image: stylemepretty.com / Troy Grover Photographers
6. Macaron towers are super-stylish, super-delicious and can be created in your wedding colours
image: stylemepretty.com / One Love Photography
7. If you’re more a savoury than a sweet type, how about a cake made of cheese rounds? Surround it with crackers, breads, chutneys, spreads, additional fruit and serve it with dessert wines.
image: rockmywedding.co.uk / Julia & You
8. A Croquembouche makes a stylish French statement. The traditional wedding cake of French nobility is a tower of profiteroles held together with spun sugar. For added personalisation it can be decorated with drizzled chocolate or icing coloured to match your wedding colours.
image: weddingfanatic.com
9. Have a chocolate biscuit wedding cake like Prince William requested (the cake is said to be a childhood favourite of the Prince’s and it that appears in Princess Diana’s personal chef, Darren McGrady‘s cookbook ‘Eating Royally‘)
If you fancy going all out and need to know the details of the Royal wedding cake, it consisted of 1,700 McVitie’s rich tea biscuits and nearly 40 lbs. of chocolate. It was presented on a beautiful golden stand and decorations included white chocolate water lilies, milk chocolate leaves and a mixture of white and milk chocolate feathers.
image: lindyscakes.co.uk
10. Donuts! … everybody loves donuts and they’re easy to decorate in your wedding colours.
image: colincowieweddings.com
11. Cupcakes and cookies are more than done, but go a step further and personalise them with a message or photo from you to your guests. Have lots of different flavour cupcakes and cookies on one gorgeous table in a total sweet fest! For the extra mile, supply take-home boxes too which can be personalised with your monogram too. Alternatively have each cupcake display something different which when laid out together displays something that you love like these amazing packman wedding cupcakes.
image: poptasticbride.com / modernweddingshawaii.com
image: modernweddingshawaii.com
image: thecupcakestudio.co.uk
12. DIY desserts get the guests involved and are interactive, fun and delicious when the guests are creating their desserts themselves! Choose from waffle, cookie or ice cream bars.
image: livinglocurto.com
13. Make a fake ‘cake’ out of whatever you love. This couple controversially made a cake from cans of beer!
image: rocknrollbride.com / we heart pictures
14. And for the ultimate ego wedding cake (and never mind about it reflecting the both of you – this one is just about the bride!) how about this life-size extravaganza?!
image: foodista.com
If none of these rock your dessert world here are some more ideas to brainstorm for an unusual wedding dessert:
- Where do you like to go out to eat? Perhaps there’s a special dessert on the menu at your favourite diner that you always order and always find yourselves fighting over that last bite.
- Think back to your favourite childhood indulgences, or a regional specialty that signifies where you live now or where you grew up.
- Maybe you travelled somewhere special together and discovered something wonderful that you’d like to incorporate into your wedding?
- Ask yourself if you’d like to incorporate something from your ethnic or international background? eg. if you’re Italian or you love Italy, you might have tiramisu — but why not create mini ones or apply another creative twist?
I’d love to hear of any more unusual wedding dessert ideas in the comments below.
Yours salivatingly,
Karen x
Great selection Karen! But a life size cow just bcs you love cow print? A bit odd for me I’m afraid, what do you think? Cheers, Shayne
I say why not?! Who says you have to conform to what is the ‘said’ or ‘done’ thing. Reflect your personalities in whichever what way feels right on your wedding day, and you can’t go far wrong!