Inspiration from Oregon Trees
The rugged nature of the Beaver State inspires loads of wedding cake ideas, from the elegant and formal to the rustic and comical. Imagine your wedding cake taking on the colors of nature with icing-created Douglas firs and pines dancing around your cake tiers while brown, satin ribbons line the edges. The big maple trees that brighten the entire Willamette Valley make gorgeous imagery to add to your cake decorations and come in brilliant oranges, golden yellows and brick reds. From redwoods to maples to pines to firs, Oregon has every type of tree leaf shape and color imaginable to decorate your cake. Oregon couples with a great sense of humor have even created cakes that incorporate outdoor sports like fly fishing, showing the bride "catching" the groom across a stream.Inspiration from Oregon Flowers and Plants
Lucky for you, Oregon is home to thousands of rows of locally-grown roses from the Rogue Valley to the Willamette Valley that will surely bring out the best in your wedding cake. From the Portland gardens that produce all kinds of roses for the Portland Rose Festival, there's no lack of colors and types of roses for you to choose from. Ask your wedding cake designer to incorporate your chosen rose colors into a cascading waterfall of flowers falling down your cake tiers and surrounding the base with vibrantly-colored petals that smell like a dream. If roses aren't your style, check out the brilliant yellows of Oregon's state flower, the Oregon grape, which isn't really a grape at all. It's a dark blue berry that grows on the holly-like foliage of a plant that presents bright yellow flowers to passersby. In the tradition of Oregon harvesting, you can also incorporate the simple style of wheat strands, grown in Gilliam County and other Oregon regions, as a rustic yet elegant addition to any wedding cake.Inspiration from Oregon Fruits, Berries and Nuts
If you've got a sweet tooth for berries and fruits, Oregon has a long list of them to add to your wedding cake ideas. Marionberries, huckleberries, blueberries, blackberries and even Oregon-grown strawberries are all options to have either as a fruity layering between white cake or as a gorgeous topping. If you can't decide between berries, why not have a multiple-berry cake and have the best of all flavors? If you're planning on wedding at or near any of Oregon's hidden wineries, you may want to stick with vineyard grapes as part of your cake decorations and incorporate deep purple grape bunches and grape leaves atop the icing. The fruit and nut orchards of the Willamette Valley offer your wedding cake the flavors of everything from hazelnuts (or hazelnut butters!) to fresh peppermint.Adding ice cream to your cake is a real Oregon treat, considering that milk is the state beverage in honor of the many free-range dairy farms located around the state. Umpqua Dairy's ice cream is some of the creamiest you'll find in the nation and comes in so many flavors it could take you hours just to taste-test all of them (and why not, it's for your wedding cake, right?). If a coastal Oregon wedding is in your future, there are many cake makers who specialize in incorporating starfish, shells and other coastal images onto your wedding cake. Check out an online listing of Oregon wedding cake makers from Eugene to Grants Pass before making your final decision. Cake galleries can give you an idea of what types of flavors, decorations, berries, fruits and nuts might add the unique Oregon flavor your mouth is watering for.
