Browsing through the cake-decorating section of a local craft store or searching online for "wedding cake accessories" will give you many items to consider for your wedding cake design.
Don't feel overwhelmed: many of these cake making accessories are items only your cake decorator needs to use. However, it will help to know some of the terms when planning with your baker. Also, you may want to order a special accessory to keep as a memento. The following are all considered wedding cake accessories.
- Wedding cake charms.
- Server sets.
- Plates, pillars, columns, and separator plates and rings.
- Ornaments and ornament accessories.
- Ornament bases and settings.
- Flower holders and spikes.
- Cake toppers.
Wedding cake server sets consists of a cake server and knife. These come in many styles, with handles made of porcelain, crystal, faux pearl, gold- or silver-plated metal, and colorful acrylic. These can be rented, but many brides like to keep them as mementos to use later with the good china. Often these are monogrammed.
Cake making accessories such as cake-separator plates and pillars will depend on the type of cake you have and how your baker prefers to handle construction. You can ask for specifics, such as crystal rather than white pillars. Separator plates are used with pillars. These shapes will be determined by the shape of your tiers: round, square, oval, heart, etc. Separator rings are less common but can be used instead of pillars or columns to separate the tiers. Your baker will need to allow for enough space between the tiers to accommodate any elaborate additions such as water fountains or large flowers on your wedding cake.
Wedding cake ornaments, along with their settings and bases, are accessories your baker can select, but you may have your own preferences. Some examples include the following.
- Wedding bells.
- White doves.
- Angels, especially cherubs.
- Butterflies, snowflakes, or other items that complement a theme.
- Double rings.
- Hearts.
- Crosses.
- Flowers.
Ornament settings are used as the name implies, to provide settings for ornaments you want to showcase. Gazebos, arches, church windows, hearts, and double rings are among the many ornament settings you can find online or in department stores and wedding-specialty shops. Some of these settings have special features, such as lighting in a chapel window to reflect onto the figures placed in front of it.
Did you ever wonder how all those flowers between the tiers of a wedding cake are kept fresh? Or why the individual flowers don't fall off? Flower spikes are filled with water and pushed into the cake, creating miniature vases for individual flowers such as orchids. Larger fresh-flower holders can be placed between the tiers to hold larger flowers, cascading blooms, greenery, tulle puffs, and more.
One of the most commone wedding cake accessories is the cake topper. Wedding cake toppers have come a long way since the days of plastic grooms and brides in statue-stiff poses. Here are some examples:
- Elegant bride and groom figurines in a variety of ethnic looks and graceful poses such as waltzing.
- Cute character brides and grooms such as Cinderella and her prince, snowpeople, etc.
- Western bride and groom with horseshoe.
- Beautiful floral arrangements.
- Double swans, dolphins, hearts, etc., in crystal or a wedding color.
- Pair of white doves.
- Castles and carriages.
