One of the most fun things to plan for a wedding is your wedding cake… A) because it usually involves a yummy tasting and B) it’s another chance for you to express yourselves. The wedding Cake acts as one of the main centerpieces at a reception and helps tie your event’s theme together. You really shouldn’t leave it as an afterthought. It’s usually one of the first things guests notice when they enter the main room… at least I do. This is probably why some people go big or go home when it comes to the cake. You know what I’m talking about, those large elaborate multi-tiered masterpieces covered in icing with intricate hand-painted details and adorned with realistic looking sugar flowers that cost thousands of dollars. Lucky for budget brides, the trends seem to be going the opposite way… less is more! I asked one of my favourite Vancouver pastry chefs, Nicole McEachnie of Cake by Nicole, what she has been noticing in the cake design world.

Simplified, Natural Whimsy

Nicole: “I think the trend for wedding cakes in 2017 will include designs that are simplified, garden-inspired and whimsical. Soft pastel colours, fresh garden flowers, textured buttercream finishes and metallic accents. I feel brides are becoming focused more on taste and want their guests to look at the cake and be excited to eat it!”

Sugar flowers (especially the more detailed ones) take time to make so eliminating this will help keep the labour and ingredient costs down. Besides, why not have the real thing instead? If you’re going for a more earthy, natural theme, it’s the way to go.

Naked Cakes or Buttercream Cakes

Nicole: “I find my clients are looking for more simplified cake designs without all the fondant and sugar flowers. Instead, opting for cakes that look inviting to eat and have simple finishes such as buttercream or partial naked tiers.”

For more information on naked cakes, check out this article that Nicole shared her insights on as well. The bottom line is that naked cakes involve less labour and ingredients, which means they tend to cost less than typical fondant covered cakes.

Nicole: “Brides also seem open to including fun decorations onto their cakes such as macarons, meringues and coloured ganache drizzles.”

One-Tiered Cakes

Nicole: “Smaller cutting cakes also seem to be a very popular option for Brides in 2017, as more venues offer dessert buffets in their packages. Beautifully decorated one tier cutting cakes still allow for cake cutting photos without having to commit to a large amount of servings- and these small cakes are usually priced under $150.00. I think the pressures of having to have a multi tiered wedding cake are gone and it is totally acceptable now to order a simple, more serving size appropriate wedding cake!”

I actually had a cutting cake at my wedding sitting atop a cupcake tree. I’m glad that it’s still a popular choice. It’s true though… dessert is usually included with dinner so getting a full cake in addition to that might just be too much. You wouldn’t want either to go to waste, would you? It’s definitely something to think about… plus, with a small cake, there might just be room in the budget to splurge on how you want the cake decorated. Just because it’s a small cake doesn’t mean it can’t have the pizzazz of an elaborate cake.

I love how all the trends she mentions are actually feasible for budget brides to acquire. Simple and beautiful is really the key. Thank you Nicole for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me and my readers. To find out more about Cake by Nicole, visit her social media links below.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Vendor bio: Nicole McEachnie is a red seal qualified pastry chef & owner of Cake by Nicole McEachnie, a boutique wedding cake company in Vancouver. Nicole has spent 8 years in the pastry industry creating desserts for high end hotels and private clubs and most recently spent time working in France. Cake by Nicole McEachnie focuses on using fresh local ingredients and innovative flavors in wedding and special occasion cakes.

All photos provided by Nicole McEachnie.