If you’re getting married this year, you’ll have come across at least one article gleefully rounding up the top wedding cake trends for the year. The wedding industry LOVES a trend. And if you’re hungry for the latest innovation or ‘must-have’ detail for your wedding then it’s easy to get sucked in by these trends. But what about the ideas that are probably better off living out their post-5-minutes-of-fame days along with Gangnam Style one-hit wonder Psy and X Factor winner Matt Cardle?

Generally, I think there’s a place in this world for all types of cake, dependent on the occasion, your style and its deliciousness levels. It’s just that when it comes to a wedding, I DO think it’s important to focus on what you love and not just what’s fashionable at the time. That way, in 10 years you’ll look back and laugh at some of the choices you made, but it won’t matter because you’ll know that everything was all about what you dig as a couple. So I’ve trawled the trend lists to find you the ideas that I’d avoid if I were you. Unless your love for them is as strong as it is for your fiancé, of course:

Trends to Avoid

1. Stacked pies

Image by Amber Vickery

OK, we get it, you LOVE pie. But does that really mean you have to stack so many of these fragile pastry vessels full of gooey filling to the point that they’re falling apart? It just looks messy, not rustic, as I’m sure it was intended. This would work so much better if it was served as a midnight snack for partied out guests or as part of a dessert table if you don’t want a wedding cake. Weddings are your chance to create a sense of occasion, so leave the pie for pudding after Sunday lunch.

2. Geode Wedding Cake

Image by Intricate Icings

There is no denying that the geode cake is one helluva stunner. Look how she glistens and sparkles in the light! “Surely it’s not edible”, I hear you gasp. Well it is, but barely, and that’s my issue with it. This effect is created by using rock candy, or crystallised sugar to you and me, and while this makes it technically edible, the rock hard texture is at odds with fluffy cake. To serve, the beautiful sugar crystals would probably be carved out, and we just prefer our cake decorations to be not only edible but also to ADD to the delicious experience.

3. Greenery

Cake - Decadence Fine Cakes & Confections | Photography - Jose Villa Photography

Every December Pantone releases its colour of the year and normally sane people in creative industries go giddy. This includes me - we even designed a special wedding cake based on last year’s pretty rose quartz and serenity duo. The problem with this colour du jour, greenery, is when it’s taken a little too literally. I’m talking about sticking twigs and poison ivy in your wedding cake. I’m all for a bit of real foliage or flowers to pretty up a cake, but you’ve got to be careful you’re not going to end up with all sorts of wildlife on the end of your cake fork. Follow my advice: ask your florist for cake friendly greenery and use it around or near the cake, not sticking out of it.

4. Image mapping

Image by Ghost Projection

If there’s a single cake trend that seems like a good idea now, but will seriously date fast and scream "dated", it’s image mapping/projection on cakes. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure it doesn’t already scream ‘that’s so 2005’, but one thing’s for sure, combining the latest technology into your cake is not the most elegant idea. Revolving cake on a turntable anyone? This idea was launched by none other than Disney as a way to project your own fairy-tale onto a plain white cake. My advice? If that sort of thing floats your boat, get a skilled local cake designer to decorate your happily ever after onto your cake and ditch the light show.

5. Bring your own cake

Image by Jonny Draper Photography

You’re having a relaxed rustic wedding- lovely. Maybe you’re on a bit of a budget- fair enough. Does that mean that asking your guests to bring their own cake is ok? Absolutely not! There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea. Firstly, you’re putting undue stress and pressure on your guests before the wedding when they should just be looking forward to the celebration. Secondly, you have no idea what the state of those home bakes are going to be in, so you could end up with raw cake batter or burned cupcakes. Thirdly, if it’s about budget saving, then you’d be better off serving a professionally made cake as your dessert and take the stress off everyone!

Trends not to Avoid

Semi-naked wedding cake

Now being reinvented as ‘translucent’ for those who cannot tolerate the possible innuendo attached to ‘semi-naked’, or worst, ‘naked’- these cakes are as popular as ever. Ideal for those that like cake to look like cake, or don’t want it shrouded with frosting, the layers peek out under a thin veil of buttercream.

Watercolour wedding cake

Why have one colour when you can have several? We’re a bit partial to colour at Anges, so the watercolour trend was always going to work with our style. Several shades of dreamy buttercream blend into each other to create a soft watercolour effect that compliments Summer weddings and romantic soirees.

The New Croquembouche

French patisserie has been influencing wedding cake design in a big way for the last 10 years, which is great news for me as that’s where my culinary training lies. In fact, the petite beauty that is Le Macaron is what sparked the Anges journey, so it was only a matter of time before we came up with a cakey/patisserie concoction. Piling high macarons, donuts, ice cream cones and anything sweet we can lay our hands on, our croquembouche cakes are a cheeky twist on the popular classic of choux pastry and caramel. I like to think it’s a truly ‘London croquembouche’!

At the end of the day, we’re all about indulging in what you love and not feeling too tied to convention or the latest wedding cake trends. So if a stack of delicious wonky pies floats your boat, go for it! If a super delicious buttercream confection dripping in chocolate is your jam, then get in touch, and we’ll create a wedding cake that is totally you.