The Cake

When it comes to the catering on your wedding day, the cake is the true pièce de résistance. Sitting with pride on a table dedicated to its sheer beauty, your cake and the cake cutting ceremony is a symbolic gesture of the first task you and your partner perform as husband and wife.

With such heavy responsibility, choosing the design can feel stressful but the process can be oh so delicious - think cake tasting! Lucia, of London based cake design company Sweet Bea's Bakery, has helped us to pinpoint the key factors in choosing your ideal wedding cake.

Starting out as an architect may not be the most obvious segue into cake design but Lucia's passion for creating beautiful cakes found its feet upon the arrival of her niece, Bella-Bea, and namesake of the company. And so has grown a successful cake, cupcakes and treats emporium loved by many and enjoyed by all.

Here is where the many hours of trawling Pinterest and creating mood boards comes to fruition. Initial thoughts are where later ideas can flourish. To better help your cake designer it's good to share your ideas, and then provide a number of how many people will be indulging in the creation as well as your decided theme.

"This allows me to start the creative process and gather ideas together before our consultation," explains Lucia. "During the consultation I bring samples of your favourite flavours and we go through ideas, eliminating and creating each tier one at a time."

The most practical way to create a theme for your cake is to take cues from the wedding day itself. If your bridesmaids will be wearing dusky pink along with your table dressings and the cravats of the groomsmen, then perhaps a complimentary colour in your cake is the way to go.

Considering the venue is also a good idea as, aside from your theme, the décor of the building itself can play a big part in what does and doesn't work. Would a tall, extravagant and plush design really suit a barn style set up? Perhaps it would, but it is something for you to factor into the decision making process.

We asked Lucia which designs feature most prominently in her day to day wedding cake requests.

"My cascading rose cake is definitely the most popular. I have made several variations in the past, where I have included 24 carat edible gold leaf tiers and other little details to make it bespoke and unique for each couple."

Once the theme has been decided and the general look of the cake is ascertained, it's time to tackle the real question. How will your delightful cake taste?

The classic iced fruit cake is nothing to be dismissed, with good reason for its historical popularity. Not only are fruit cakes delicious but they are also good to hand out later as they last and travel well.

On the other hand, a three tiered cake with different flavours per level adds a sense of excitement to the evening as your guests enjoy finding out the flavours you have chosen. A fresh and light vanilla sponge could be the base, followed by a zesty lemon middle, and finally topped off with an indulgent chocolate fudge cake.

Lucia described both the classic and the ever-changing palate of her clients for us.

"The most popular flavours include: red velvet, vanilla and chocolate but I have also had more unusual requests including earl grey, lavender and champagne with strawberry buttercream."

We asked what the latest trends are for 2017 in the wedding cake arena and it seems, as with any other part of your wedding day, couples are becoming more and more adventurous.

"Trends are constantly changing with wedding cakes, introducing more modern designs and details, including the sharp edge," Lucia explains. "As well as this, couples are deciding to take a more novelty approach and introduce a little bit of fun into their designs."

Your cake designer has lived through this process with you, and as proud as you are to be cutting into this fantastic creation, the creator is waiting with bated breath on how well received the cake was.

"By far my favourite thing is to receive emails after the wedding has finished, explaining how the cake was everything they had hoped for," Lucia says. "I love to hear feedback and it makes all the late nights and hard work completely worth it knowing I have helped make their day extra special."

Special thanks must go to Sweet Bea's Bakery founder, Lucia, for all her help in the creation of this article