48 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

Who says you need to cut into a massive wedding cake at your reception? If you're nervous about the idea of ordering and serving more cake than you and your guests can physically eat (or freeze!), or if your wedding plans have changed thanks to COVID and you're having a smaller soirée than you originally planned, you might want to consider downsizing. Small cakes in all of their forms—single-serving minis, petite one-tiers, Bundts, and beyond—can make just as big of an impression as super-sized confections. In fact, your guests might remember these little desserts more than they would the standard three-tier wedding cake.

Of course, this doesn't have to be an either/or decision. If you want to try out the small cake trend, order a petite version, like these pink drip cakes seen here, just for the head table. Topped with melty ganache, each of the these four-inch beauties serves two, and are meant to be shared. And when you think about it, splitting a dessert is a pretty symbolic way to kick off a new life together! 

Ready to commit to the trend? Take personal cakes a step further by creating single-serving minis for each guest. Or, take a note from one of the brides featured here and place assorted one-tiered confections on every table—and then encourage guests to get up and mingle as they try each one. If you're looking for something tiny and nontraditional, try a cake made from hundreds of crepes, stuck together with Nutella. In short: if you have your heart set on something small, there's an option out there. We've made sure those options are beautiful—with gem-toned fondant, fresh flower toppers, playful textures and more, these little confections prove that bigger isn't always better.

Vanilla + The Bean baked this one-tier confection, with butter yellow patina and pressed wildflowers.

Kayla Carey incorporated the bride's favorite color with abstract designs atop buttercream icing. A sprig of lunaria and eucalyptus topped off the cake. 

Tons of blue thistle flowers bring rich color contrast to this small but mighty, gold metallic confection.

The bride's favorite Harlem bakery, Make My Cake, made a one-tiered textured vanilla treat with buttercream frosting topped with real flowers for a fresh, small sweet. 

Turn your cake into a tasty wedding sign by adding a favorite quote or verse.

Jewel-tone watercolor and lines of gold studs make this cake, by Jacques Fine European Pastries, perfect for a bohemian wedding.

This "crowned" wedding cake is fit for the Game of Thrones-obsessed bride.

Topped with oversized peonies and roses, these sweet one- and two-tiered cakes look like they were plucked from a garden.

This reimagined naked cake has the texture of an evergreen—perfect for "carving" in the lovebirds' initials.

A matte black narrow (to keep it on the smaller side) three-tier gets a bejeweled-effect thanks to gem-toned fondant and gold lattice work.

Barely-bloomed carnations make these personal wedding cakes even sweeter.

Painted Pie created a naked, petite whipped vanilla layer cake topped with blueberries, blackberries, and chamomile for a stunning dessert.

This tiny two-tier has a bit of vintage charm thanks to an elegant gold and floral crest. 

A spray of moody blooms dresses up this ornate gold and sapphire-blue beauty.

The couple kept things simple with a buttercream-frosted one-tier funfetti cake with touches of gold icing. The outside was also dressed with seasonal foliage and flowers.

This vanilla wedding cake from Addie Cakes is decorated with flowers and cacti, chosen specifically to match this couple's desert wedding décor.

This tiny Ruze House confection, decorated with a modern topper and bright posies, is the perfect compromise for a bride who didn't want a wedding cake. The cake stand—an upside down basket from Home Goods—gives the tiny cake some height.

Villa Le Capanne's catering team baked this small but mighty two-tiered wedding cake dripping in flowers. 

Sugared grapes, pears, and figs bring an autumnal touch to this simple buttercream two-tier by Decadence Wedding Cakes. 

With a hand-painted base and paper flowers, this salted-caramel wedding cake is perfect for a small coastal California celebration.

Ringed with sugar flowers, greens, and blackberries, this simple cake brings a little bit of nature to a Washington, D.C., wedding.

A single layer classic round cake reaches new heights with loads of berries to top it off.

Interpret "cheesecake" literally and replace the groom's cake with a cheese tower topped with citrus. 

If you're planning a casual fall fête, opt for a less-formal Bundt cake—like this one, here, drizzled with a cream cheese glaze—adorned with rustic blooms.

With smudges of red and streaks of magenta, this cake is the perfect fit for a fashion-forward wedding.

This bride and turned your favorite food (Nutella crepes!) into the ultimate breakfast-inspired wedding cake.

The flavor of this one-tier was a surprise not just for the guests, but also for the newlyweds, who waited until the reception to taste the raspberry crème and almond cake for the first time.

This two-tiered cake by Classic Cakes and Confections, was inspired by the bride's blush pink Monique Lhuillier gown.

These newlyweds encouraged their guests to sample the Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake and truffles before dinner even started—and to sample the offerings at the other tables, too.

This chocolate-ganache-and-whipped-cream combination shared center stage with two other Art Deco cakes: one carrot cake and the other Nutella hazelnut.

White buttercream iced the two tiers of buttermilk-poppy seed cake with lemon curd, honey-orange mousse, and honey-poached berries in this wedding cake created by Paradox Pastry Café.

There was already a spread of options available on each table for dinner, so this couple decided to mix up the desserts as well. An all-white single-tiered cake from Lisa Dupar Catering was placed on each table, for those guests to share—the flavors varied from a shaved coconut cream to lemon chiffon and a chocolate mousse ganache.

Since this couple already served lemongrass cotton cake and peanut cocoa nib meringues to their guests, they decided to make their cutting cake small and single-tiered. The couple went with a simple buckwheat cake with pickled blueberry and lemon cream from the Wythe Hotel caterers, Reynard. A handful of ranunculus dressed it up.

Alexandra's Cakes made a tiered naked lemon cake for a small destination wedding that wowed. 

To provide guests with options, this couple had both a chocolate and vanilla cake served at their reception. To be considerate of food allergies, both single-tiered treats from BabyCakes were gluten- and dairy-free.

A paper elephant created by Concarta topped this three-flavor A Touch of Magic dessert, which had layers of chocolate fudge, biscuit, and Baileys-spiked coffee cake.

At a destination wedding in Mexico, ombré ruffles decorated this miniature coconut cake with ganache filling.

This small but striking cake made by Bittersweet Confections is a classic French vanilla with buttercream icing. 

This couple served The Scottish Bakehouse's small coconut cake with vanilla frosting and lemon curd, which was adorned with strawflowers and wild vetch.

Since the couple had already served guests their favorite summer treats—including fruit pies and crumbles with local peaches, berries, and apples—they decided to cut into a one-tiered vanilla and berry cake from Le Loup.

This couple waited until their morning-after farewell brunch to serve their orange blossom honey sponge cake, kumquat-Champagne confit, and vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream wedding cake.

A one-tier olive oil cake, topped with fresh strawberries and macarons, was the perfect dessert for this couple's intimate backyard wedding.

Since three is a lucky number in her culture, this bride decided to have a trio of tiny cakes courtesy of Fluffy Thoughts. The assortment featured a white cake with passion fruit curd, another small cake with blackberry meringue buttercream, and a one-tiered almond cake with salted caramel filling.

This one-tiered chocolate wedding cake from Park City Cakes & Confections was completed with the bride's grandparents' vintage topper. Foliage and a simple swirled icing design adorned the small statement-maker.

If you want to have florals and eat them too, take a cue from this sweet Maggie Austin cake, topped with sugar flowers and fresh blackberries. 

This hexagon-shaped cake from Sweet and Saucy Shop fit right in with the couple's gem-themed wedding in Palm Springs. The simple chocolate cake, covered with vanilla buttercream frosting, was adorned with crushed pink rock candy—and even more gems!

Searching for something extra-tiny? Serve each of your guests personal-size cakes like these barrel-style vanilla confections featuring buttercream icing and fresh flowers from Amy Cakes.