Visit Martha Stewart Weddings Weddings Wedding Ceremony & Reception Wedding Reception Ideas Wedding Cakes & Toppers 48 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence By Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber Sarah Schreiber has been writing, editing, and producing lifestyle and weddings content for over 7 years. In that time, she has interviewed and worked with hundreds of leading experts to become an authority on all things homekeeping, flower arranging, home design, and wedding planning. Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 23, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Kati Rosado Who says you need to cut into a massive wedding cake at your reception? 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. 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, you have some amazing options. With gem-toned fondant, fresh flower toppers, playful textures, and more, these little confections prove that bigger isn't always better. 01 of 47 Pressed Flowers Kylee Yee Vanilla + The Bean baked this one-tier confection, with butter yellow patina and pressed wildflowers. 02 of 47 Abstract Designs Anna Peters Kayla Carey incorporated the bride's favorite color with abstract designs atop buttercream icing. A sprig of lunaria and eucalyptus topped off the cake. 03 of 47 24 Karat Kristin La Voie Photography Tons of blue thistle flowers bring rich color contrast to this small but mighty gold metallic confection. Metallic Wedding Ideas That Will Add a Little Shine to Your Big Day 04 of 47 Ripple Effect Kati Rosado 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. 05 of 47 Quote Cake Jenna Henderson Photography Turn your cake into a tasty wedding sign by adding a favorite quote or verse. 06 of 47 Watercolor and Gold Meg Hamilton/Rodeo & Co. Jewel-tone watercolor and lines of gold studs make this cake by Jacques Fine European Pastries, perfect for a bohemian wedding. 07 of 47 Cake for a Queen Arte de Vie Photography This "crowned" wedding cake is fit for the Game of Thrones-obsessed bride. 08 of 47 Mini Series Justine Milton Photography Topped with oversized peonies and roses, these sweet one- and two-tiered cakes look like they were plucked from a garden. 09 of 47 Carved Cake Kiera Lemonis Photography This reimagined naked cake has the texture of an evergreen—perfect for "carving" in the lovebirds' initials. 10 of 47 Stained Glass Alyssa Ence Photography 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. 11 of 47 Individual Cakes with Buds The Hendricks Photography Barely-bloomed carnations make these personal wedding cakes even sweeter. 12 of 47 Naked Cake with Berries Minh Cao for Lauren Fair Photography Painted Pie created a naked, petite whipped vanilla layer cake topped with blueberries, blackberries, and chamomile for a stunning dessert. 13 of 47 Vintage Vibes Elizabeth Fogarty Photography This tiny two-tier has a bit of vintage charm thanks to an elegant gold and floral crest. 14 of 47 Baroque Nadia Meli Photography A spray of moody blooms dresses up this ornate gold and sapphire-blue beauty. 15 of 47 Lightly Gilded Erich McVey 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. 16 of 47 Cactus Cake Tamara Grüner This vanilla wedding cake from Addie Cakes is decorated with flowers and cacti, chosen specifically to match this couple's desert wedding décor. 17 of 47 High Rise Ace & Whim This tiny Ruze Cake 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. 18 of 47 Double-Tiered Laura Gordon Villa Le Capanne's catering team baked this small but mighty two-tiered wedding cake dripping in flowers. 19 of 47 Sugared Fruits Patrick Moyer Sugared grapes, pears, and figs bring an autumnal touch to this simple buttercream two-tier by Decadence Wedding Cakes. 42 Fruit Wedding Cakes That Are Full of Color (and Flavor!) 20 of 47 Flower Wallpaper Jacqueline Campbell With a hand-painted base and paper flowers, this salted-caramel wedding cake is perfect for a small coastal California celebration. 21 of 47 Tiered Berry Cake Leo Patrone Ringed with sugar flowers, greens, and blackberries, this simple cake brings a little bit of nature to a Washington, D.C., wedding. 22 of 47 Berryful Beauty Corbin Gurkin A single layer classic round cake reaches new heights with loads of berries to top it off. 23 of 47 Cheese Cake The De Jaureguis Interpret "cheesecake" literally and replace the groom's cake with a cheese tower topped with citrus. 24 of 47 Fall Chocolate Bundt Steve Cowell Photography 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. 25 of 47 Abstract Jewel Tones Abby Jiu Photography With smudges of red and streaks of magenta, this cake is the perfect fit for a fashion-forward wedding. 26 of 47 Nutella Crepe Elizabeth Messina This bride and groom turned a favorite food (Nutella crepes!) into the ultimate breakfast-inspired wedding cake. 27 of 47 One-Tiered Surprise Landon Jacob 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. 28 of 47 Couture Cake Gina Meola Photography This two-tiered cake by Classic Cakes and Confections, was inspired by the bride's blush pink Monique Lhuillier gown. 29 of 47 Momofuku Birthday Cake Delbarr Moradi 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. 30 of 47 Art Deco Design Mi Belle Photographers This chocolate-ganache-and-whipped-cream combination shared center stage with two other Art Deco cakes: one carrot cake and the other Nutella hazelnut. 31 of 47 Minimalist Vicki Grafton Photography 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. 32 of 47 Let Them (All!) Eat Cake La Vie Photography 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. 33 of 47 Itty-Bitty Buckwheat Leila Brewster Photography 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. A handful of ranunculus dressed it up. 34 of 47 Six Small Tiers Elias Kordelakos Alexandra's Cakes made a tiered naked lemon cake for a small destination wedding that wowed. 35 of 47 Black and White Max & Friends 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. 36 of 47 Tiny Triple-Layer Elizabeth Messina Photography 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. 37 of 47 Pink Ombré Sara & Rocky Photography At a destination wedding in Mexico, ombré ruffles decorated this miniature coconut cake with ganache filling. 38 of 47 Fresh Flowers Lance Nicoll This small but striking cake made by Bittersweet Confections is a classic French vanilla with buttercream icing. 39 of 47 Wildflower Cake Meg Smith Photography This couple served The Scottish Bakehouse's small coconut cake with vanilla frosting and lemon curd, which was adorned with strawflowers and wild vetch. 40 of 47 Vanilla and Berry Erin Kate Photography 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. 41 of 47 Bitty Brunch Cake Liz Banfield 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. 42 of 47 Olive Oil Gary Ashley for Les Loups A one-tier olive oil cake, topped with fresh strawberries and macarons, was the perfect dessert for this couple's intimate backyard wedding. 43 of 47 Lucky Number 3 Kate Headley 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 passionfruit curd, another small cake with blackberry meringue buttercream, and a one-tiered almond cake with salted caramel filling. 44 of 47 Cake with History Rachel Thurston Photography 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. 45 of 47 Berry Good Wedding Cake Leo Patrone 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. 46 of 47 Rock Candy Belathée Photography 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! 47 of 47 Extra-Small Ryan Ray 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. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit