Top Southern Wedding Cake Pros

Location: Doral, Florida
Flavor to Savor: Owner Paz moved the family biz from Puerto Rico to the Miami area in 1978—bringing a secret recipe for rum-infused vanilla cake with her.
More Info: anapazcakes.com

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
What We Love: Along with traditional cakes, they offer mini desserts, macaron trees, and other sweets-table delicacies.
More Info: shopsucre.com

Location: Savannah, Georgia
Flavor to Savor: For her Georgia-peach-and-basil-cream filling, as with all of her creations, owner Cheryl Day mainly uses fresh, seasonal produce.
More Info: backinthedaybakery.com

Location: Norcross, Georgia
BIo Bit: Owner Melonie Stanger is an ace at realistic confectionery versions of everyday items. Her fave? A replica of turntables, complete with edible LPs and headphones!
More Info: forgoodnesscakes.net

Location: Atlanta, Georgia
What We Love: Each tier includes four layers of cake and three of filling, making it easy to incorporate a multitude of flavor combos.
More Info: lushcakery.com

Location: Lexington, Kentucky
What We Love: "Many wedding cakes have leftovers; ours are all eaten," says Martine Holzman, who owns the bakery with husband Jim.
More Info: martinespastries.com

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
What We Love: Baker Amy Craparo's cakes feature stellar texture and intricate details.
More Info: charlotteweddingcakes.com

Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Sweet Stat: Owner Smeal has been making his Italian and Swiss buttercream masterpieces since 1979.
More Info: weddingcakesbyjimsmeal.com

Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Bio Bit: The self-taught Qualls uses an iPad app to sketch cakes for virtual consultations with out-of-town clients.
More Info: jayqualls.com

Location: Austin, Texas
What We Love: Best known for its gum-paste flowers, this shop also makes a mean groom's cake.
More Info: cocopalomadesserts.com

Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Sweet Stat: Austin limits herself to two orders a week so she can focus on her time-intensive fondant cakes, which often include ruffles and lifelike sugar flowers.
More Info: maggieaustincake.com

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Their Style: "I love incorporating elements of the invitation suite into the design," says owner Kathy Watkins.
More Info: favoritecakes.com

Location: McLean, Virginia
What We Love: They paint motifs with chocolate and food coloring and fashion appliqués and gum-paste figures.
More Info: fluffythoughts.com