The Best Wedding Cakes of 2017

By Emily Platt
November 17, 2017
Maui Maka Photography

Get inspired by the most amazing desserts from our real weddings.

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Maui Maka Photography
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The real weddings we featured in 2017 were filled with awesome details, from stunning wedding dresses to amazing wedding bouquets. These celebrations rocked another category too: They delivered big when it came to wedding desserts. It was clear that many brides and grooms set out to serve cakes that were totally unique, and in turn, they impressed us time and time again with their big-day confections.

In terms of taste, there were a few trends worth noting this year. First, we came across multiple floral flavors, including rose and lavender. Some couples also went a nostalgic route, offering throwbacks like Funfetti. If you can't settle on just one taste, fear not—many pairs chose to have a mix. On the decoration front, we saw an uptick in cakes that embraced couples' interests, from a tennis-themed dessert and a butterfly-covered confection to a treat inspired by the bride's artwork. Color was definitely a big theme this year, and berries and botanicals were as popular as ever. Naked cakes continued to reign as well, but were reimagined in new ways.

To showcase all of the incredible desserts we saw in 2017, we rounded up some of our favorite cakes from the past 365 days of real weddings. These sweets stood out for a wide range of reasons, from their delicious layers to their stunning designs. Check out the complete list before setting out to plan your own dessert. No matter what theme or season you chose for your big day, these confections provide unbeatable inspiration.

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Vow Wedding Cake

Ryan Ray Photography

This creative couple had their vows written on the icing of their cake. The text added a subtle splash of pink to the white Amy Cakes dessert.

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Pink Wedding Cake

Abby Jiu Photography

Buttercream Bakeshop decorated this colorful cake with swirled icing, which was inspired by the bride's abstract watercolors. 

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Botanical Wedding Cake

Corbin Gurkin

For this wedding, The Cakery made a confection featuring three different flavors: lemon cake with raspberry-buttercream filling, chocolate chip, and chocolate. The botanical decorations were truly unique.

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Berry Wedding Cake

Shannon Von Eschen

We love the fresh berries and petite blooms adorning this naked cake. The natural style fit well with the wedding's rustic setting.

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Giant Wedding Cake

A Bryan Photo
See More Great Wedding Cakes

How can you not be impressed by this confection? The huge dessert was created by Melissa's Fine Pastries, was six feet tall, and was layered with blueberry compote and lavender mascarpone.

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Cactus Wedding Cake

Jenny Haas
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Fondant cacti made this Dayton Cakery treat so fun, and the pink color definitely helped it stand out.

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Naked Wedding Cake

Greg Finck
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This lovely dessert wasn't just decorated with roses—it was flavored with them, too. Rice flowers, dahlias, and wax flowers also adorned the Synie's cake.

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Flower-Filled Wedding Cake

Maui Maka Photography

The story behind this cake is incredible. According to the bride, the head chef at Patisserie Daniel decorated it during her wedding's cocktail hour. "He literally just went around the yard picking flowers from the garden and placing them on it," she shared.

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Artistic Wedding Cakelets

Kate Headley

Cakelets are a great alternative to a single cake, and these ones were absolutely gorgeous. Each was painted with an impressionist-style pastoral scene by Maggie Austin Cake.

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Smooth Wedding Cake

Jessica Antola

The icing on this Sift Bake Shop dessert was impressively smooth, and also impressively durable. "They somehow transported our cake in the rain, on a boat, and the buttercream held up," the bride remembered.

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Irresistible Wedding Cake

Shannen Natasha of The Wedding Artists Collective
See More White Wedding Cakes

This Nine Cakes cake included a mix of delicious flavors (Funfetti, dark chocolate, and caramel, to name a few) that tasted so good, the bride ate three slices. Real lunaria was a gorgeous addition.

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Monogrammed Wedding Cake

Anna Shackleford
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It's nearly impossible to tell these sugar flowers apart from real blossoms. This Jonathan Caleb cake also included an edible version of the couple's monogram.

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Winter Wedding Cake

Lavender and Twine
See More Winter Wedding Cakes

This semi-naked cake was made by Lelé Pâtisserie, had layers of almond and citrus cake, and was topped with cherries, berries, and red blooms from Lavenders Flowers.

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Tennis Wedding Cake

When He Found Her
See More Sports-Themed Wedding Details

Tennis references could be found throughout this wedding, including on the cake. Small racquet designs were hidden within in the blue-gray, geometric confection by Bobbette & Belle.

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Funfetti Wedding Cake

Rebecca Yale Photography
Get Inspired by More Wedding Cakes with Sugar Flowers

The sugar flowers on this Madison Lee's Cakes confection were inspired by the bride's wedding dress. The dessert was Funfetti-flavored.

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Small Wedding Cake

Kat Braman
See More Small Wedding Cakes

We wish all grooms could bake a confection this cute! The small dessert was made of carrot cake and cream-cheese frosting.

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Wedding Bundt Cake

Steve Cowell Photography

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, this couple opted for a Bundt dessert from Creative Cakery.

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Butterfly Wedding Cake

Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Bugs were a big theme at this wedding, and even appeared on the cake. The talented Jason Schreiber made the critters look beautiful. 

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Pretty Wedding Cake

Nina and Wes Photography

This cake boasted Italian cream, tiramisu, and champagne-and-raspberry flavors. We love the sweet simplicity of the dessert's decorations: white and red flowers, and wraparound greenery.

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Fall Wedding Cake

Jose Villa
See More Fall Wedding Cakes

Magpies Bakery embraced this wedding's autumn date by using seasonal design staples—like acorns, privet berries, and feathers—to adorn the cake.

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Floral Wedding Cake

Britt Chudleigh - Chudleigh Weddings

Floral accents are common on wedding cakes, but these were definitively original. The hand-crafted blooms wrapped around the Sylvia Weinstock Cakes dessert uniquely.

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Tall Wedding Cake

Abby Jiu Photography
Get More Citrus Wedding Ideas

This impressive cake was designed by T Bakes and included double chocolate, lime-scented chiffon, and lemon-scented chiffon.

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Fresh Wedding Cake

Kristen Kilpatrick

This wedding's almond Pastry Aspen cake had apricot filling, and was decorated with other bright fruits, a few red flowers, and greenery.

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Piped Wedding Cake

Mariel Hannah Photography

Green and white look gorgeous when combined. GhilaDolci Bakery added architecture-inspired piping to this cake's fondant.

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Painted Wedding Cake

Belathée Photography
See More Colorful Wedding Cakes

This couple turned to the envelope liners from their stationery suite for cake inspiration, and wound up with a dramatic floral design. Oakleaf Cakes Bake Shop created the stunning confection.

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By Emily Platt