Is your wedding date planned for 2021? Or have you postponed your wedding to late 2020 with the uncertainty that’s surrounding us right now? Either way, you might want to have an insight into 2021 wedding trends and how they might resonate with your cake. If your wedding day is planned for the year 2021, you might be wondering what the most popular wedding cake trends might be in 2021 or what trends might suit best for your wedding.
I’m guessing you have a lot to prepare, but if you’re locked down, now might be the perfect time to get a list of professionals sorted and start really knuckling down into wedding preparations. After all, time goes by super fast, so don’t dawdle!
Of course, there’s always the latest trends in terms of wedding and wedding cake planning, or you could go for a traditional, classic look. Not sure what some of the newer trends are for 2021 though? Let’s find out!
Flowers
Dried Flowers and Foliage
An up and coming trend for both late 2020 and 2021 weddings is the incorporation of dried flowers and foliage. But we’re not talking old fashioned dried flowers – we are talking a whole new level of stunning new dried flower usage. There’s a real lean towards the use of dried flowers and grasses, whether that’s mixed in with some fresh flowers or used solely on their own. The use of dried flowers and foliage is considered one of the hottest wedding flower trends for a multitude of reasons.
Whilst dried flowers may be less colourful and fragrant than fresh incarnations, these dried everlasting accessories come available in endless varieties of shape
and texture. They can be perfect for both vintage and modern weddings, especially informal or barn style weddings, and through their unusual blooms, seed pods and dried grasses, they really create some pretty gorgeous wedding decor, which will last forever. And, let’s face it, who doesn’t want to start their marriage with the prospect of forever!
Large Hanging Displays
Think rom-com movies and dream weddings and you’ll probably come up with the idea of super large, super elegant hanging wedding displays. I think most of us in our time dreamt about standing under a romantic, spectacular wedding arch whilst saying our vows. The picturesque idea of couples
getting married under abundant arches of flowers is one that might never get out of fashion, but it’s certainly bang on trend for 2021 weddings. Nothing screams romance and elegance more than a luxurious wedding display. To really capture the essence, go big.
Another top trend that is taking the wedding planning by storm right now is the usage of large hanging wedding decorations adorned over the top table. This provides a more economically friendly splurge on large hanging displays with flowers. Why? You might ask. Why is hanging a large wedding decoration over my top table going to be more economically friendly than having a large one as a wedding arch? The reason is because generally you’ll use fewer flowers and your top table will take up less space than adorning an arch and perhaps even decoration the aisle. Of course, you can make this as extravagant as you like, so be sure to discuss the logistics in closer detail with the professionals involved.
Foliage, Foliage and more Foliage
Greenery foliage has been a big wedding trend for a while now, not only does the greenery transform the plain to the lavish and lush, but it’s a more budget-friendly version than the standard florals. Trending on Pinterest for quite some time now, greenery and neutral and warmer tones have been providing many of us with a fresh and simple, yet stylish and thought through inspirational wedding look.
Warmer Palettes
Be inspired by empowering colour palettes for your perfect wedding. If you’re scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram for some wedding colour palettes inspiration you might have noticed that warm and neutral is the recurring trend.
Why? Because colour can evoke different and powerful emotions and warm colours make both the happy couple and their guests feel loved and cared for. Warm, pinky undertones, tawny beige tones, accents of mustard and lots of green are set to be popular for weddings in both 2020 and 2021.
A warm pink is seen as feminine, soft and delicate whilst recognised as being lighthearted and compassionate. A neutral beige is the epitome of nature, it perfectly styles elements and accents and blends with almost every colour to create pleasing contrasts. Mustards provide that element of happiness and excitement, they capture the cheer of a wedding ceremony whilst greens represent the freshness and the harmony. Warmer palettes are a great choice for your 2020/2021 wedding.
Think Cakes… by Sophie Page
Think Cake…
…and eat it too! If you’ve taken a look at my Instagram recently you might have seen a few wedding cakes that you love for your wedding cake inspiration. Perhaps you’ve been passing time on Pinterest pinning your favourite wedding cake looks, or maybe you’ve come here first to get an idea about the hottest trends for wedding cakes in 2021.
Why not have your cake displayed under a beautiful hanging display or below a gorgeous arch floristry display? How about perched amongst an overflowing floral surrounding. Your wedding cake can tie everything together on your display, incorporating your colour scheme and your flower preferences. Make your cake the centrepiece. Make it stand out.
Another amazing wedding cake idea is to have smaller wedding cakes in replacement or as an addition to your centrepieces. That’s right, cake on every table. Who doesn’t love cake? A super cool trend that’s really setting off is having a small cake on each table which can serve as a centrepiece for the table, or even a way to amp up your already existing centrepiece idea.
When thinking about the floral aspect of your wedding cake, a mix of dried foliage and hand-crafted sugar flowers make for a delicate and unusual yet eye- catchingly spectacular display on the top of your wedding cake. You might have seen some of the hand-crafted sugar flowers on some of my wedding cakes on my
Instagram. All of the sugar flowers are always handmade by me. Each flower takes around 15-20 minutes to make and they look impressive!
Not quite a fan of flowers? Or perhaps you’re going for a more foliage style wedding, then how about adding trailing vines, tangling foliage and some wild organic plants to adorn your wedding cake? Perfect for a rustic or a barn wedding, wildflowers and blossoms rather than formal roses will look beautiful on your wedding cake.
Bold is a rather in trend for 2021, so feel free to play with that with your wedding cake. Don’t be afraid to use a bold colour if you think it suits your palette. A bold colour can work well as both an accent or the whole background colour, so be sure to play with your options. Whether that’s a bold colour or a bold texture, gone of the days of your standard clean white wedding cake.
Play with your textures. Go mad with textures. I absolutely love gold on a wedding cake, and the use of tactile textures of fondant resembling fabrics with bold uses of metallic is a really awesome wedding look. Otherwise, another idea is to use more fabrics. How about a black velvet bow around your cake? Or even a hand dyed trailing silk ribbon. Textures are your friend!
Drawing inspiration from fabrics provides some truly exceptional and totally unique wedding cakes. They can come in all different flavours and colours and as they are impressively executed they are sure to cause a mouth drop or two among your guests. Consider adding fabric looks for a fabulous one-of-a-kind cake.
Fashion
We love to talk about it and we love to add it to our wedding plans. You might be keeping an eye on the most popular wedding fashion trends when planning your wedding and if it’s trends you’re following then bold is the way forward.
Statement gowns
Think brighter and more unusual colours as, after all, blue is the pantone colour of 2020. The brighter and bolder the wedding gown, the more bang on trend it is for late 2020, early 2021. Think bold fabrics like velvet, think metallic embellishments, pockets, long elegant sleeves, bows, the possibilities of fashion are absolutely endless and that’s the beauty of it. However, a bold dress might not be your style, or perhaps it doesn’t quite fit with your colour scheme so how about incorporating bold in other ways?
Flash of Bold Lips
That’s right, a timeless, statement red lip is a surefire way to add that bold statement flash of colour without having to stray away from traditional and reserved, especially if you’re opting for a simpler
or rustic style wedding. Red lips are a big bridal trend, so wear that bold lipstick with confidence on your wedding day.
The Day Itself…
The day itself is the most important part. The bride and groom want to be able to enjoy and relish in their day, rather than stressing and racing around trying to please everybody… and their plus 1.
Fewer People
Some of us dream of having a massive wedding where we invite everybody we know and join together to have one huge celebration and that’s an absolutely amazing idea. Others prefer a much quieter, much simpler get together where only our nearest and dearest are invited, and that’s an amazing idea too. After all, it’s your wedding and it should be as you both want it.
There’s a definite trend towards more informal and small gatherings. Fewer guests gives the couple more time to spend with their close friends and family, the ones they truly love the most. It also means your guests have a much better opportunity to mingle between each other too. With a smaller group, the group gets to know each other on a much more personal level. A smaller celebration can mean less stress!
Informal Food and Drink
You’ve probably seen pop-up gin bars, or street food carts or even BBQ’s being set up at weddings and these are some of the most popular trends taking over weddings right now. Lots of us have done away with the traditional 3 or 4-course menu providing food that our guests might not enjoy, or spend so much money (and time!) tracking down what people like and don’t like, plus organising other bits for children and it just becomes a stress-fest! Lots of couples are opting for the more informal use which appeases most guests! Another big trend is that of a cocktail bar, using signature cocktails. If you’re really looking to spruce things up, I have a range of cocktail based cakes to add to the tipple!
Dessert tables are another way to host a range of yummy ‘picky bits.’ A dessert table is a great idea if you’re looking to offer your guests a variety of desserts custom designed to coordinate with your colour palette and theme. Decorated with flowers and/or foliage they really fit in with the feel of the room, whether that’s informal or fancy. They provide an easy option to cater for all as everybody can have a nibble on the sweet treats they fancy.
Show your Individuality
Your wedding day is your opportunity to really show off your style, individuality, and personality. Why not try adding crests to the stationary? Go personalised with table names or even the names of food and drinks. Show your personality with the choice of food that you layout, share foods that you love, or foods you grew up with.
You love Oreos? Great! Add them to your wedding day. This is where a dessert table comes in impeccably. If you adore Oreos, Oreos you shall have (I make some very tempting chocolate covered ones!). If you love popcakes, then fancy cake popsicles you shall have on the best day of your life!
Don’t be afraid to play around with flavours. Try some boozy based cakes, like strawberry and champagne. Go deep with black forest, or go nuts for almond amaretto. Missing the beach? Then soak up the atmosphere with a Piña Colada cake.
Of course, we couldn’t talk about personalisation without talking about your own personal monogram on the cake. Monogram cake toppers, or even a monogram cake or biscuits, are a great way to add a flair of personalisation to your wedding. Wedding cake toppers can add the final touch on top of the cake on your special day. Customize your cake toppers with names, initials, or even a memorable time, date, or place.
Ready to start planning your wedding cake?
Get in touch today to start organising your free consultation and take the first steps into bringing your dream wedding cake to life.
Credits:
Fig 1: Photographer: Hannah Barnes
Fig 2: Venue: Hampton Manor Weddings Florist: The Lanes Floristry
Fig 3: Photographer: Hannah Barnes and Florist: Clementine Moon
Fig 4: Photographer: Hannah Barnes Dress: Millia London and Model: Laura Alldred
Fig 5: Photographer: Hannah Lightpainter
Fig 6: Photographer: Hannah Barnes and Stationary: Hunter Gatherings
Fig 7: Photographer: Hannah Lightpainter
All cakes and desserts photographed made by Cakes by Sophie Page
