Ask The Celebration Advisor: My husband and I are moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and will be getting married there a few weeks later after all of the details are wrapped up. A few of the guests will be longtime residents of there, well Edmond anyway. I want a very contemporary wedding cake design with a unique flavor. Is OKC too tradition for that to be ok with those friends? ~ Aria

The Celebration Advisor: The simple answer is that you're fine with the wedding cake of your choice. Whether contemporary/modern or traditional, people in OKC tend to have open minds about wedding cakes. Of course, you know your wedding guests and their mentalities so it's easier to judge your decision about wedding cakes based on what you know about your friends.

Remember to keep in mind that this is YOUR wedding day, not theirs. There is no wedding cake etiquette that says you have to have a certain flavor or design at the reception so go with what you think everyone will like but the ultimate choice should be what you like and what you want. Thankfully, Oklahoma City bakeries provide many different options for the wedding cake so you can even get the cake of your dreams locally!

People in Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City metro area are pretty cool with contemporary wedding cakes. You'll find many wedding cakes at OKC wedding receptions that are decorated with color, very unique cake toppers, multiple tiers, and some that are a unique shape. Don't be afraid to step outside of the box with your wedding cake. You're good to go!

Here's a quick hint though: Oklahoma City wedding cake bakeries have seen and created a multitude of contemporary wedding cakes. Bakers and pastry chefs here know the local tastes and that doesn't just refer to flavor. They can give you excellent advice on popular wedding cake styles, designs, flavors and accessories for the perfect contemporary wedding cake. Modern wedding cakes feature a lot of different aspects so be sure to talk them over with a local baker before you make your final decision.

Ask The Celebration Advisor: I'm getting married outdoors in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's late enough in the year that it should be cool (so the almanac says) but my mom is still worried about me getting the buttercream icing that I want on my wedding cake. Do you think it'll be ok or should I try something else? ~ Leigh

The Celebration Advisor: An outdoor wedding in Salt Lake City sounds, well, a little precarious if you have opted for a buttercream wedding cake. However, there are many kinds of buttercream icing so it's a good idea to ask your local baker which type they use.

Buttercream icing for wedding cakes with a high sugar content tend to last longer under heat. The more common types of buttercream icing, French buttercream and Italian buttercream, have a higher fat content and therefore do not withstand heat as well. Once you have discovered which your Salt Lake City wedding bakery uses, you can judge from there.

As much as we all hate to hear this, your mother is probably right. A stiffer icing will most likely last longer. Fondant wedding cakes are popular with modern brides and allow a wide range of shapes and designs. Buttercream icings soften when cooled but fondant was designed for cakes that need no refrigeration and can last a while. Therefore, the rolled fondant icing on wedding cakes tends to harden slightly when left out.

Your biggest decision is whether or not you want to go against your mother even if it is your wedding. You can find buttercream icing wedding cakes that will hold up for a short time (a few hours at best) during your outdoor wedding. If you wait until just before time for the reception to display your wedding cake, your cake should be fine if your wedding cake baker uses a stiffer buttercream. If you want to avoid an argument, go with what mom says on this one and agree on a high-sugar buttercream or a rolled fondant wedding cake icing.

Wedding cake decorations are becoming increasingly unique, but altogether still the same good ol' stuff that your parents and grandparents loved. When discussing your wedding cake ideas with a local bakery, consider these trends concerning wedding cake styles, frosting and cake toppers.

A Glimpse at Traditional Wedding Cakes

Traditional wedding cakes are beautifully formed of either buttercream frosting or fondant icing. Cake toppers typically centered around the bride and groom standing together arm-in-arm as if standing at the altar. White wedding cakes were popular, both as the choice of flavor and icing color. Decorations were elegant but simple; not understated nor over the top. These are beautiful wedding cakes for any reception, but their classic style has since been pushed to the side by more original, unique wedding cakes.

Take A Peek At Popular Modern Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes for the modern bride tend to take on a very different appearance. Wedding cake ideas are limitless as the modern bride favors unique cake designs that showcase personality and style. Cake toppers range from a groom dipping his bride to kissing couples. Monogrammed cake toppers are also used often. The idea surrounding modern wedding cakes is that each should be a reflection of the bride, so creative designs are very popular.

Ever The Same For Wedding Cake Components

Buttercream frosting and fondant icing are still popular, but modern wedding cakes take these two classic components to the next level. Contemporary cake designs offer a wide range of designs that call for creative use of both sweet treats. Your local wedding cake bakeries can offer more details about the differences between buttercream and fondant. Regardless, fondant wedding cakes and cakes with buttercream icing will forever grace the food tables at wedding receptions.

Cake toppers may look slightly different these days but their popularity as the crowning feature of the wedding cake remains the same. Whether embracing one another as a couple or declaring the initial of the couple's surname, cake toppers are among the most well received wedding cake decorations.

Wedding cakes come in many shapes and sizes. However, did you know that wedding cakes also come in many flavors? Now it’s ok to save the plain white for the wedding dress and opt for more bold flavors with the wedding cake. Chocolate and white cake are the standards but there are many other flavors that the modern bride may wish to choose.

• “For Richer or Poorer” – The richer the better for some and chocolate wedding cakes are a huge hit because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t like chocolate cake?
• “Forsaking All Others” – For the sake of yummy vanilla wedding cake. “Plain white” though it may seem, this decadent dessert is just as tasty as many others which is why it has remained a standard.
• “To Have and To Hold” – Have your cake, eat it too, hold it in your hand and shove it in your groom’s mouth. Marble which blends two or more flavors, spice, carrot, red velvet and other flavors are perfect for this standard part of the wedding reception.
• “In Sickness and In Health” – If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, why not try an apple wedding cake?
• “Til Death Do Us Part” – It’s easy to feel this attached to popular wedding cake flavors such as banana, pumpkin, lemon, orange, and coconut.

Whichever favorite flavor the bride chooses, wedding cakes are a huge part of the reception. Whether a standard like chocolate or a fresh idea like butter pecan, wedding cakes flavors help the bride savor another part of her wedding. When the first anniversary rolls around and it’s time to revisit the top layer, the bride will be reconnected with special moments from the big day.

Wedding cakes come in many shapes and sizes, giving you plenty of tasty options. For a traditional or contemporary wedding reception, the cake stands out as the delicious representation of the bride’s personality. The flavor of the cake may be largely a personal choice, but the shape of the cake should be as much about practicality as design. Form and function playing a large part, consider these popular shapes when choosing the wedding cake design of your dreams.

• Square wedding cakes have recently gained popularity and can be decorated to reflect a traditional or contemporary feel. Alternating corners of each tier is a simple way to add creativity while selecting a unique design for the icing definitely ups the appeal. Perhaps the easiest to cut, these cakes tend to feed more people than round wedding cakes.

• Fountain wedding cakes are tiered cakes that begin with the main tier on a pedestal surrounded by smaller tiers suspended on lower pedestals thus resembling a fountain. These tiered wedding cakes are especially popular for ease of cutting, unique design, and a decorative way to provide more cake for large weddings.

• Round wedding cakes are the most traditional but modern weddings also favor this design. Elegant wedding cakes are usually round with many layers of decoration and creative icing design. Round wedding cakes feed less people than the same sized square cake, but only marginally.

Whether tiers of wedding cake flow across the table or a simple wedding cake will do, consider this shapes and size information when visiting your local cake bakery.