Wedding cakes are one of the most iconic (and important) wedding day details, but they are also the detail that I most often see being poorly displayed for photos at your wedding reception. We all re-pin these dreamy, light-filled shots of these gorgeous and elaborate flower covered wedding cakes, and then we stick them in the corner of a room with fluorescent light on a plain tablecloth (sometimes, right in front of an outlet or Exit sign!), and expect that our beautiful cake will look just as classic and elegant as all of those late night re-pins from your favorite wedding blogs. While your planner, and probably your wedding cake baker, will talk you through ideas on how and where to display your gorgeous cake, here are a few of my suggestions based on years of photographing wedding cakes.

 

 

 

First of all, don’t place your cake in a dark corner, or anywhere with a distracting/unattractive backdrop. Some classic wedding reception venues tend to have a little more old-school lighting, so hunting down a bright place for your wedding cake may be a little difficult. If you’re getting married at a traditional country club, or other older wedding venue, consider having your baker bring the wedding cake before the wedding photos get started so that your photographer can capture beautiful images of it somewhere other than where it will actually be during the reception! That way, even if the lighting where the cake will be throughout the evening isn’t the best, you’ll still have classically gorgeous photos of the cake you’ve spent months designing. If you’re getting married at a newer wedding venue, or one that has been intentionally designed for wedding photography, try to find a space with natural light for your wedding cake to sit. A general rule of thumb when looking for good natural light is to make sure that it’s near a window, but that it doesn’t have a window directly behind it.

 

 

 

The next thing to consider is what is on the table where your wedding cake will be displayed – custom colored linens are always a classic option, but consider what else will go on the table. Do you want to showcase monogrammed champagne flutes, and your favorite bottle of bubbly? Are you cutting the cake with your grandmother’s cake knife? Make sure they’re displayed as soon as the cake is put out, so that your wedding photographer can be sure to capture these special details. If the cake table doesn’t have much decor, consider asking your florist to put together a small arrangement to highlight the beauty of your wedding cake. Don’t clutter the cake table with little knick knacks, just for the sake of “decor” – anything added should just enhance the natural elegance of your cake.

 

 

 

Lastly, don’t let your cake just sit flat on a plain white tablecloth – if you want to keep to the gorgeous all-white simplicity that highlights an elegant wedding cake perfectly, then consider a white raised stand. A thin and angular cake stand is going to naturally give your wedding cake a more modern feel,

 

Want more wedding cake inspiration? Keep scrolling to see a few of my favorites from throughout the years.