The sweetest part of planning your wedding is selecting your wedding cake, and we have everything you need to know about wedding cake decorations, shapes, and creative adornments. By the time you've started thinking about your wedding cake, you should already have figured out your wedding theme, wedding venue, wedding caterer, reception menu and the overall feel that you're going for. Aside from your main wedding cake, you may also want to consider having a groom's cake or having a dessert bar to give your guests a sweet treat as well.
Below, we've listed some popular wedding cake terms to help you de-code what your baker is talking about. Remember -- when you know some wedding cake decoration lingo, you'll make your life -- and your bakers -- much easier!
Pastry Bag: A cone-shaped bag with two open ends. The small end is pointed and can be fitted with decorative tips of different sizes and designs.
Pillars: Tubes placed in-between layers of wedding cake to create a multi-tiered effect with open air in-between each layer of cake. Unlike separators, pillars are clearly visible on the decorated cake and are part of the overall look. Also known as columns
Piping: Lines of icing added to decorate a cake.
Plastic Icing: A thick icing made from granulated and confectioners' sugar, mixed with water, lemon juice, gelatin and butter. May be molded into a variety of forms. Also known as Australian fondant icing.
Pound Cake: A dense cake made from flour, eggs, sugar and shortening. The cake takes its name from a traditional recipe that called for one pound of each ingredient to be mixed in order to make two cakes.
Profiterole: Small pastry balls filled with whipped cream and usually covered with chocolate sauce.
Pulled Sugar: A sugar syrup that is stretched into thin ribbons and sheets and used to make candy and cake decorations.
Rosettes: An icing decoration applied to a cake, generally using a pastry bag with a star tip.
Royal Icing: An icing made of confectioners' sugar, egg whites and a few drops of lemon juice. It hardens when dry, making it a favorite for durable decorations (such as flowers and leaves) and ornamental writing.
Read more about Wedding Cakes:
Wedding Cakes Glossary A-B
Wedding Cakes Glossary C
Wedding Cakes Glossary D-F
Wedding Cakes Glossary G-M
Wedding Cakes Glossary S-Z
Find more ideas and inspiration in our wedding cake photo galleries