Looking for a way to make your big day truly unique but you're not sure where to begin? Big changes aren't needed to make the day memorable, sometimes finding little personal touches that are your own can make a wedding perfect.
One place where small changes can make an instant impact is the wedding cake. Centre piece to your celebration, the cake is an integral part of the reception and can be a great way for your guests to share in the occasion.
Traditionally, Scottish wedding cake consisted of two tiers of brandy-flavoured fruitcake. The cake was baked at the time of the couple's engagement and only one tier (the bottom) was eaten at the wedding celebration, while the top layer was saved to celebrate the birth of the couple's first child.
Sterling silver charms were also tied to satin ribbons and hidden under the bottom layer of the wedding cake in Victorian times.
The cake would then be constructed, with the ribbons hanging down around the perimeter of the cake. The charms were hidden under the bottom layer. Traditionally, the bridesmaids pulled the charms out before the bride and groom cut the cake.
However, the traditional wedding cake has had it's day and it's perhaps time to be a little more adventurous, we spoke to several Scottish wedding cake designers to create our pick of the five best alternatives to the classic wedding cake:
1. Towering Wedding Croquembouche
(Created by Rainbow Sugar Craft)
A croquembouche is French dessert consisting of a tower of choux pastry balls piled into a cone and bound using threads of caramel.
This is one of the tallest wedding cakes that Rainbow Sugar Craft make. Made using over 1000 freshly baked and filled buns and it is decorated with hand-crafted giant roses in shades of pale peach, pale pink and ivory, together with sprays of lily-of-the-valley.
2. The Cupcake tower
(Created by Jenny's Cakes, Glasgow)
Everybody loves cupcakes right?
How about a large cup cake tower to celebrate your big day?
Created by Jenny's Cakes and filled with a hundred individual cupcakes dressed with edible pearls in frilly cupcake wrappers and featuring a giant cupcake top tier, with organza ribbon trim and sugar-crafted hearts on wires is the perfect way to wow your guests on your wedding day.
3. Donuts
(Created by Rainbow Sugar Craft)
What's guaranteed to delight guests more than cake?
Donuts of course!
How about delicious fresh donuts decorated with lashings of Belgian chocolate shavings and mini marshmallows? Even better, different coloured icing can be added to match the wedding theme.
The amount of donuts can be also adjusted to match the amount of guests, so everyone gets to share in the fun. Perfect.
4. Novelty cake
(Created by 3-D cakes, Edinburgh)
The Scottish serving. Picture: 3-D
Candy floss Croquembouche. Picture: 3-D
Perhaps a traditional wedding cake just doesn't scream you? How about customising your cake to represent your relationship? Perhaps with a nod to something you both love (other than cake) or even the place that you met?
Novelty cakes are the answer and thankfully many companies are now content to design a cake that fully represents you and your big day.
5. Ice Cream cake
(Created by Mancini's Ice creams of Ayr)
Finally, I present to you the ice cream wedding cake. Created by Mancini's of Ayr, this truly unique cake is the perfect centre piece for any wedding reception.
Flavours and fillings can be adapted to suit any couple's preferences and it will save money with no need for a separate desert.
A cake made of ice cream...... what a time to be alive.
