Photo: getty
Because regular cakes are so overrated.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart — Written on Aug 17, 2019
Wedding cakes are traditional as can be and are also breathtakingly beautiful works of art dedicated to love. Though they are tasty and gorgeous in their own right, wedding cakes don’t always make a lot of sense. No one wants to have to slice hundreds of pieces for guests. The price for wedding cakes also has been rising steadily as years pass.
To make things easier on their wallets and time, couples are starting to look into wedding cupcakes as an alternative. Want to join the trend? These wedding cupcake ideas will act as inspiration for celebrations of every type.
1. Something blue
You know the old wedding superstition, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”? Sure, it usually is concerned with what the bride’s meant to wear, but it can also apply to cupcakes, right? This cupcake concept is a gorgeous one with a deep blue theme.
Each cupcake is decorated with a blue floral motif, making the entire assortment look like a massive bouquet of blue flowers. It’s breathtaking, don’t you think?
2. White roses
Another awesome twist on flower cupcakes comes from @vanillacakesuk on Instagram. This account posted an absolutely stunning arrangement of white wedding cupcakes that were made to look like large, individual roses.
Some cupcakes also had an additional decorations, like chocolates that say “Mrs.” and “Mr.,” or just chocolate chips in the form of tuxedos. It’s a gorgeous look.
3. Daisies
A classic way to look into divining a person’s affections was to pull petals off daisies and say, “He loves me, he loves me not.” These themed cupcakes harken back to that practice all while keeping things simple.
If you’re not looking for an overly ornate theme to your wedding cupcakes, these simple daisies will work well.
4. Signs
What makes a wedding cupcake appropriate? Is it the flowers on top? Is it the white theme, or the romantic notes? Sometimes, it’s best to just top your cupcakes with a literal sign that lets people know what the deal is.
These cupcakes are simple, modern, and also give a good heads up about the celebration. They are a great choice for couples that want to keep things simple.
5. Macarons
What’s better than serving up wedding cupcakes to your guests? Serving them wedding cupcakes that come topped with mouthwateringly tasty macarons, like this Aussie baker did!
These pink and white wedding cupcakes are topped with a macaron, and are allegedly pineapple flavored. Yum!
6. Cheeky
You don’t have to stick to a purely cupcake-filled dessert menu if you’re getting married. This set of cupcakes also came with a cake that had a humorous way of pointing out that a certain special relationship just got a lot more real.
When you add the cheeky cake phrase with the hyperrealistic violets topping the cupcakes, you get a truly one-of-a-kind way to celebrate your big day.
7. Red and white
These wedding cupcakes have the really old school touch of being themed with red and white, plus having classic symbols of love added to the decoration motif. For people who want to have an extremely formal wedding with a dash of novelty, this is a perfect inspo photo.
The look of these super-fancy cupcakes will give your wedding a slightly Victorian vibe. Decadence, thy name is cupcake!
8. Dreamy
These wedding cupcakes don’t quite have the typical floral look of others, but that doesn’t mean they don’t look beautiful. They have a wide range of different toppings, all done up in a nice variety of oceanic colors.
If you're looking for an artsy way to get some pastel into your wedding theme, this might be a good idea to build from.
9. Gold-stamped shimmer
Don’t worry, these cute cupcakes are edible, but they definitely would make people rethink biting into them at first. These uniquely artistic cupcakes create a gold-stamped look with just a smattering of subtle shimmer.
The colors are really what make these treats look so amazing. When was the last time you saw a bright blue cupcake in that particular shade before?
10. Rustic and golden
Sometimes, it’s not just the cupcake decorations that make a wedding cupcake stand out in a crowd. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t appreciate the rustic, country doilies that were used as cupcake holders.
That being said, these cakes also have a really nice touch to them: a golden one, to be precise. King Midas would be proud.
11. Simply silver
You don’t need to have gold, red, and white to be a great wedding cupcake. You also don’t need to slather icing on every inch of a cupcake’s visible surface to make it look good either. This is proven through this beautiful photo of a silver chocolate topped cupcake.
The ornate appearance is low-key but still quite noticeable. This is a perfect cupcake idea for couples who want to avoid being gaudy.
12. Neutral colors
The easiest way to ensure that your wedding cupcakes look classy is to keep your colors neutral and the decoration pattern ornate. These cupcakes are a perfect illustration of that concept in play.
They are elegant, yes, but they aren’t overstated. They steal the show in that low-key way that makes it hard to resist them.
13. Stamped fun
Writing on cupcakes isn’t just for birthday parties, you know. One of the cuter trends in the wedding industry is using stamps and fondants to add messages, names, and dates to wedding cupcakes.
This cute set of cupcakes is a good example of how much fun (and facts) fondant can pack on a cupcake top. It’s a good look for couples that want a little customization on their cakes.
14. Detailed fondant sculpting
Some cupcakes use fondant for simple patterns, like the ones just mentioned before. Others, however, use fondant to create extremely detailed scenes depicting love, courtship, and wedding symbols.
This set has fondant scenes showing a couple cutting the cake, a calendar with the date saved, as well as a happy couple kissing on a quilted white background. How cute!
15. Gradient
When it comes to wedding arrangements, presentation is just as important as the individual item itself. This shot of a massive wedding cupcake set is proof of this concept. Alone, each cupcake would be a pretty little thing on its own, albeit a bit plain.
What makes this arrangement pop is the incredible gradient effect that you can see when they’re all put together. Wedding guests will be wowed at this type of arrangement, no matter what colors you choose to blend.
16. Hyperrealistic
Is it a bouquet of flowers, or a wedding cupcake arrangement? Hard to tell, isn’t it? Between the hyperrealism of the cupcake decorations and the very bouquet-like presentation, many might not be able to tell too easily.
This is a legit cupcake floral arrangement that puts most wedding cupcakes to shame.
17. Silver and blue shimmer
These cupcakes don’t just shine; they shimmer thanks to their beautiful silver fondant toppers! This elegant arrangement of wedding cupcakes have a seriously modern swing to them that’s attention-grabbing without being garish.
The way these cupcakes are decorated, they look more like petite wedding presents than they do edible treats. That’s a compliment and a testament to the baker’s amazing work.
18. Chocolate
The cool thing about wedding cupcakes is that you don’t have to stick to vanilla, fondants, and flowers. It’s your wedding and that means what you love is what should be on the menu.
If you and your spouse-to-be are both chocoaholics, then having a chocolatey cupcake presentation is a great wedding idea. These chocolate cupcakes look totally sinful. Who wouldn’t want to grab a bit of these?
19. Gothic
One of the rarest icing colors you’ll find on a wedding cake is black, which is precisely what makes black icing so awesome to see. A little noir can add a edgy twist to an otherwise plain cupcake design.
These beautiful cupcakes, for example, use a purple-black to white gradient to add a gothic touch to the wedding assortment. Even if you aren’t a fan of Razed in Black, you have got to love how romantically dark these pretty little things look.
RELATED: 31 Best Wedding Cake Toppers Of All Time
20. Fruit
Weddings offer a lot of opportunities for dietary sins, including diet traps like guzzling champagne and over-indulging in hors d’oeuvres. If you’re choosing to get wedding cupcakes for dessert, you might as well try to mitigate some of the dietary damage you’re doing.
These cupcakes are still sugary and sweet, but they also have some fruit on top. You might as well offer the gift of Vitamin C to assuage guilty dieters for their indulgence, right?
21. Pride-friendly
It’s not uncommon to see LGBTQIA marriages involve a little rainbow in their aesthetics, even if it’s a more formal affair. It makes sense, considering how many obstacles many LGBTQIA couples overcame to find the one.
If you’re looking to add a little Pride flair to your wedding, getting rainbow cupcakes like these definitely will be a tasteful (and tasty) move.
22. Golden berries
Here’s something that you probably have never seen before! The masterful bakers who made these treats covered berry toppings in what appears to be a glittery rose gold leaf, for an edible jewel that leaves everyone’s jaws dropped.
By the way, the flower toppers are all edible and 100 percent real, too. Toppings can turn an otherwise plain cupcake into a serious work of art, don’t you think?
23. Royally pretty
Weddings are often the one point in a woman’s life when she feels like she’s royalty, so why not have cupcakes that offer up that super-rich vibe? These cupcakes used fondant to create amazing works of art that look nearly identical to large pieces of jewelry.
Anyone who’s a fan of antique jewelry or gold trinkets will love having these at the wedding reception. These gems are good enough to eat!
24. Nautical
Historically, the combination of navy blue and gold were a trademark of military aristocracy. It makes sense, considering how beautiful the color combination looks together. Today, this duo still is very popular in a nautical theme, too.
When you add gold powder or shimmery gold fondant to blue, amazing things can happen. This photo is proof.
25. Tropical flair
The colors are what make these cupcakes a little different from most other wedding cupcakes you’ll see. Yes, they are designed to look like a bouquet of wildflowers, quite like other ideas on this list. The colors turn a typical floral pattern topping into a burst of lively, tropical beauty.
Destination weddings in need of a splash of color would be wise to take a cue from this cake.
26. Modern art
Are you the type of couple that likes to go to the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art? If so, you might be a little underwhelmed by many of the more common wedding cupcake designs on this list. You might want something edgy, abstract, and daring.
If these beautiful black and white “butterfly” cupcakes don’t fit that description, we don’t know what does. They’re incredibly original and strikingly pretty.
27. Seeds of love
Succulents are not only a major gardening trend, they are also a very welcome theme for weddings that take place in the desert. Much like true love, succulents can survive situations that would be lethal to most others. They remain beautiful throughout the year, rain or shine.
Want to add a nice, Southwestern twist to your wedding? Having succulent wedding cupcakes would be a good way to do it.
28. Rosebuds
If you aren’t really sure what kind of cupcakes will work well for your wedding, it’s wise to err on the side of simple. Cupcakes with a petite focal point are way easier to work with than complex cupcakes that might get jostled around or steal the show away from a larger wedding cake.
This example of a petite, sophisticated cupcake design proves you don’t have to be over-the-top to be pretty.
29. A beautiful story
Wedding cupcakes that come together to tell a story really do add a magical touch to any wedding reception. This batch of cupcakes has scenes from a romantic tale of two people who got together, fell in love, popped the question, and said “I do!”
With your own cupcake arrangement, you can add favorite scenes of your own time together to the cupcake theme. Just mention it to a baker and they will devise a way to include it in your wedding cupcake set.
30. Dramatic
Was there ever a trio of colors as dramatic as black, red, and white? Probably not, which is why they are a perfect color combo for people who want to get wedding cupcakes that demand attention from everyone in the room.
Full black and full red cupcakes are the kind of desserts that will make jaws drop simply because of how bold they are. The center design? Well, it’s a sophisticated way to kick up the Vogue vibes up a notch.
31. A hearty choice
Heart shapes don’t really leave much up to the imagination when it comes to their symbolism. That shape is the global sign of romance and pretty much says it all. When he gave his heart to you, you did the same.
This simple but effective wedding cupcake idea is one that’s excellent for budget-conscious people, as well as people who want something that appeals to everyone.
32. Duochrome rose
Most of the floral designs mentioned in wedding magazines are single color, and that’s great. But what about people who want to grab some attention with a surprising pop of color? This unique take on bicolor flower cupcakes is a great new take on classic flower arrangements.
What really makes this cupcake idea pop is the choice of colors. Both colors contrast slightly, and end up giving an almost trippy effect.
33. Tastefully tasty
With all the cute designs you see dealing with cupcake options, it’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of fondant, dyes, and edible pearls. The thing is, it can be a bit overwhelming turning cupcakes into flowers, storybook image, and art canvases. Sometimes, it’s just better to focus on the flavor of the cupcakes.
If you’re more of a flavor person than a looks person, you can strike up a good balance by choosing a gourmet cupcake with a nice, artisan decoration that adds to the taste.
34. Pretty in pink
Pink is a romantic color. It always has been, always will be. Floral cupcakes and buttercream flower cakes are also romantic. More importantly, getting both cakes and cupcakes that have this design as their decoration of choice tends to be one of the most cost-effective options on the market.
This decoration choice is one that will always look cute and won’t break the bank. It’s a great way to safe a little money, especially when compared to other options on this list.
35. Just beachy
Mermaid themes are definitely in, especially when it comes to destination weddings. When choosing a wedding cupcake idea for a beachside bash, you might want to ask what Ariel would do. Somehow, we think everyone’s favorite Little Mermaid would choose something like this.
Seashells and blue hues are a perfect pairing for any island wedding, or any wedding that’s being performed near water. It’ll make a serious splash!
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Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. She writes primarily about lifestyle, food, finance, and relationships. You can follow her Twitter.