Legendary Sylvia Weinstock Cakes Ltd. uses sugar paste to hand-craft each flower. Photo by B. Weinstock @2K.

Event designer Sally Shy perches a towering cake on a bed of roses.

A cheerful "woven" cake from Maria McBride.

Yifat Oren and Associates creates the mood at winter wedding by placing this elegant cake atop a seafoam blue overlay.

Who says a wedding cake has to be a cake? Here, caterer Gai Klass creates an elegant tower of apple pies. Photo by Kimberlee Miller.

Magic Moments uses a pastel palette for a romantic "gift box" wedding cake. Photo by Alan Selvaggi.

The Magic Moments cakes are used as centerpieces, perched on upturned champagne bucket stands. Photo by Alan Selvaggi.

For a thoroughly modern wedding set amid skyscrapers, Laura Moniz creates a tailored chocolate wedding cake. Photo by Kimberlee Miller.

A Gala Award nominee for Best Food Presentation, an utterly elegant wedding cake from MGM Resorts Events and the Bellagio Hotel. The eight-tier cake, iced with 60 pounds of pink fondant, was presented on an "overlay" of 2,000 imported tulips.

VP Events festoons a cake with floral for a Garden of Earthly Delights-theme wedding. Photo by Timothy Teague.

A cupcake gets the glamour treatment from Yifat Oren and Associates with a bejeweled flower. Photo by Kimberlee Miller.

No pastels here: Tiers of cupcakes from Gourmet Fine Catering are resplendent in vivid hues. Photo by Tory Read.

Plated with ice cream and fresh fruit, even a single cupcake from Gourmet Fine Catering commands attention. Photo by Tory Read.

A Perfect Wedding shows the drama that a white-on-white cake can have. Photo by Rodney Bailey/Picture Perfect Weddings.

Desserts of Distinction honor a bridal couple who met in a forestry program in the Pacific Northwest with a woodsy cake decorated with chocolate "bark," touches of greenery, and acorns flown in from Oregon.

Understated classics still charm, such as this dainty cake from Desserts of Distinction.

For a beach-theme wedding, The Cake Studio puts shells on the cake. Photo by Linda Goldsheft.

A sophisticated square cake from The Cake Studio. Photo by Linda Goldsheft.

Chez Nous Confections of Asheville, N.C. uses silver-dusted royal icing decorations on this cake to match the bride's dress.

Deep colors make for a dramatic cake from Mike's Amazing Cakes.

A green stand shows off pastel cupcakes from Yifat Oren and Associates. Photo by Claudia Kunin.

Seasonal fruit, white chocolate straws and pulled sugar ribbons make pretty accents on cakes from Citizen Cake.

Jin Patisserie creates cakes like jewel boxes.

Distinctive cakes and those evocative of the wedding's locale are a favorite with encore brides. Photo by Marie Labbancz Photography.

Soiree by Tara Guerard creates a two-servings-only wedding cake just for the bride and groom; guests get their own treats. Photo by Adrienne Page.

A bride honors her Cape Cod, Mass., roots with a six-tier chocolate cake in nautical blue crusted with sugar "pearls" thanks to Kehoe Designs. Photo by Fig Media.

For a bride married in an art deco building, Sacks Productions helps create a cake with a motif from Lalique glass, a brand made famous during the period. Photo by Elizabeth Messina Photography.

For a bride proud of all things New Orleans, VP Events puts a subtle fleur de lis motif on the cake. Photo by Jennifer Skog.