5 Tips for Safely Displaying Your Wedding Cake

A beautiful cake deserves a beautiful (and secure!) display. Your wedding cake is more than just dessert—it’s a showpiece that reflects your style and ties together your celebration. After all the planning, tastings, and design decisions, the last thing you want is a cake catastrophe on your big day. Ensuring that your cake is displayed safely and beautifully is just as important as choosing the right design. Here are a few helpful tips to make sure your cake looks picture-perfect from the first look to the last bite.

Strategically Place the Dessert Table

Deciding exactly where your wedding cake will be displayed is an important first step. You will want to think about the floor plan of the venue, as well as the planned layout of guest tables, the head table, the dance floor, etc. Regardless of whether you will have an indoor or outdoor reception, you will want your dessert table to be somewhere out of major traffic areas, but visible enough to show off the gorgeous cake itself. Angling the dessert table in a corner can be a good option, or putting it along a wall that is somewhat out of the way. If the cake is to be displayed outside, it is also important that the dessert table be placed on sturdy, even ground to keep the table and cake from tipping over.

Find Some Shade

Another thing to consider when choosing the location for your dessert table is that your wedding cake should not sit in direct sunlight for any length of time. Most wedding cakes are constructed and finished with buttercream frosting, and they often have fondant or sugar decorations or delicate buttercream textures. The heat from direct sunlight will soften frosting, fondant, and sugar decor quite quickly, leading to the cake being more easily damaged. Decorations can melt and be ruined, and the cake can become unstable and more likely to lean or fall over. So, wherever you decide to display your cake (whether inside or outside), make sure to find a shady place where it can be protected from sun damage.

Keep it Cool Until Serving

If you will be getting married during the hot summer months and plan to showcase your wedding cake outdoors, you may need to consider keeping the cake refrigerated until just before cutting it to ensure it is not damaged in the heat. Just as direct sunlight can quickly melt the frosting and decor on the cake, being in a warm environment can cause this same damage at a slower pace. If the outside temperature is warmer than 75°F, you will want to either display the cake indoors or keep it refrigerated until just before serving. This will ensure that your cake is as fresh and beautiful as possible for pictures, and will make it easier to cut and serve to your guests!

Pick a Sturdy Stand

Finding a cake stand that matches the overall aesthetic of the wedding can be both fun and challenging. You might choose a rough wood stand for a rustic barn wedding, or a classic ivory stand for a contemporary reception. The options are endless and so fun to look through, but no matter what style of stand you end up choosing, you will want to make sure that it is sturdy enough to support the wedding cake. Due to the layers of cake and fillings in each tier, wedding cakes (especially large, multi-tiered cakes) can be quite heavy and need a strong support at the base. While we love the look of pedestal-style cake stands, this may not be the best option for a 3 or 4 tier wedding cake, as these stands do not have a very wide base and are therefore less sturdy. If you plan to have a tall wedding cake with lots of tiers, we recommend a stand that sits closer to the table to provide the strong base that the cake needs.

Give the Cake Some Space

When the cake is set up on the dessert table, it should be placed back and away from the edge of the table, either in the middle of the table or about two-thirds of the way back from the front edge. This will give the cake some protective space and will make it less likely that someone will bump into the cake accidentally. It will also keep the cake out of reach of the small hands of younger guests who might want to taste the frosting before the cake is cut! A little extra space goes a long way in protecting the cake from damage, and setting it away from any table edges is an easy way to keep it safe.

Your wedding cake is a sweet symbol of celebration, and with just a little extra care in its setup, it can shine throughout your day. By choosing a stable and safe display area, avoiding heat, and finding a stable cake stand, you’ll ensure your cake is safe, stunning, and ready to wow your guests, one slice at a time.