An island wedding is fun and wedding cakes should reflect this tropical setting. There are plenty of creative island designs that can be combined with a traditional wedding cake for an ideal island dessert.
Island Wedding Cake Designs
There are plenty of offshoots on the island theme for wedding cakes, so if you're looking for more inspiration, consider a beach cake, a shell cake or a general sea themed cake.
Sandy Cakes
Cake decorators have all kinds of creative ways to incorporate "sand" into a beach or island themed wedding cake, and all of them are tasty. For a rough texture, a decorator might use crumbled graham crackers or wafers; a finer texture might call for brown sugar or dark turbinado sugar.
Sand can be scattered on top of each tier on an island cake or it can form the base for a larger design. Objects to place on top of the sand might include:
- Fondant shells or starfish
- Fondant beach chairs
- A treasure chest made from candy
- Fondant trees or flowers
Island Characters
If the idea of having a cake that's a little wacky pleases you, then consider exploring the vast possibilities that island creatures provide. You could have a tiny fondant sea turtle cruising on top of a pale-blue cake, or a school of fish weaving their way up the sides of a deep indigo cake. One especially fun idea for a topper is to have your decorator make tiny fondant figures of you and your soon-to-be spouse in island-appropriate attire, such as a muumuu and a Hawaiian shirt with board shorts.
Flowers
Tropical flowers are some of the most beautiful on Earth, and many of them are found on islands. Using flowers on your cake is a way to combine tradition with modernism, because you can keep the traditional 3 tier wedding cake structure and the normal white interior and exterior, but you can garnish with a pop of color in the form of one large flower or a spray of many flowers down the sides of the cake. Some especially popular and gorgeous choices include:
- Hibiscus
- Bird of Paradise
- Plumeria
- Orchid
- Jasmine
- Chrysanthemum
- Dahlia
- Lavender
- Lily
Tips for Tropical Cakes
If you're planning a destination wedding or getting married on an island that's nowhere near your home, you'll need to talk long-distance with a florist or decorator. That could complicate some communication issues and make it tough to narrow down your design choices when you can't see samples in person. However, looking at online portfolios and sending snapshots of existing designs or ideas can help you get what you want and ensure that the process goes off without a hitch.
Finally, a few words about budget: Although an island cake is an excellent idea for a tropical or destination wedding, it can be very pricey. The more detail you want on your cake, the more it's going to cost, so be prepared to shell out quite a bit for an elaborately decorated cake that reflects the theme and your vision.
