For most couples, a wedding cake is as integral a part of their wedding day as the rings or the white gown. Just like tossing the bouquet, cutting the cake is an expected part of the festivities. The cake fits the bill as long as it is big and white, maybe with some frosting flowers and little bride and groom figurines on top.

But some brides are opting for fantasy cakes that embody their hopes and dreams for their wedding day and married life. Rather than traditional wedding icons, these cakes are personal symbols that reflect the lifestyles and personalities of the people they're created for.

Would your dream cake be snowy smooth with a cascade of white chocolate roses, or would it match exactly the French lace and seed-pearl pattern in the wedding dress? How about a 4-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower made from crocquem-bouche, or a beach-themed cake covered with iridescent shells?

Confronted with requests like these, a commercial baker might laugh or quote a price that would cause tears. But a handful of pastry chefs and cake designers use forms of sugar like gum paste, fondant icing or pastiallage to make these cakes.

Their skill allows brides everywhere to have the kind of cakes commonly seen at high-end weddings in New York or San Francisco. Often, these cake artists create their works entirely from scratch, so the cakes taste as good as they look.

"Brides seek us out because the mainstream bakeries aren't providing what they want," said Loree Luther, pastry chef and owner of All in Good Taste in San Diego. "I hear, 'I want my cake to be different. I don't want it to be like every other cake.'"

A Personal Statement
Josephine Piraino knew she had to have an extraordinary cake on the day she wed Steve Chave. As a cake decorator for a grocery store, Piraino felt her cake would reflect on her both personally and professionally.

"The details were so important to me, " said Piraino, 25. "I just had a vision in my mind and went from there. I wanted mine (my cake) to be different and reflect me."

She found what she was looking for in a magazine, sort of. The cake created for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick was a five-tiered blue, purple and green affair accented by iridescent pearl trim and bright-gold swags, star bursts and flowers on the icing.

Piraino loved the ornate design, but not the colors. She hired Fernando Viveros of Crumbs of Paris, in El Cajon, Calif., to create a similar cake in her wedding colors of white and gold. She chose him because she loved the taste of his cakes, and the prices were the most reasonable she could find. His prices per serving start at $1.75 per serving and can climb to $25, depending on how elaborate the cake is and whether it uses lots of gold. A cake like Piranino's would cost $2,500 to $3,000.

Reprinted with permission. This article originally ran in The Daily Herald January 28, 2000.