Unique Alternatives to your Wedding Cake

wedding cake macaron tower

A traditional wedding cake and wedding cakes alike possess timeless allure. Yet, for some couples, straying from convention and embracing personalized style is the way forward.

Whether you seek a departure from the standard cake or harbor a fondness for a particular sweet indulgence, your wedding dessert offers a canvas for expressing your preferences to guests. Eager for inspiration? Elevate a classic cake with supplementary delights like macarons or donuts, or venture into entirely different territory with treats such as brownies, pies, or waffles!

Discover the 12 most popular alternative ideas that diverge from the classic wedding cake, each brimming with creativity and flavour.

1Cupcakes

A tiered cupcake stand filled with various decorated cupcakes, displayed on a wooden barrel, with wedding guests mingling in the background.
Photo by peppermindandcoca

Opt for a single small cake encircled by cupcakes or spotlight the cupcakes themselves; these miniature delights offer guests personalized sweet indulgences. Get imaginative with colors, seamlessly weaving your wedding palette into the display for an added touch of charm!

2Stack of Cookies

A towering stack of chocolate chip cookies adorned with white and pink flowers on top, set on a white plate against a softly lit background.
Photo by elegantweddinginvites

Who can resist cookies? If a grand cake isn’t your style, have your dessert designer craft a batch of your favorite cookies for guests to relish post-dinner. Decorating cookies offers endless creativity—opt for heart-shaped ones to symbolize your love story.

3Cheese-fest

A tiered cake made of stacked cheeses, decorated with rosemary sprigs and white tags saying "love", tied with twine on a slate board.
weddingforwardcom

Not into sweets? No worries! Choose stacked wheels of cheese to fashion a cheese “cake.” Adorned with florals and greenery, this tiered masterpiece is a sight to behold.

4Mix it up with Macarons

wedding cake macaron tower

Why not elevate the classic tiered cake with a twist? Enhancing the tiers with an array of vibrant macarons offers a simple yet delightful surprise, elevating your cake to new heights.

5Donut Tower

A tiered display of bagels adorned with lush flowers including roses and greenery, creating an alternative and artistic wedding cake arrangement.

For a fresh spin on the traditional tiered wedding cake, assemble these round delights into a tower, then embellish with blooms and charming flags. These flags can be personalized to denote various flavors or showcase details of your love story, such as your initials or wedding date.

6Waffle Wowzer

A pancake wedding cake adorned with pink roses and red flowers on a silver platter, surrounded by additional blooms and greenery, displayed in a warmly lit indoor setting.

Are you prepared to astonish your guests with ingenuity? Introduce waffles into the mix! Arrange them on a stunning cake stand to mimic a traditional cake, then adorn it with blooms and greenery. And, naturally, ensure the maple syrup is ready to drizzle come showtime!

7Cake Pops

A multi-tiered white wedding cake adorned with intricate buttercream ruffles and topped with a bouquet of white flowers, displayed on a silver stand.
elizabethannedesignscom

Cake pops offer convenience with style. Easily portable and customizable to complement any color scheme, they make a perfect addition to an exquisite dessert table

8Pan-cake

A multi-layer crepe cake dusted with powdered sugar, displayed on a white cake stand, set against a bright, airy room with an arch window.
Emmalinebridecom

Forget traditional desserts and embrace a distinctive breakfast alternative. Incorporate pancakes by stacking them in various sizes. Picture two partners pouring syrup together, symbolizing a sweet unity.

9Mini Desserts

A tiered dessert display featuring mini pavlovas topped with whipped cream and garnished with fresh strawberries and blueberries, elegantly arranged on a clear stand with natural foliage below.

How sweet are these! Dress up your favourite dessert in a fancy mini version and to customised to match any color scheme or wedding theme.

10Loukoumad-YES

A plate of freshly made mini doughnuts dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and adorned with sliced fresh strawberries.
loukouman cyprus

Loukoumades are a traditional greek donut ball like dessert that are yummy coated in syrup (traditionally served this way) or topped with chocolate, fruit or biscuit!

11Mini Churros

Rows of churros served in individual paper cones on a serving table.
cultureweddingca

Not your average wedding dessert but who doesn’t love churros with their warm cinnamon sweet goodness?

12Candy Bar

An elegant dessert table at an outdoor event, decorated with flowers and featuring an array of sweets like cookies, macarons, and cakes under a string of lights.

Who says you’re limited to just one dessert? Creating a delightful spread of treats might be your ideal choice! Adorn a table with an array of your favorite candies, doughnuts, and even mini cakes or bites to cater to every sweet craving.