Cakes:

The size of the cake will be dictated by the number of guests you have invited. Allow one piece for each guest and absent friends ( around 50 grams per person) and order the cake at least three months in advance, more if you are getting married during a peak time. this will give the cake maker time to prepare and if you are having a fruit cake they will be able to time the making of the cake to maximise its flavour.

You may want to co ordinate your wedding cake with your wedding stationery, symbols and colours may be used in unison. Be adventurous half the fun of a party is the eating and a feast is something your guests will never forget.

If there is something specific to your lifestyle then maybe that becomes the theme of your cake whether it be your hobbies, sports or that you love the medievil era.

There are fruit cakes, chocolate cakes, carrot, madeira, coffee, walnut, croquembouches just to start. The cake style may depend on the season and temperature of the day.

You may go for individual cakes for each guest combined with bomboniere. Remember a cake doesn't have to be white. Your cake may be served instead of a dessert if you like.

Below are some explainations of cake terms for you.

Basketweave: A piping technique that features interwoven vertical and horizontal lines

Buttercream: A smooth, creamy icing that stays soft so it's easy to cut through. It can be colored and/or flavored. Also used to create piping, swags, and other borders, as well as decorative rosettes. It can be used as filling, too. Buttercream is made from butter (as its name implies), so it may melt in extreme heat or humidity.

Cornelli: An elaborate piping technique that yields a lace-like pattern.

Dotted swiss: A piping technique that forms tiny dots in random patterns that resemble a fine dot swiss fabric.

Dragees: Round, edible sugar balls coated with silver or gold and used for decorative purposes.

Fondant: A sweet, elastic icing made of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin that's literally rolled out with a rolling pin and draped over a cake. It's a smooth, firm base for gum paste flowers, decorative details, and architectural designs, and has a porcelain finish. A fondant cake should not be refrigerated.

Ganache: A sweet, rich chocolate, denser than mousse but less dense than fudge, which can be used as icing or filling. It is made of chocolate and heavy cream, and will soften in very humid weather.

Gum paste: This paste of sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin is used to mold realistic-looking fruits and flowers to garnish a cake. Gum paste decorations are edible and will last for years as keepsakes, but they don't taste as yummy as marzipan.

Latticework: A piping detail that criss-crosses with an open pattern.

Marzipan: A paste made of ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites, used to mold edible flowers or fruit to decorate the cake. Marzipan can also be rolled in sheets, like fondant, and used as icing.

Pillars: Separators used in a tiered cake. They can be made of plastic or wood in several lengths to achieve the desired look.

Piping: Decorative details created using a pastry bag and various metal tips. Piping details include leaves, borders, basket-weave patterns, and flowers.

Pulled sugar: A technique in which boiled sugar is manipulated and pulled to produce flowers and bows.

Royal icing: Made of egg whites and confectionary sugar, this icing starts life as a soft paste piped from a pastry bag to create latticework, beading, bows, and flowers. When dry, its texture is hard and brittle. Do not refrigerate.

Torte: A dense cake that does not use leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda.

Whipped cream: Heavy cream beaten to achieve a thick consistency. Whipped cream does not work well as an icing, and must be kept refrigerated -- it is unstable and not recommended for outdoor weddings.