Bedecked in faux jewels, flowers, or china, wedding cakes have become increasingly ornate.

As star of the Food Network reality show, Ace of Cakes, and owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, Duff Goldman makes a name for himself with far-out creations. And he views every job as a challenge. "One thing you can say about wedding cakes is that they are getting more personalized and less standard," Goldman says. "It's not like you are walking in and saying 'I want that one.'"

Aside from the bride and groom, of course, the cake is the centerpiece of the reception. And couples usually come to the bakery knowing the colors of the wedding and the flower selection. "Last year, brown and blue was hot. This year there's a lot of black and white, a lot of yellows," Goldman says. 

Various caterers and hotel chefs also make wedding cakes, so couples don't have to hire an additional vendor for the wedding. But bakeries frequently have a loyal clientele and do many weddings. "They've seen our cakes in the window and they've had our cakes at other weddings," says Chris Sikora, general manager of Ellicott City's Sweet, A Bakery and Cafe. "The rest of them find us from referrals and previous customers."

Some couples opt for cupcakes instead. "The mothers are like, 'Oh, goodness, when she said she wanted cupcakes, I didn't understand.'" Then they see what we offer, and they see it's not just nice iced cupcakes," says Tracy Rice, owner of The Baltimore Cupcake Company. "They are much more elegant. It can be just as, if not more, elegant than a five-tiered white Victorian wedding cake. We can do some pretty awesome things." It is also easier to offer guests different flavors, Rice adds. "They can have three or four flavors."

At the beginning of the planning process, couples arrange to taste samples of the chef's cake. The traditional vanilla almond butter cake is still a favorite. But couples can get anything. "We have pumpkin-chocolate chip, peanut butter cup. You name it, we'll make it," says Goldman. "We have all kinds of stuff people don't associate with weddings."

During the meeting with the baker, couples talk about the design, Sikora says. While some couples rip pictures of cakes they like out of magazines to bring with them, bakeries also keep photographs of past wedding cakes they've done. But chefs can also create original designs.

Fresh flowers increasingly are replacing traditional bride-and-groom toppers. "If the design is more exacting, my decorator will do a sketch," Sikora explains. "We can tie in colors. We can tie in flowers. We can tie in architectural details. We want the cake to be part of the wedding. We want it to tie in to the rest of the event."

The Baltimore Cupcake Company generally doesn't do tastings initially. "We just tell people to come in and purchase a cupcake," says Rice. "Once they sign the contract, they are more than welcome to come in and we will be happy to do more tastings."

Chefs use fondant icing to make the ornate designs featured in many wedding magazines. Fondant has a smooth finish and can be molded like Play-Doh. But fondant is made with corn syrup and powdered sugar, and the taste is not universally loved. Some chefs admit this and put a butter-cream icing on the cake under the fondant.

During the meeting, the couple should also ask about delivery costs on the day of the wedding. Traditional cakes, particularly anything with tiers, should be moved by the bakery. The caterer or bridal consultant should know beforehand where the cake table will be located in the reception, so it's not moved repeatedly.

Recently, couples have taken to serving cake with shot glasses of milk. It's less sophisticated than champagne, but somehow, milk goes down better. "The bride and groom will have a small cake they will cut and at the same time, minis [cupcakes] are passed out and everyone does their shot of milk and the mini," says Rice. "It's neat—very clever."

Some weddings feature a groom's cake during the reception, while others have the groom's cake during the rehearsal dinner. Unlike the more formal wedding cake, the groom's cake is frequently whimsical. "We do a lot of things with college alma maters or sports teams and football fields," says Sikora.

Decorated cakes cost anywhere from $4 to $12 per serving and occasionally more. That means for a wedding with 150 guests, the cost will range from $600 to $1,800 and up.

At a time when everything is more expensive, couples have become more creative. They order small, highly decorated cakes. "Then they get sheet cakes for extra servings," says Sikora. Sheet cakes are far less expensive. "It's $1.50 per serving for the sheet cake."

Using cupcakes can also save on delivery costs. Unlike the precarious business of moving a $1,500 four-tiered cake, anyone can pick up a box of cupcakes. "A lot more people are having weddings at the beach and picking up their cupcakes and taking them down there," says Rice.

Like other aspects of the wedding, couples should not procrastinate. Popular chefs tend to take orders six to 12 months before a wedding and planning ahead allows couples to find exactly what they want.