48 Small Wedding Cakes with a Big Presence

simple white wedding cake with florals on wooden table
Photo: Kati Rosado

Who says you need to cut into a massive wedding cake at your reception? Small cakes in all of their forms—single-serving minis, petite one-tiers, Bundts, and beyond—can make just as big of an impression as super-sized confections. In fact, your guests might remember these little desserts more than they would the standard three-tier wedding cake.

Ready to commit to the trend? Take personal cakes a step further by creating single-serving minis for each guest. Or, take a note from one of the brides featured here and place assorted one-tiered confections on every table—and then encourage guests to get up and mingle as they try each one. If you're looking for something tiny and nontraditional, try a cake made from hundreds of crepes, stuck together with Nutella. In short: If you have your heart set on something small, you have some amazing options. With gem-toned fondant, fresh flower toppers, playful textures, and more, these little confections prove that bigger isn't always better.

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Pressed Flowers

single tiered floral accented design wedding cake
Kylee Yee

Vanilla + The Bean baked this one-tier confection, with butter yellow patina and pressed wildflowers.

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Abstract Designs

two tier white and blue frosted wedding cake
Anna Peters

Kayla Carey incorporated the bride's favorite color with abstract designs atop buttercream icing. A sprig of lunaria and eucalyptus topped off the cake.

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24 Karat

Small Gold Wedding Cake
Kristin La Voie Photography

Tons of blue thistle flowers bring rich color contrast to this small but mighty gold metallic confection.

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Ripple Effect

simple white wedding cake with florals on wooden table
Kati Rosado

The bride's favorite Harlem bakery, Make My Cake, made a one-tiered textured vanilla treat with buttercream frosting topped with real flowers for a fresh, small sweet.

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Quote Cake

Small Wedding Cake with Quote
Jenna Henderson Photography

Turn your cake into a tasty wedding sign by adding a favorite quote or verse.

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Watercolor and Gold

Watercolor and Gold Foil Small Wedding Cake
Meg Hamilton/Rodeo & Co.

Jewel-tone watercolor and lines of gold studs make this cake by Jacques Fine European Pastries, perfect for a bohemian wedding.

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Cake for a Queen

Small Wedding Cake with Crown
Arte de Vie Photography

This "crowned" wedding cake is fit for the Game of Thrones-obsessed bride.

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Mini Series

Small Wedding Cakes with Flowers
Justine Milton Photography

Topped with oversized peonies and roses, these sweet one- and two-tiered cakes look like they were plucked from a garden.

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Carved Cake

Small Birch Tree Wedding Cake
Kiera Lemonis Photography

This reimagined naked cake has the texture of an evergreen—perfect for "carving" in the lovebirds' initials.

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Stained Glass

Small Wedding Cake with Geometric Details
Alyssa Ence Photography

A matte black narrow (to keep it on the smaller side) three-tier gets a bejeweled-effect thanks to gem-toned fondant and gold lattice work.

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Individual Cakes with Buds

Mini Individual Wedding Cake
The Hendricks Photography

Barely-bloomed carnations make these personal wedding cakes even sweeter.

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Naked Cake with Berries

samantha cody wedding naked layer cake with blue and blackberries
Minh Cao for Lauren Fair Photography

Painted Pie created a naked, petite whipped vanilla layer cake topped with blueberries, blackberries, and chamomile for a stunning dessert.

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Vintage Vibes

Small Wedding Cake with Ornate Detail
Elizabeth Fogarty Photography

This tiny two-tier has a bit of vintage charm thanks to an elegant gold and floral crest.

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Baroque

Baroque Small Wedding Cake
Nadia Meli Photography

A spray of moody blooms dresses up this ornate gold and sapphire-blue beauty.

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Lightly Gilded

simple, single later wedding cake with small flowers
Erich McVey

The couple kept things simple with a buttercream-frosted one-tier funfetti cake with touches of gold icing. The outside was also dressed with seasonal foliage and flowers.

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Cactus Cake

addie alex wedding cake cacti
Tamara Grüner

This vanilla wedding cake from Addie Cakes is decorated with flowers and cacti, chosen specifically to match this couple's desert wedding décor.

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High Rise

aubrey austin wedding cake
Ace & Whim

This tiny Ruze Cake House confection, decorated with a modern topper and bright posies, is the perfect compromise for a bride who didn't want a wedding cake. The cake stand—an upside down basket from Home Goods—gives the tiny cake some height.

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Double-Tiered

jen alan wedding cake by candlelight
Laura Gordon

Villa Le Capanne's catering team baked this small but mighty two-tiered wedding cake dripping in flowers.

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Sugared Fruits

hana olu wedding california cake
Patrick Moyer

Sugared grapes, pears, and figs bring an autumnal touch to this simple buttercream two-tier by Decadence Wedding Cakes.

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Flower Wallpaper

jess-clint-wedding-cake-259-s111420-0814.jpg
Jacqueline Campbell

With a hand-painted base and paper flowers, this salted-caramel wedding cake is perfect for a small coastal California celebration.

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Tiered Berry Cake

kathryn-jon-wedding-dcr004-s111704_vert.jpg
Leo Patrone

Ringed with sugar flowers, greens, and blackberries, this simple cake brings a little bit of nature to a Washington, D.C., wedding.

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Berryful Beauty

one tier white wedding cake topped with fresh berries
Corbin Gurkin

A single layer classic round cake reaches new heights with loads of berries to top it off.

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Cheese Cake

wedding cake
The De Jaureguis

Interpret "cheesecake" literally and replace the groom's cake with a cheese tower topped with citrus.

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Fall Chocolate Bundt

lori john wedding california cake
Steve Cowell Photography

If you're planning a casual fall fête, opt for a less-formal Bundt cake—like this one, here, drizzled with a cream cheese glaze—adorned with rustic blooms.

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Abstract Jewel Tones

lindsey william wedding dc cake
Abby Jiu Photography

With smudges of red and streaks of magenta, this cake is the perfect fit for a fashion-forward wedding.

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Nutella Crepe

crepe cake
Elizabeth Messina

This bride and groom turned a favorite food (Nutella crepes!) into the ultimate breakfast-inspired wedding cake.

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One-Tiered Surprise

coleen-brandon-wedding-cake-0614.jpg
Landon Jacob

The flavor of this one-tier was a surprise not just for the guests, but also for the newlyweds, who waited until the reception to taste the raspberry crème and almond cake for the first time.

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Couture Cake

kari-charlie-wedding-cake-0314.jpg
Gina Meola Photography

This two-tiered cake by Classic Cakes and Confections, was inspired by the bride's blush pink Monique Lhuillier gown.

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Momofuku Birthday Cake

vanessa-joe-wedding-cake-7938-s111736-1214.jpg
Delbarr Moradi

These newlyweds encouraged their guests to sample the Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake and truffles before dinner even started—and to sample the offerings at the other tables, too.

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Art Deco Design

kelly_mike-wedding-cake-0514.jpg
Mi Belle Photographers

This chocolate-ganache-and-whipped-cream combination shared center stage with two other Art Deco cakes: one carrot cake and the other Nutella hazelnut.

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Minimalist

White buttercream iced two stacked tiers of buttermilk-poppy seed cake with lemon curd, honey-orange mousse, and honey-poached berries
Vicki Grafton Photography

White buttercream iced the two tiers of buttermilk-poppy seed cake with lemon curd, honey-orange mousse, and honey-poached berries in this wedding cake created by Paradox Pastry Café.

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Let Them (All!) Eat Cake

amanda-johnnie-wedding-068-0214.jpg
La Vie Photography

There was already a spread of options available on each table for dinner, so this couple decided to mix up the desserts as well. An all-white single-tiered cake from Lisa Dupar Catering was placed on each table, for those guests to share—the flavors varied from a shaved coconut cream to lemon chiffon and a chocolate mousse ganache.

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Itty-Bitty Buckwheat

caitlin-michael-wedding-cake-802-s111835-0415.jpg
Leila Brewster Photography

Since this couple already served lemongrass cotton cake and peanut cocoa nib meringues to their guests, they decided to make their cutting cake small and single-tiered. The couple went with a simple buckwheat cake with pickled blueberry and lemon cream from the Wythe Hotel caterers. A handful of ranunculus dressed it up.

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Six Small Tiers

Natasja and Rob wedding cake
Elias Kordelakos

Alexandra's Cakes made a tiered naked lemon cake for a small destination wedding that wowed.

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Black and White

christen-billy-wedding-cake-161-011-s111597-1014.jpg
Max & Friends

To provide guests with options, this couple had both a chocolate and vanilla cake served at their reception. To be considerate of food allergies, both single-tiered treats from BabyCakes were gluten- and dairy-free.

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Tiny Triple-Layer

corbin-thatcher-cake-1335-mwds109911.jpg
Elizabeth Messina Photography

A paper elephant created by Concarta topped this three-flavor A Touch of Magic dessert, which had layers of chocolate fudge, biscuit, and Baileys-spiked coffee cake.

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Pink Ombré

erica-steve-rw1013-111.jpg
Sara & Rocky Photography

At a destination wedding in Mexico, ombré ruffles decorated this miniature coconut cake with ganache filling.

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Fresh Flowers

two-tier wedding cake in French vanilla with buttercream icing
Lance Nicoll

This small but striking cake made by Bittersweet Confections is a classic French vanilla with buttercream icing.

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Wildflower Cake

jocelyn-graham-wedding-cake-1132-s111847-0315.jpg
Meg Smith Photography

This couple served The Scottish Bakehouse's small coconut cake with vanilla frosting and lemon curd, which was adorned with strawflowers and wild vetch.

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Vanilla and Berry

lizzy-pat-wedding-cake-171-s111777-0115.jpg
Erin Kate Photography

Since the couple had already served guests their favorite summer treats—including fruit pies and crumbles with local peaches, berries, and apples—they decided to cut into a one-tiered vanilla and berry cake from Le Loup.

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Bitty Brunch Cake

molly-sam-wedding-cake-0614.jpg
Liz Banfield

This couple waited until their morning-after farewell brunch to serve their orange blossom honey sponge cake, kumquat-Champagne confit, and vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream wedding cake.

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Olive Oil

lilly-carter-wedding-cake-00549-s112037-0715.jpg
Gary Ashley for Les Loups

A one-tier olive oil cake, topped with fresh strawberries and macarons, was the perfect dessert for this couple's intimate backyard wedding.

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Lucky Number 3

anjana-trent-wedding-dc-0742-s112345.jpg
Kate Headley

Since three is a lucky number in her culture, this bride decided to have a trio of tiny cakes courtesy of Fluffy Thoughts. The assortment featured a white cake with passionfruit curd, another small cake with blackberry meringue buttercream, and a one-tiered almond cake with salted caramel filling.

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Cake with History

rachel-tyson-wedding-cake-363-s112158-0915.jpg
Rachel Thurston Photography

This one-tiered chocolate wedding cake from Park City Cakes & Confections was completed with the bride's grandparents' vintage topper. Foliage and a simple swirled icing design adorned the small statement-maker.

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Berry Good Wedding Cake

kathryn-jon-wedding-dcr004-s111704_vert.jpg
Leo Patrone

If you want to have florals and eat them too, take a cue from this sweet Maggie Austin cake, topped with sugar flowers and fresh blackberries.

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Rock Candy

edyta-jared-wedding-6448-d110939.jpg
Belathée Photography

This hexagon-shaped cake from Sweet and Saucy Shop fit right in with the couple's gem-themed wedding in Palm Springs. The simple chocolate cake, covered with vanilla buttercream frosting, was adorned with crushed pink rock candy—and even more gems!

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Extra-Small

katty-chris-wedding-tulsa-oklahoma-w551-s112049.jpg
Ryan Ray

Searching for something extra-tiny? Serve each of your guests personal-size cakes like these barrel-style vanilla confections featuring buttercream icing and fresh flowers from Amy Cakes.

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