Wedding cakes are the sweet finish to the big day and the sweet start to a life together. Make a statement with a cake that looks as amazing as it tastes.

"Engaged couples want to design a wedding cake that reflects the couple's personality," says Ksenia B., the owner and chief cake artist of Berrycake Bakery in Austin, Texas. "That's why finding the right cake artist to guide the couple in the creative process is so important."

She recommends that couples make a list of what's important for them in their cake, such as pastel or bold colors, traditional or contemporary design and fresh or edible flowers, and bring those ideas to their wedding cake consultation.

For one cake Bitter created, the couple chose a two-tiered cake decorated with edible painted buttercream roses, peonies and field flowers. "Together we looked at the dress, venue, floral arrangements and their colors to tie all of those elements together in a cake centerpiece," she says.

Michael and Priscilla Sweet, owners of Silver Rose Bakery in Phoenix, notice that every couple has a personality that gets shown in their wedding cake design.

"More relaxed couples will tend to go with simpler designs," they say. "More detailed couples will opt for buttercream piped borders on each tier or add a touch of gold leaf. We also have some adventurous, out-of-the-box couples that will opt for a black cake or incorporate color into the cake."

*Trends

Classic cake flavors such as chocolate ganache, strawberry, vanilla and lemon are still popular, says Bitter. But she also sees many couples getting bold in their flavor choices, including key lime, blueberry lemon, lavender and pistachio raspberry, as well as cocktail inspired flavors such as amaretto, chocolate Bailey's and strawberry champagne.

The Sweets encourage couples to try unexpected flavor combinations. For example, one of their couples chose vanilla cake with a peanut butter buttercream and raspberry filling -- reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The backstory? The groom eats a PB&J every night before going to bed.

"It was the most popular flavor of the night, and those curious enough to ask the couple why they chose it were entertained with a fun story," they say.

Fresh flower cascade placements on a cake are timeless, observes Bitter, who's also getting requests for lifelike sugar flowers, buttercream flowers and hand-painted flowers. She says boho style and ruffled cakes are on the rise, and individual servings such as cupcakes are still in demand.

"A trend that we love is small wedding cakes," notes Bitter. "Just one or two tiers beautifully decorated to reflect the wedding theme and the couple's personality."

*Cake Considerations

Budget is a definite factor when choosing a wedding cake.

"Pinterest cakes come at a Pinterest price," say the Sweets. "All those little additions like gold foil, sugar pearls, textures, etc. have to be applied manually by the cake decorator so naturally, the labor cost will increase."

The guest count helps them determine the size of the cake needed. Next, if you want flowers on the cake, will they be real, synthetic or sugar? Do you have a florist? Do you need a cake topper? How about a cake stand?

The Sweets also encourage couples to consider the time of year and weather for their wedding. They explain that "If their wedding is in June in Arizona at an outdoor barn, there is no way we can deliver a wedding cake at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and expect it to last until cutting."

Instead, they'd recommend a smaller cake and desserts that could be set out at a later time by the venue staff.

Timeline is another consideration. The Sweets advise cutting the cake relatively soon after dinner, instead of later in the evening. That's because guests often leave early and don't get cake and other guests lose interest in cake as the night progresses. If you strike the right balance between all of these factors -- design, flavor, cost and timeline -- you can have your cake and eat it, too.