12 Amazing Vintage Cake Ideas For Your Wedding
Vintage cakes or Lambeth cakes, as they’re sometimes known, have become a huge trend for weddings in 2023 and they don’t look to be slowing down any time soon! Their intricate piping and retro, classic appeal make them a great choice for weddings of all kinds. They have the vibes of a bygone era but have been modernised with fun colour palettes, funky shapes and beautiful styling so they still feel fresh. If you’ve been dreaming of a beautiful vintage cake for your wedding read on for some unique takes on the trend and ideas on how to personalise the design so its the perfect cake for you and your future partner.
1. All White Vintage Cake
Cake: Zoe Clark Cakes
All white is a classic wedding colour palette for a reason. It looks amazing with either a minimalist take or over the top styling. This cake is so elegant and refined, it would fit right in to any beautiful white wedding.
2. Monochrome Vintage Cake
Cake: Debbie Cake Artistry
Similar to the all white version but in colour! A unique colour choice transforms this cake into a really modern take on the vintage trend. The glittered maraschino cherries on top provide just a little pop of contrast and fun which elevates the elegance of the design.
3. Colourful Vintage Cake
Cake: Cakes by Olivia
All white or monochrome cakes are beautiful but you don’t have to limit yourself to one colour if you don’t want to! Up the fun factor with a bright colour palette for your cake. You can match your cake colours to your florals, signage or other elements of your wedding to make the overall styling feel cohesive.
4. Heart Vintage Cake
Forget the standard round cake and say “we’re in love” with an adorable heart shaped cake! This cute shape goes hand in hand with the vintage style and is perfect for any wedding. It looks great in any colour palette and you can customise the message on top to something personal to you or keep it traditional like this one with “Just Married”
5. Tiered Vintage Cake
Cake: The Cake and I Photography: Stefanie Buma Weddings
Talk about nostalgia! This stunning cake doesn’t hold back on the vintage vibes! These pillar supports so eighties but the all white palette and pared back piping keep it feeling modern.
6. Mini Vintage Cakes
Cake: Cookies Cakes and Crumbs
How cute is this!? Imagine having these tiny little vintage cakes as favours or individual desserts for all your guests. Or if you have dessert included as part of your menu so you don’t need a big cake you could sneak off for a private cake cutting moment between you and your partner with a personal mini cake!
7. Vintage Cake with Fresh Flowers
Cake: Hansel and Gretel Cakes Photography: Todd Hunter McGaw
Can’t decide between a vintage style cake and one with fresh flowers? Have both! These styles work so well together without being overwhelming.
8. Vintage Cake with Matching Cupcakes
Cake: Lila Cakeshop
Cupcakes are a popular choice if you need want to provide a sweet treat for guests with dietary requirements. These gorgeous ones were piped to match the main wedding cake which was decorated in a classic vintage style. They could also work on a cupcake tower with a small cutting cake on top (hello high tea with the queen vibes!).
9. Vintage Sheet Cake
Cake: Hello Little Crumb
A sheet can can really make a bold statement (literally!). The large format makes an impact without having to be a towering, multi-tiered cake. It’s an unconventional shape for a wedding cake so its great for fun couples looking to do things a little differently.
10. Cottagecore Vintage Cake
Cake: Desserts by Sonii
A flower cake with a twist! Perfect for a garden wedding this piped floral vintage cake is all kinds of sweet. Its super cute in this heart shape but would also look great as a multi-tiered version with those vines trailing up and around both tiers.
11. Disco Vintage Cake
Cake: Caked By Bryce
Combine two massive wedding trends - vintage cakes and disco balls - in one with this super shiny cake! If you’re asking your cake designer to make something like this make sure they are using EDIBLE glitter, some products are marked only as non-toxic which means they can be used on food as decoration but aren’t meant to be ingested.
12. Black Vintage Cake
Cake: Gemini Cake Design
We started this this with white and we’re ending it with black! Not a choice for everyone but if you’re an edgy couple this could be perfect for you!
Vintage Cake Flavours
Just like the traditional fondant and royal icing on the outside (now replaced with buttercream!), gone is the stodgy fruit cake on the inside! You could go with a vintage inspired flavour like a tea or floral infused sponge, keep it decadent with a champagne buttercream or go for fun with red velvet and cream cheese or vanilla cake layers with sprinkles. You can have layer upon layer of whatever delicious cake flavour your heart desires (and your cake baker has on their menu)!
Vintage Cake Prices
Like any custom cake there’s so many factors that will impact the price of your vintage cake like the size, design details, flavours, the cake decorator’s skill and experience, delivery distance etc etc. Instead of going into all the detail here I recommend checking out this post - How much is a wedding cake in Australia? - for the A-Z of why a wedding cake costs what it does.
When To Order Your Vintage Cake
When it comes to weddings, if you find a vendor you love (like any of the amazing cake designers from above) it’s always best to lock them in as soon as possible. At least 6 months before your wedding day is a good time to get in touch with a cake designer but a popular master baker might be booked out for more than a year in advance so its really never too early to reach out.
DIY Vintage Cake
You might be tempted to grab a piping bag and tip and start pumping out buttercream swirls but if you have your heart set on a vintage cake this is one I'd leave to the professionals. It takes so much practice to get all those vintage piping techniques looking neat and you really dont want the stress of making sure your lines are straight and your swags are even the day before your wedding. Not to mention the anxiety involved in making sure the delivery goes smoothly and the beautiful cake arrives in one piece!!
With so many amazing vintage cake designs possible and endless ways to customise it to your day there really is a vintage cake for everyone. However, if you’re not convinced a vintage cake is right for you check out a host of other cake styles we've made here at Butter over in our gallery.
