Chocolate Waves

Thick, chocolate icing applied in a wave pattern makes this cake as delicious as it is modern. Image: Style Me Pretty

Bright pink rosettes

Buttercream can be dyed any color, including this punchy pink. Done in girly rosettes, this cake would be a nice punch of color on a dessert table. Pair with a ! Image: My Sweet and Saucy

Succulent accented cake

A tip: purchase an inexpensive, basic, white iced cake from your local bakery. Then, accent it with a few succulents. Image: 100 layer cake

Gold Iced Cake

This cake is my favorite! Yummy shiny gold icing. Sign me up. Get the look yourself with edible gold spray paint. Image: Wedding Chicks

$12.42

Naked Layer Cake

Instead of fondant, try leaving the outside of the cake naked. Leaving the cake showing is a modern, unexpected twist on a traditional wedding cake. Image: Style Me Pretty

Ombre Buttercream Cake

Keep the ombre trend alive by icing your wedding cake in monochromatic tones of thick buttercream. Take it up a notch with a modern, metal cake stand. Image: Apt. 2B Baking co

$45

Dainty, simple decorations

Any cake iced with textured buttercream only needs a few, simple, decorations to give it that little extra jazz. Here, lael cakes used sugar to create garlands and glittery fringe. Image: lael cakes

Icing Ribbons

Forget the flat, fondant look and go for something with more texture. Ribbons surrounding your cake, made out of piped icing, are the perfect fit. Image: The Bride's Cafe

Chocolate Dots

These buttercream designs keep getting better! The chocolate dots that surround this cake are my absolute favorite. Image: Snippet & Ink

Ombre, Mint, iced ribbons

This cake hits on three big, current trends: ombre, the color mint, and buttercream ribbons. So pretty it will be hard to cut into. Image: Weddings in Winnipeg

Barely there icing

Have a cake with a distinct filling? This one is filled with rasbperry jam and the barely there icing style lets the yummy interior peek through. Image: wedding chicks