Dressing up a wedding cake with fresh blooms makes for a naturally fresh and beautiful look, no matter what. But what about adding an unexpected touch of greenery to the mix? Enter: succulent wedding cakes.
Whether embracing a modern, nature-inspired, or boho vibe, adding succulents to a wedding cake design can create such a stunning statement. Plus, there are plenty of options to pair a succulent wedding cake with any theme or style of wedding. “Casual backyard weddings are perfect for succulent cakes,” says Andrea Carusetta, owner of Sedona Cake Couture. “A naked cake with touches of gold leafing and adorned with fresh succulents will do the trick. But, a fabulous formal wedding with a marbled fondant cake and sugar paste succulents is also sure to wow guests!”
Meet the Expert
Andrea Carusetta is the owner of Sedona Cake Couture, an artisan cake studio based in Sedona, Arizona with a focus on handcrafting sugar succulents.
The succulent family of plants covers a number of bases, including the classic potted varieties of succulents, along with aloe vera and agave plants and all varieties of cacti. Succulents can be added to a cake in a number of ways, all depending on the design style. “Succulents made from gum paste look very realistic and can be colored with powdered food colors to enhance them,” says Carusetta. Buttercream frosting can also be used to craft smaller cacti, or you might opt for a cute cactus cake topper or a few real succulents dotted on each tier.
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You can choose to embrace a complementary color palette including hues such as smoky blue, grey, and green, along with subtle purples or pinks to create a beautiful display. Or, pair your succulents with additional blooms. “Succulents pair well with other flowers such as garden roses, peonies, and purple thistle,” adds Carusetta. The options are seemingly endless!
Think a succulent wedding cake is perfect for you? Read on for 22 of our favorites.
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Add a Metallic Touch
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Just a few succulents paired with gold leaf detailing and a bit of texture makes for a gorgeous, boho-inspired look, proving that a simple metallic touch can bring a display together so beautifully.
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Succulents with Artful Chocolate Accents
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The succulents can totally take center stage in your wedding cake. With this three-tier masterpiece, the designer used fudge to create a drip-design across the cake and used bunches of succulents in various sizes to bring a freshness to the dessert.
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Keep It Simple
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Consider showcasing succulents in a simple, beautiful way. This three-tiered confection highlights these popular plants at two strategic spots, each featuring succulents entirely made out of sugar.
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Incorporate Hand-Painted Details
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Who says a succulent cake needs to be entirely focused on green hues? We love how this cake incorporates complementary colors with a hand-painted design on a fondant canvas alongside real blooms.
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Pair Succulents With Ruffles
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Succulents don’t need to be reserved just for spring or summer weddings. A simple textured ruffled cake paired with a few pretty succulents can be the perfect soft look for a winter wedding as well.
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Add a Statement Topper
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We love the way greenery pops against this two-tiered, semi-naked cake. This is the perfect cake for an outdoor summer wedding, adorned with a cactus cake topper to make a bold statement.
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Incorporate Plenty of Plants
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If you really want to tie your obsession with succulents into your cake design, don’t be afraid to go all out! Succulents are such a delicate plant, and adding plenty of pops of sage green with a bit of purple makes a stunning outdoor display for an otherwise simple white cake.
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Create a Succulent Garden
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Hoping to serve a cute display of cupcakes instead? Succulents are the perfect way to dress up these mini desserts. We love the way these cupcakes are decorated with different succulent designs, all coming together to form a garden of sweets.
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Add a Print
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Adding a few cacti to serve as a bold topper is such a fun option for a southwestern wedding. But an edible printed wrap adds an unexpected pop of color to this desert-inspired cake.
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Go for a Touch of Glam
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Pairing succulents with additional grasses and a pop of metallic is such a great way to achieve a bobo-meets-glam look. We love the way this cake brings together so many natural hues to create a gorgeous palette.
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Create a Natural Display
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Are you and your partner total nature lovers? Succulents may be the perfect complement for your cake. You can take it one step even further and add plenty of other greenery to your confection, such as edible moss and hand-painted leaf detailing.
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Embrace the Seaside
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Even if you’re planning a seaside celebration, succulents can still be a perfect fit. Handcrafted seashells and starfish made out of gum paste or fondant are such a beautiful complement to sea-hued succulents.
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Pair With Plenty of Fruit
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Just a few succulents can go a long way, especially if a cake design incorporates plenty of other décor and flavor elements. This five-tiered confection is decked out in a caramel drip with plenty of fruit, but it’s the greenery added that really ties the design together.
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Make it Metallic
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A few cacti on the top of the cake is a lovely look for a southwestern wedding, but adding in a metallic drip takes it to a whole new level. We love the rose gold drip added to this simple cake to bring together a beautiful desert-inspired sweet.
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Go Bold With Citrus
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Succulents don’t have to be the star of the show on a cake, but they certainly make a stunning addition to round things out. We can’t get over the beautiful pops of citrus dotted throughout this four-tiered cake paired so perfectly with one succulent for a bit of greenery.
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Add a Simple Topper
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Only wanting to add a simple pop of color? A cute cactus topper will do the trick! We love the textured fondant exterior of this three-tiered cake, paired with the sweetest prickly pear cactus on top with a handcrafted flower.
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Add a Chocolate Drip
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Adding a chocolate drip is one of the best ways to dress up a smooth cake to add a bit of contrast. But pairing a chocolate drip with succulents takes it one step further, creating a beautiful display with just a hint of a rustic feel.
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Opt for Ombré
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Talk about a gorgeous color palette for an outdoor wedding! We love the pink ombré buttercream on this single-tiered cake, paired with a few succulents for the sweetest look.
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Highlight One Tier
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Adding in one simple succulent can completely elevate the look of a collection of blooms and greenery on a cake. We love the simple rustic flair added to this three-tiered cake, with the middle tier drawing your eyes to the stunning concrete design.
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Go Green
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This decorated confection is the perfect example of how so many details can be crafted out of sugar. The handmade succulents on this three-tiered cake not only add stunning detail, but they’re also all totally edible.
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Create a Cascade
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We love the way succulents were made to be the star of the show on this two-tiered cake. Fondant adds a modern geometric pattern, paired with multiple succulents and cacti for a gorgeous boho vibe.
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Commission a Masterpiece
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Adding in a few succulents can be the perfect way to tie together a tropical theme. We love the way hand-painted detailing is paired with bright, bold blooms and succulents on this incredible cake.
