Every time we put together a wedding cake roundup, I end up with about 40 tabs open and a serious craving for buttercream. This one might be my favorite yet. Western wedding cakes have come a LONG way from the cowboy boot toppers and barbed wire piping you might be picturing (though we did find a cowhide tier or two that we love).
When I interviewed cake designer Andrea Weithers of Sweet Details in Atlanta for my Smart Wedding Planner, she called this trend before I even knew what to search for: “More couples are taking a more artistic approach to their cake and wanting more painterly kind of styles. Also, the Bohemian style with the dried flowers and the pampas grass is really in right now, more of like a rustic kind of glamorous look.”
So that’s what you’ll find here: hand-painted prairie scenes, pressed wildflowers, turquoise conchos, and yes, one cake with a tiny gold longhorn skull. If you’re planning the rest of the day around this look, our favorite country wedding ideas and the best barn wedding venues are good next stops.
The Hand-Painted Cakes That Started This Whole Roundup
The biggest surprise in this batch is how many bakers are painting entire murals on cakes now, and you don’t need fondant to get the look. As Andrea put it: “We can still do watercolor and kind of palette painting and all that with buttercream as well.”
The Rose on the Cake painted a whole countryside scene around one tall tier, with a horse, a farmhouse, and a winding path. This would be adorable at an outdoor venue that looks just like the scenery on the cake.
The same baker painted these cows and horses grazing across the bottom two tiers. This cake is fun and unexpected, yet still elegant.
And one more from The Rose on the Cake, because I couldn’t choose: painted prairie grasses and wildflowers on three tiers, topped with a pair of cuddling foxes. This cake is so sweet, and it works with any animal you love on top.
Cakes by Laura Newhouse painted watercolor mountains, tiny evergreens, and wildflowers around two simple white tiers. This cake is sweet and simple!
This mountain cake from YA Cakes and Catering is such a work of art. The pool of water on top is like something straight out of The Great British Baking Show.
Wildflowers, Two Very Different Ways
Pressed edible wildflowers (pansies, chamomile, and yarrow) on three white tiers from Mrs Wiltshire look beautiful for really any wedding theme, but especially Western.
Annie Bee Cakery wrapped hand-piped wildflower garlands around every tier of this vintage design. I love the sweet details.
Turquoise, Conchos, and Cow Skulls (In a Pretty Way, We Promise)
Most of these came from the treasure trove that is @westernlifeandstyle‘s feed, which is where we go when we want to fall down a Western-decor rabbit hole.
This simple white cake is studded with turquoise and silver concho details. I love the simplicity of this cake. It looks like jewelry I would wear!
These turquoise and rust arrows have gold leaf edges, and the whole cake is displayed on a cowhide. I would opt for a faux fur or hide personally, but otherwise I love this style.
This small Southwestern-stitch cake comes with a cupcake display built from pallet wood. The stitching is so cute!
A white cow skull topper with a copper feather sits over Southwestern tile patterns here. The colors work with so many palettes!
Dulce Custom Cakes gave this gold longhorn skull a daisy crown over a peach Southwestern stencil pattern. The flowers are so unexpected!
Cake Colors You Don’t See Every Day
Four tiers of burnt orange buttercream with cream sugar roses and dark feathers, from Little Cakes Cupcakery. I can taste it from here! I also want to paint a wall in that color. It’s perfection.
We spotted these mocha and chocolate ombre tiers, with a chocolate bark bottom, peach roses, and pampas on top, via Calluna Events. Brown doesn’t always scream “wedding!” but that’s what’s fun about this one.
This rustic sage buttercream from Bowl and Arrow gets red berries and wispy dried stems. I love how this looks like beautiful clay.
Birch Bark, Burlap, and Macramé You Can Eat
Andrea has a rule of thumb I think about every time I see a cake that nails its venue: “I wouldn’t design the same cake for a venue that’s going to be outdoors or at a barn or maybe at a vineyard as I would a ballroom that’s downtown Atlanta.” These four (all via @westernlifeandstyle) belong at the barn, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
These birch bark tiers have the couple’s initials “carved” into a heart. It’s a classic for good reason.
This semi-naked cake is covered in succulents and sits on a wood slice. This will never go out of style.
The ivory scrollwork piping here gets a burlap bow topper and baby’s breath, all on a tree trunk slice. This one is sweet and rustic.
A macramé hanging is piped right down the front of this one, with brushed gold tiers behind it. That macramé is so realistic looking, but it’s actually fondant!
A Little Bit Boho, a Little Bit Western
A little bit boho, a little bit Western. This cake, via Dreamers and Lovers, is adorned with dried flowers and grasses, and it would work in a more upscale wedding venue or even outside.
This one from Fantasia Fondant has map tiers, a wood grain tier, and “Your Forever Adventure Awaits” written in script. It’s a little more rustic than Western, but it can definitely work.
One practical note before you go pin all of these: you probably need less cake than you think. Andrea tells her couples to “plan on about 75 to 80% of your guests eating cake,” and even fewer will grab a slice if it gets served once everyone is on the dance floor. We break down the math in our guide to how much wedding cake you need, and if you’re still torn on style, our tips for picking your wedding cake will help you narrow it down. For more cakes in this lane, we also rounded up our favorite rustic wedding cakes.
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