Just as a beautiful wedding outfit and stunning flowers are key to a gorgeous wedding day, so is a fabulous wedding cake. But just as you might choose to wear a dress with a train, a gown, a short number or even a jumpsuit, did you know there are myriad different wedding cake styles? Here’s what to consider when choosing the most stylish wedding cake for you.

4 Factors That Determine Your Wedding Cake Style

When planning a wedding, you’ve considered everything: the venue, the dress code, the number of guests… and don’t forget to consider your wedding cake, too. Here are 4 things to remember when choosing your wedding cake style.

The Wedding Venue

If you’ve got a fabulous ceremony planned for a five-star hotel or grand ballroom, an elaborate cake with multiple tiers is probably fine. Same goes for if you simply can’t go without an ice cream cake: the venue will most likely have a large enough cold room in their kitchen to store your cake. If, however, you’re getting married in a barn, on a beach, or in a grassy meadow, you’re better off planning to have a wedding cake that won’t be at risk of toppling over or melting into a puddle before you get to cut a slice.

The Wedding Theme

Just as your venue will help determine your guests’ dress code and wedding reception menu, it should inform your wedding cake style, too. For a rustic outdoor wedding, for instance, you might eschew a traditional cake for a stack of cheese wheels; similarly, colorful wedding cake icing might be perfectly suitable for a tropical destination wedding.

The Season

No, you don’t necessarily need to serve hot chocolate and tea at a winter wedding, but you’re probably going to avoid having an ice cream wedding cake. But how cute would miniature popsicles be for all your guests, if you’re getting married somewhere hot, and as an ultra-refreshing alternative to a slice of wedding cake?

The Wedding Program

If you have an elaborate wedding program planned—think lots of photos, lots of speeches, lots of toasts, lots of people in the wedding party—you’re not likely to get around to cutting the wedding cake for quite a few hours. Again, you’ll want a cake that can withstand this, both in terms of taste and structure (meringues fall, ice cream melts, some things simply taste less fresh after a few hours sitting out).

Different Wedding Cake Styles and Flavors

Now that we’ve covered some of the factors that will determine what kind of wedding cake you choose, here are 5 of the most popular styles and flavors right now.

Rustic, Country Themed Wedding Cake

Gone are the days when a wedding cake had to be pristine and smooth to be considered perfect. These days, especially for outdoor weddings, it’s popular for wedding cakes to feature natural touches such as gorgeous greenery and woodland or chic, rustic details: think crawling vines, edible twigs and twine, and flavors such as fig, pear, and woodland berries.

Boho Chic Wedding Sponge Cake

There’s nothing wrong with buttercream frosting, but when it comes to a carefree, boho vibe, a ‘naked’ wedding cake style is an excellent choice. Opt for tiers of vanilla sponge cake decorated with plenty of icing sugar and delicious, dripping jam.

Colored or Chocolate Wedding Cake

Sure, the typical wedding cake is white or cream, but these days, anything goes. Pastel-hued wedding cakes are becoming more and more common, and who doesn’t love chocolate cake? When it comes to these more unusual wedding cake styles, simply choose an icing style that works with the rest of your wedding: perfect and piped for a traditional church or hotel wedding; loosely, liberally dusted with icing sugar for a more casual event.

The Tried and True Wedding Cake

Three or four tiers of cake, covered in white icing may seem traditional, but even if it looks conventional on the outside, why not surprise your guests with a unique flavor inside? Instead of classic vanilla sponge cake, for instance, go for lemon, passionfruit, or even coconut.

The Personality Wedding Cake

Just as your wedding day is, indeed, YOUR day, your wedding cake should be something you absolutely love—and love planning. For some couples, that means a wedding cake that defies all convention. Want a red velvet wedding cake? Go for it. Prefer cupcakes or cake pops over a wedding cake? Why not. Hate sugar and sweets but love cheese? Why not stack cheese wheels and decorate with grapes, honey and biscuits instead. Not only does skipping a traditional wedding cake mean you can design something of your own—whatever you want!—it can also be a more cost-effective, memorable option for your big day.

At the end of the day, whatever type of wedding cake (or wedding cake alternative) you choose, just make sure it’s delicious, and that you and your partner both love it. Beyond that, well, the sky’s the limit when it comes to wedding cake styles.