Billowing meringues, floral extravaganzas, designer creations – and that's just the cakes. Celebrity weddings tend to be rather lavish affairs with fabulous outfits, grand venues and glitzy guests, and the much-photographed cake is often the crowning glory. Here's a visual feast of the most memorable we’ve seen, from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s globe-trotting fruit cake to Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s fairy-tale palace creation – believed to be the most expensive celebrity wedding cake ever.
For the now Duke of Sussex's 2018 wedding to actor Meghan Markle, London baker Claire Ptak was tasked with creating a cake fit for a right royal crowd. Breaking with tradition, she went for a lemon and elderflower cake made using elderflower syrup from the trees at the Royal Family’s country retreat, Sandringham Estate. The four-part beauty was finished with white buttercream and fresh flowers.
Not scared to splash the cash for their big day in 2020, actors Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello hosted their celebration at The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and the cake was estimated to cost £6,000 ($6,645). It towered above the bride and groom with five tiers that featured a quilted design and intricate floral arrangements. As if that weren't enough, there was a buffet table of more cakes plus individual desserts.
An elegant yet modest creation befitting the couple themselves, William and Kate’s fruit cake followed the royal tradition of serving a fruit, spice and nut sponge. Historically the dessert symbolised prosperity, plus it has a very long shelf life. Its eight tiers were decorated with sugar flowers including lily of the valley, Irish shamrock, English rose, Scottish thistle and Welsh daffodil, representing all countries in the UK. The couple, now Prince and Princess of Wales, married in April 2011. The cake remains a classic.
We love this kitsch creation enjoyed by the King of Rock n' Roll and his queen, Priscilla, at their 1967 wedding at the Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas. Made by a pastry chef at the resort, it featured six layers of yellow sponge sandwiched with apricot marmalade and kirsch-flavoured Bavarian cream. It was decorated with kirsch-flavoured fondant, royal icing and marzipan roses, and featured the couple's names.
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In this fantastic throwback picture of football hero David Beckham and fashion icon Victoria at their 1990s wedding, once you draw your eyes away from the matching purple outfits, the next thing you might notice is the rather original wedding cake. Posh and Becks went for a three-tier design decorated with green foliage and ruby red apples. All we can say is times and tastes have moved on, but this vintage masterpiece will be remembered.
When Hollywood actor Grace Kelly and the dashing Rainier III, Prince of Monaco came together in the 1950s, their love story captivated the world. The lavish wedding at Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral, a year after they met, didn’t disappoint fans. The highlight of the royal feast – in which the timeless beauty became Princess of Monaco – was a six-tier cake designed by the Hotel de Paris' pastry chefs and, when Rainier cut into it with his sword, two turtle doves were released.
In a chic, rather minimalist statement, actor turned wellness blogger Gwyneth Paltrow and TV producer Brad Falchuk opted for individual cakes instead of a single showstopper for their wedding in 2018, so they could serve both carrot cake (Gwyneth’s choice) and chocolate and vanilla (Brad’s choice) to guests. Brooklyn bakery Nine Cakes made the conflicting flavours fit the theme by decorating them in the "naked" style, where you can see the sponge layers through the frosting.
When Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip married in 1947, the country was still getting over World War II and rationing remained in place. So how was a cake fit for a king and queen supposed to be created? The answer: dried fruit was flown in from Australia and rum and brandy imported from South Africa to complete the nine-foot (2.7m) and 500lb (227kg) masterpiece. Later, one layer was sent back to Australia and another to Nigeria, to thank each country for the ingredients.
A strong competitor for the title of tallest wedding cake, Bollywood actor Asin Thottumkal and her partner, Micromax founder Rahul Sharma, opted for a 10-tier tower at their nuptials, held at the luxurious Dusit Devarana resort in Delhi, India in 2016. It had a vanilla sponge, white icing, gold ribbon and pastel-hued sugar roses – a vision made a reality by a chef at the hotel.
Though model and internet personality Chrissy Teigen admits she’s not a dessert person, the wedding cake design she chose for her 2013 wedding to singer John Legend at Italy's Lake Como was timeless. She initially wanted a crêpe cake filled with raspberry sauce and cream, but eventually opted for a four-tiered "naked" carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a foliage bouquet.
This four-tiered wedding cake isn’t as tall or as elaborate as some others we’ve seen, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s plain. This cake, for the 2012 wedding of actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, was a vanilla and sour cream-flavoured sponge with peach apricot preserve and Earl Grey milk chocolate buttercream. And it wasn't the only dessert, either. The movie stars had a whole table of treats, curated by none other than famous chef Martha Stewart, at their Virginia celebrations.
The 2011 wedding between Albert II, Prince of Monaco – son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco – and former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock (now Princess of Monaco) was a star-studded affair with celebrities and heads of state in attendance. The wedding cake had to fit the bill, and the designer didn’t let the couple down. It was a five-tier redcurrant and vanilla cake reminiscent of a blossoming plant. It was decorated with South Africa’s national flower, the protea, to honour Charlene’s heritage.
Compared to some cakes on this list, American actor Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra’s wedding cake – served at their 1966 Las Vegas wedding at the Sands Hotel – was a relatively modest affair, yet perfect for the setting. It featured three tiers and a trio of white swans, and the maker really went to town with the pastel pink and blue piping.
The cake served at the wedding of JFK – then a senator – to the soon-to-be Jackie Kennedy was the start of a new tradition. The white cake was filled with raspberry preserve and slathered in frosting for their 1953 nuptials in Newport, Rhode Island, and since then a number of US presidents have chosen the classic combo for their inaugural balls. It was made extra special for the future president and first lady's big day with five tiers, each painstakingly decorated in piping and crowned with a bouquet.
Looking like something out of a dream, the wedding cake of pop star Nick Jonas and actor Priyanka Chopra, served at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, India in 2018, is believed to be the most expensive in celebrity history. The seven-tier creation came complete with windows, arches, gold pillars and a dome, and is thought to have cost £15,000 ($16,717).
A cake so big it had to be cut with a sword, the pièce de résistance at the 2017 wedding of rapper Gucci Mane and entrepreneur Keyshia Ka’oir, held at the Four Seasons Miami, stood at over 10 feet (3m) tall. It was so large it was able to incorporate multiple flavours including red velvet, amaretto, carrot, banana nut and Jamaican rum. Just to jazz it up a little, the tiers were dripping with Swarovski crystals.
Who said wedding cakes have to be white? British diving champion Tom Daley and US screenwriter Dustin Lance Black dared to be different with a red, white and blue dessert inspired by the Union Jack and American Flag at their 2017 celebration at Bovey Castle, Devon. In place of husband and wife figurines, they went for their initials as a modern take on the classic cake toppers.
The Hawaiian beachside wedding between former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and singer Lauren Hashian in 2019 was a low-key family affair. In keeping with the theme, the pair did away with an extravagant multi-tiered creation and instead opted for a simple (but no less beautiful) cake to mark the occasion. It was a white frosted sponge with rainbow accents.
Turning the classic wedding cake on its head (quite literally), The Big Bang Theory actor Kaley Cuoco and American tennis player Ryan Sweeting stunned guests at their New Year’s Eve union in 2013 with a chandelier cake suspended from the ceiling. The gravity-defying work of art was thought up by Food Network judge and cake artist Kimberly Bailey, and was held together by a pole through the middle and planks between each layer.
At the unconventional Brooklyn wedding of Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley and singer Domino Kirke in 2017, the pair had a pared-back vegan cake that totally suited the mood. It had one marbled layer, three naked layers, orange blossom sponge, chocolate icing and lavender icing. It was decorated with fresh kumquats, Turkey figs and blackberries for a fresh, unique look.
Yet another royal dessert featuring an entirely different design from the last, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding cake, served at Windsor Castle in 2018, had a decidedly autumnal feel. It was a five-tier red velvet and chocolate cake, covered in white icing and decorated with the couple’s initials and sugar ivy. It took a staggering 400 eggs and at least 53 packs of butter to bake it.
At the wedding of the century, the July 1981 union of the Prince of Wales, now King Charles II, and Princess Di (then Diana Spencer), there were a mind-blowing 27 cakes on display. The main one, which stood at five feet (1.5m) tall, had white icing, the Windsor and Spencer coats of arms and the royal couple’s initials. It took 14 weeks to make and it seems slices are still in circulation – one recently sold on eBay for £1,850 ($2,562).