I’m hardly the first to this party, but I thought it was high time I shared this gorgeous trend that has taken the wedding world by storm in the last year. Hand painted cakes are the ultimate in cake art – fondant that has been either stencilled or painted free hand for spectacularly lovely results. Each cake is as unique as the artist who creates them – some are super feminine and delicate, with representations of flowers, birds and romantic patterns like delft and toile. Some use more graphic patterns. Many have been inspired by decorative wallpaper at venues, wedding invitations, etc. As someone who has zero art skills, this is definitely one I would leave to the pros, but in fact if you or someone close to you is a talented illustrator, I’ve read that the technique is relatively straightforward and plain fondant cakes are definitely affordable. So it doesn’t have to be a trend reserved for celebrities and zillion dollar brides, although it certainly requires patience and talent! Here’s some eye candy from around the web to show you just how many lovely possibilities there are.

Image credits – 1: Segerius Bruce/The Cake Parlour (left); The Butter End/Amy and Stuart Photography/Pryor Events via Style Me Pretty (right); 2: Charm City Cakes via Wedding Wire (left); via Cake Central (right); 3: Nevie Pie Cakes (left); The Butter End (right); 4: EFC Photography/Cakes by Krishanthi; 5: Alexandria Pellegrino via Martha Stewart (left); Maggie Austin Cake via The Bride’s Cafe (right); 6: Tara Donne via Real Simple (left); Maggie Austin Cake via Green Wedding Shoes (centre); Kristen Booth/Aislinn Events/The Cloudberry Bakery via One Fab Day (right); 7: Nevie Pie Cakes (left); Three Little Blackbirds via Cake Central (right); 8: Jo Tyler via Santa Barbara Chic (left); Fancy Nancy via  (right); 9: Claire Mossong /The Heirloom via Magnolia Rouge (left); Nevie Pie Cakes (right); 10: Debi Hall of Just Simply Delicious via The Aisle Style (left); Bryan N. Miller Photography/Wedding Elegance by Nahid/Sweet Cheeks Baking Company via Ruffled (right)