Sheet Cakes Are Going to Be the Biggest Wedding Reception Trend of 2025—Here Are 5 Ideas to Inspire Your Own Dessert

It wouldn’t be fair to say that traditional wedding cakes—think two- or three-tier confections piped with buttercream and finished with a topper—have fallen out of popularity at today’s celebrations, but there have been signs that sentiments towards these timeless big-day desserts are changing. Over the past decade, we’ve watched couples gravitate towards a slew of wedding cake alternatives; many duos have opted for cake-adjacent desserts, like pies and ice cream cakes, or overloaded dessert tables or stations (think gelato carts or candy bars), instead. The most recent wedding trend to hit today’s receptions is one of the most interesting we’ve seen yet, and is just another sign that wedding desserts are always evolving. In 2025, to-be-weds aren’t skipping the cake, per se—they’re just rethinking its shape. 

Instead of round and stacked cake layers, couples are opting for a singular flat and rectangular one. That’s right: We’re officially living the age of the wedding sheet cake. Though sheet cakes at weddings might feel like a brand-new concept (they’re often reserved for more casual gatherings, like birthdays or milestone anniversary celebrations), they’ve actually almost always been part of these parties—you just haven’t seen them on display. Wedding cake bakers often rely on sheet cakes at large events when the three-tier the couple ordered won’t be enough to feed the crowd. They’re also markedly easier to cut (you’re simply slicing on a grid!) than round cakes, which lightens the load for catering staff and helps get that dessert course out the door faster.

These days, though, couples are bringing sheet cakes to the front of the house and dressing them up with all the trendy fixings, from Lambeth piping and cherries to tiny ribbon bows and text. Some are about the size you’d see at a birthday party; others span the length of reception tables, where they serve as edible centerpieces. All of these confections, though, have that cool, effortless, of-the-moment vibe that so many couples are chasing for their nontraditional nuptials. Ahead, we—with the help of two wedding cake bakers—track the origins of the wedding sheet cake trend and share five desserts you might want to consider for your own event.

Where Did the Wedding Sheet Cake Trend Come From?

According to Pip O’Shea, the founder of Good Good Cake and a baker of many wedding sheet cakes, this dessert trend is a sign of a larger change happening at today’s nuptials. “This shift is part of a broader one! I think people want to be less fussy and more organic,” she says. “Sheet cakes give that casual, yet fun vibe that couples are wanting right now—think the al fresco style.” The sheet cake trend certainly might have been born out of the rise of al fresco weddings in Italy, which was arguably the most popular destination for weddings in 2024; the traditional Italian wedding cake, millefoglie, for example, may be round, but it is a single layer (or at least, it looks like it!).

Nicole Redd-McIntosh, the founder of Nicole Bakes Cakes, believes that couples are deciding to finally show off a cake that has always been part of the big-day lexicon, but in a quiet, under-the-radar way. She thinks it’s time that sheet cakes have their moment at weddings: “Sheet cakes are cakes nonetheless, and they can be beautiful and displayed just like any other cake!”

The Pros and Cons of Wedding Sheet Cakes

When it comes to wedding sheet cakes, the pros list is quite long. “They’re easier to transport, and more capable of withstanding the summer heat,” explains O’Shea. “They're also easier to portion—and a larger surface area means you can really mound on the decorations and extras.” They’re also a catering team’s dream: The biggest advantage to having a sheet cake at your wedding is that they’re incredibly simple to cut. “They’re much easier to cut than a round or tiered cake,” affirms O’Shea. “You just follow a basic grid to get even-sized pieces. If you're planning on cutting it yourself, it’ll make things a lot easier!”

As for the cons? “You won’t have that traditional wedding cake ‘style,’” of a stacked and round confection, explains Redd-McIntosh—but that isn’t necessarily a downside for today’s couples who want something different. “They don’t have as much of the ‘wow factor’ impact as a traditionally tiered tall cake,” agrees O’Shea, who proposes a few simple solutions to maximize impact. “You can easily make up for that, though, by making them extra long—or even adding tiers, as well.”

The Cost of a Wedding Sheet Cake vs. a Tiered Cake

Price doesn’t factor into that pros or cons list because wedding sheet cakes cost the same as traditional tiered confections, say our experts. “For me, the price is the same because a sheet cake requires the same amount of work, frosting, etc.,” explains Redd-McIntosh. O’Shea seconds this, adding that when ordering any big-day dessert, the level of detail and embellishment will always inform the bottom line. “Cost will vary depending on how wild you want to go,” she says. “There's not that much of a difference if you’re piling on the seasonal fruit, flowers, buttercream, decorations, etc.”

Are Wedding Sheet Cakes Right for Your Celebration?

“Having a sheet cake at your wedding could say, ‘I'm unfussy, I'm practical, I don't need anything too fancy,’” says O’Shea, “but you really can dress them up to the point where they can hold their own against the frothiest and tallest tiered cakes—so don't overlook a sheet cake when deciding what you want.” As for whether or not wedding sheet cakes are a flash in the (cake) pan? Both our experts think they’re here to stay, so you shouldn’t worry about your dessert looking dated in photographs (though, given the resurgence of retro cakes and Victorian-inspired piping, "dated" desserts are officially in!). Redd-McIntosh, however, doesn’t think sheet cakes will ever replace tiered iterations at weddings. “This trend is here to stay, but I don’t think it will overtake regular tiered cakes,” she says. “I do think couples who want to be a little different and unique will choose this style.”

5 Wedding Sheet Cake Ideas to Inspire Your Own

The below desserts are photo evidence that sheet cakes deserve the spotlight. Here are five creations to inspire your own.

Extra-Long

Here’s proof that wedding sheet cakes can have the same splash and pizzazz as an extra-tall, multi-tiered confection. Redd-McIntosh simply extended the length to give this simple buttercream cake some extra oomph. “These are gaining traction because they are different and can be displayed in a lot of ways,” she says. We’re partial to the idea of swapping out your head table centerpieces for a massive confection like this one that spans the length of the station—you’ll need the space to display something this large!

Another takeaway from this larger-than-life dessert? Note the fruit toppings; Redd-McIntosh turned to halved and quartered stone fruits and strawberries to make the dessert feel just right for a summer celebration.

Just Married

The sheet cakes you see at birthday parties typically have a sweet message stretched across the center. We encourage you to lean into that messaging if you opt for a wedding sheet cake; consider cute phrases like “just married” (which O’Shea turned to here), “you + me 4ever,” or “we do”—or choose the personal route (short inside jokes and pet names are great choices, too).

Stacked Sheet Cakes

We know that the draw of the wedding sheet cake is that it’s a single layer—but hear us out on doubling up. Keep the upper layer small to keep the focus on the rectangular shape, and then cover all that extra blank canvas with some intricate piping. O’Shea dressed up this double decker with Lambeth piping and cherries (two cake topping trends you should expect to see everywhere in 2025). 

Lambeth Piping 

Sheet cakes and Lambeth piping are a match made in heaven, and while you’ve seen the Victorian piping style splashed across other aforementioned cakes, you haven’t seen it done quite like this. O’Shea actually used a mix of piping types across this multi-colored confection, which featured Lambeth’s signature swags and dainty rosettes.

Overgrown

Move over pressed flowers: A sheet cake’s flat surface offers plenty of space for a garden of fresh sprigs. Make like O’Shea and “plant” stems of your choosing (she went for thistle, hydrangea, and dill) into the frosting for an overgrown effect; use blooms that vary in length for a more organic feel. Bonus points if you fill in the negative space with tonal piping and fresh pearls for a little something special.