The ceremony is over, the toasts have been made and it's time for the cake. It's usually the last thing that's served at a wedding, so it's one of the most vivid memories the guests take with them, said Mark Brickman, pastry chef and owner of Baker's Man, Inc.

That's why the perfect wedding cake has to be moist and delicious as well as stunningly beautiful. Most brides choose a simple, elegant cake design with cream or white icing and touches of color. But not always.

LaCour Photography (ENLARGE)

Mark Brickman's award-winning 'Defying Gravity' cake is iced with Swiss vanilla buttercream. The ribbon is created from edible colored fondant and the creation serves 190 guests. Brickman owns Baker's Man Inc. Flowers are by Chuck Henry Designs.

Courtesy Caryn Nash (ENLARGE)

Traditionally, cake layers are round, but many brides opt for square layers, as seen in this cake by Caryn Nash of Cakes by Caryn Nash.

Courtesy Caryn Nash (ENLARGE)

This cake by Caryn Nash of Cakes by Caryn Nash Designs reflects the groom's passion for cars.

Some brides go a different route, choosing whimsical cakes — elaborate confections with topsy-turvy layers and colored polka dots, stripes or swirls, Brickman said.

He created an "edible work of art" for a wedding at the King Plow Arts Center and won the Allie Award for the best cake presentation in Atlanta from the hospitality industry's professional organizations.

The four-layer cake, called "Defying Gravity" features fondant-ribbon-adorned layers in different shapes that look like they're teetering erratically, with flowers in between.

While round layers are the more traditional choice when it comes to cake shapes, modern square layers are also popular, said Caryn Nash, owner of Cakes by Caryn Nash. Some brides choose to mix up the shapes, combining hexagons, squares and circles.

While looks matter, taste is just as important, and bakers also get creative with flavors.

Dry, tasteless wedding cakes are a thing of the past, Nash said. Instead, cakes are likely to be filled with nontraditional and fun flavors, such as chocolate cake with Reese's peanut butter cup filling or Oreos and whipped cream, amaretto buttercream or raspberry ganache.

"It's very popular to mix up all the tiers with different flavors," Nash said. "I don't advise that at a formal sit-down dinner, but for a buffet, it's fun and appeals to all kinds of palates," Nash said.

Brickman often takes a different approach to mixing up the flavors. Instead of a different flavor in each level, he combines the flavors in each tier, with three layers of cake and two layers of filling in each so that every serving includes all the flavors.

A popular combination is white cake for the two outer layers and chocolate buttermilk cake in the middle. Fillings are white chocolate buttercream with a thin line of Swiss strawberry marmalade and caramel-almond toffee buttercream.

Lighter fillings such as raspberry, key lime, peach or lemon are a popular choice for summer and spring weddings, with a combination of fresh fruit and fondant embellishment on the outside.

For spring and summer weddings, Nash suggests using flowers or fruit as decorations instead of a traditional cake topper. Big fondant bows or the couple's monograms are also used as toppers. A quirky twist on the traditional bride-and-groom topper is making a comeback in some circles: The 21st century version of the classic topper features a bride dragging the groom to the altar.

When it comes to grooms' cakes, most couples let their imaginations run wild.

"That's where they have the fun. Every groom's cake is a little different. I've done everything from poker to Turner Field to cars and even a moose head for a groom whose nickname is Moose, and a muscular arm with a tattoo for a bodybuilder," she said.

For grooms' cakes, Brickman has created three-dimensional replicas of a pickup truck, a vintage Mustang, an airplane and an Atlanta police car.

"Chocolate is still the most popular flavor, but carrot cakes, cheesecakes and other flavors are possible. It all depends on what the couple enjoys," he said.

If the cake is served as dessert, plan on one piece per person. If you're serving other desserts or have a pastry table, plan on less.

To ensure that you get the cake of your dreams, cake designers suggest that you book your baker six months to a year before the wedding.

Choose a baker who will deliver the cake personally and fix anything that may go wrong in transit.