Just because you’re not having a big wedding does NOT mean you can’t still have some of the more traditional aspects if they appeal to you. 

And, we don’t know about you, but we think cake is aaaaaalways a good idea. 

So, we’re going to share all of our favorite elopement cake photos from over the years, as well as all our top advice for choosing an elopement cake, transporting it AND making sure it looks good on the day.

Why have an elopement cake?

It helps your elopement day to feel special and celebratory

Think about it….

We, as humans, across the globe use food and drink as a way to celebrate and signify the importance of some of our lives’ biggest moments. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays: food is a BIG deal.

And a pretty cake always highlights a super special occasion.

When you elope and you don’t have all the ‘hurrah’ of a big, traditional wedding it’s important that you still find meaningful ways of saying ‘Hey, this is a big deal’.

Cutting a cute elopement cake cake together is the perfect way to do that!

An elopement cake makes for some really fun photos!

If you’ve got a photographer booked for your big day, they’ll be sure to get some beautiful photos of your elopement cake, adding some great variety to your full gallery. 

Shots of the cake against whatever landscape you’re eloping in, close ups of any cute details of the cake, shots of you cutting it together, and of you feeding each other the first bite if you like that tradition.

Tucking into your elopement cake allows you to slow down

Often it can feel like your wedding day is moving FAST: one minute you’re getting ready, the next you’ve shared vows and are MARRIED!! 

Cutting your cake is fun for the photo op, but now take the time to sit down, actually EAT it and soak in the moment together. Use it as a time to take a deep breath, look around, register your emotions and take mental photographs of everything you want to remember.

Your cake is a sweet way to add a little personalized, custom touch to your elopement day

From picking out your favorite flavor, to designing the aesthetics of the cake, to choosing some cute decor…

All of these things help you put your own stamp on your elopement day and really make it your own.

Lastly…. Ummmm, cake’s DELICIOUS?!

Sorry to state the obvious here, but YUM: a good cake is so darned tasty, who wouldn’t want that on their wedding day?!

Even better, when you’re eloping you don’t have to share it with 100 other people! It’s your’s, all your’s. 

Meaning, leftovers with coffee for breakfast the next day? Yes please.

How to choose an elopement cake

Sizing

Typically, a 6 inch, single tier, 3-4 layer cake is going to be perfect for your 2 person, intimate elopement. Even if you’re bringing a few guests along, it will still be plenty big enough. Aesthetically, we think these dimensions look AMAZING.

If you’re bringing more guests OR you personally just prefer the aesthetics, you may opt for a 2 tier elopement cake. Just bear in mind, the bigger the cake the harder it can be to transport and manage on a practical level.

Flavor

Truly, there’s no right or wrong here. Since you’re not having a big wedding, you don’t need to choose a ‘crowd pleaser’ flavor, so it’s whatever you and your partner will enjoy!

You can stick to a classic like vanilla, chocolate or red velvet, or branch out to something like lavender, citrus or even funfetti!

Icing

Your baker can advise on this, but make sure your elopement cake has a suitable icing for the kind of day you’re planning. Swiss buttercream, for example, is delicious but doesn’t hold up well in the heat. Italian buttercream or cream cheese frosting both do MUCH better.

Design

You can go classic, you can go bold, you can go white, you can go colorful, you can go simple, you can go ornate… In fact, you can do whatever you want, such is the freedom of eloping!

We’d suggest looking through this blog for some inspiration, as well as on Pinterest, and saving the ones you like. Then find a baker who can create an elopement cake similar to what you’re envisioning.

How to transport your elopement cake

Depending on where you’re eloping, you may need to take some serious care to make sure your cake gets there in one piece and still looks fresh.

Don’t worry, having helped 100+ couples transport their elopement cake, we’ve got plenty of advice for you! 

First of all, have a transparent chat with your baker. Make sure they know where you’re planning to take your cake: to a venue with access to a fridge, or down a bumpy dirt road to a remote cliffside overlook?! That knowledge will help them advise you on what will work best.

Once you have your cake, keep it super duper refrigerated until right before you leave for your elopement.

When you’re ready to set off, get it secured in your vehicle. You’ll want to place it on a flat surface, such as the floor or trunk, and make sure it’s gently padded and wedged in, perhaps with bags or jackets. Just be careful not to press the sides of the box in forcefully! Alternatively, if the box is small enough, we’ve often put the cake in a cooler, using towels to wedge it in place.

Now, crank up the AC! The plan is to keep the cake as chilled as possible.

Drive CAREFULLY! Watch out for sharp turns or speed bumps.

Ideally, you want to get your elopement cake to ‘room temp’ before eating it to maximise the texture and flavor. This might be 2-3 hrs if you’re in an air con venue, equally it could be 5-10 mins if you’re outdoors in the blazing desert sun! If in doubt, we’d say err on the side of caution. Better a cake that’s a little too chilled than completely melted!

If your cake gets a little damaged during transit, don’t stress! Usually, we can easily disguise the damage, especially for photos, with careful positioning, by adding a little extra flower or two, or even editing out a little flaw if needed.

(Not exaggerating, their dog took a HUGE bite out of this cake before they got to it themselves but, with careful positioning, you can barely tell in photos!)

Where to buy your elopement cake

You’ve got lots of options, depending on where you’re eloping, the type of cake you’re after and your budget.

A wedding cake bakery

Your first choice will be to look for a local baker who specializes in wedding cakes. If you’re planning an urban elopement in a big city you’ll have a ton of great choices, no problem! If you’re eloping in the middle of nowhere out in the wilds, you might have fewer to choose from. In that situation, any ‘bakery’ might do the job: it doesn’t have to be a ‘wedding cake’ to do the job just fine.

Your first port of call should be to ask your photographer or planner for recommendations! They typically will have a whole network of vendors, including bakers, that they can recommend to you.

If not, Google and Instagram are going to be your friends. You can try searching “CITY wedding cake” or #CITYweddingcake, for example. Top tip: you’ll get a lot more results looking for wedding cakes in general, rather than specifically elopement.

A grocery store!

We kid you not. 

If you’d like a cake on your elopement day, but aren’t too fussy about how fancy it looks and don’t want to spend a ton of money on it, you can totally pick up a simple cake at the grocery store, stick a little cake topper on it and call it a win.

(This couple, for example, wanted the symbolic moment of cutting their first slice together, but didn’t really care too much for the cake itself, so they spent literally five bucks on this cutie! )

You can order your elopement cake online!

If you’re eloping remotely and can’t find a good baker in the local town, we’d suggest checking out a company called Gold Belly. You can order cakes from a huge number of talented bakers across the country: they will be delivered on dry ice and then can be defrosted and taste 100% fresh for your big day. We’ve had a few of these cakes in the past and they’re DELICIOUS!

Bake your own?!

If you’re talented in the kitchen and would enjoy the project, you could consider baking your own elopement cake.

We actually did this for our own elopement! 

It was so fun to tackle together, and we can always bake the same cake in the future when we want to reminisce about our day.

ONLY do this if it’s going to be fun, not a stressor.

When to get your elopement cake

You’ll want to order your elopement cake well in advance if you’ve got a particular vision in mind and/or if you’re eloping in a smaller place with limited availability.

If you’re more flexible and/or eloping in a bigger place, this can be one of the later things you lock in for your elopement.

We’ve had couples plan their entire elopement with us in less than two weeks and still get a cake in time!

In terms of picking up your cake, we’d suggest collecting it the day before your elopement, so you can relax the day=of and not be running around trying to get everything together last minute.

If timing doesn’t align so well, we’ve had couples pick up their cakes 3+ days before their elopement (if they were traveling through a bigger city with more options en route, for example), and they still tasted GREAT! The icing acts as a barrier to the air, meaning it won’t go stale. Just don’t decorate it until the day of: fresh flowers will wilt, and anything you insert into the cake will create a gap for air to go in.

Check out this blog for more general timing suggestions: Elopement Timeline Advice.

Don’t forget decorations!

Flowers – fresh or faux – are a great option for decorating your cake: they add a lovely pop of color and add dimension for photos.

You might also want to add a cute topper. You could get a custom one from Etsy with your names, your day, your pet’s silhouette, or a favorite quote. Or, if you want something quicker, you can nip down your local Michael’s and find a simple one!

And if you want to reeeeeally personalize your elopement cake, you could add something a little ‘outside of the box’ like these cute campfire chairs and s’mores set, or custom dog miniatures!

Oooh, and don’t forget to pick up a cake stand and serving set. They don’t need to be fancy but they will be in photos so make sure you’re happy with how they look.

Alternatives to an elopement cake

Perhaps, after reading all this, you realize that a cake really isn’t your vibe! That’s ok, you’ve got plenty of alternatives that can still feel celebratory.

You could have a wedding pie, custom cookies, a stack of donuts or an array of cupcakes!

Do whatever feels the most like ‘you’ and who cares if it’s traditional or not?!

We hope this has served to inspire you and you feel like you’ve got some fun ideas for your own elopement cake now!

If you’re looking for some inspo on other elopement topics, you might find these articles useful:

How To Choose Your Elopement Attire

100+ Epic Elopement Ideas

How To Announce Your Elopement