As you shop around for wedding cake ideas, keep in mind that this special cake will take center stage (along with the bride and groom) at the wedding reception. Remember, it is more than just a beautiful treat to offer guests.

Your wedding cake, whether it be a lovely sheet cake or a five tiered extravagance, will be the first sight that catches the guests' attention as they enter the room. It will have its own table, decorated to set the stage for this special confection and the most traditional of all wedding reception traditions, the cake cutting ceremony.

Just think, the first ceremony that the couple takes part in as now married husband and wife, is centered around the wedding cake! That special moment when the bride and groom slice that first piece of their wedding cake and then feed each other the first bite is often the most photographed moment at the reception.

Your mother's wedding cake was probably a traditional white, stacked or tiered confection covered with buttercream and icing flowers. My, how times have changed! Have you noticed the rich variety of choices these days?

If you are a decorator like me, you get to experience this variety first hand, but if you are choosing a cake for your own wedding, you have some narrowing down to do. You can have your cake and eat it to - but you can have only one wedding cake!

Your cake can be created to compliment the wedding's colors, the bridesmaid's dresses, the bridal gown, or if the wedding has a theme (such as beach, Cinderella, Western, vintage, snowflake, etc.), the wedding cake may be designed to compliment that.

While considering all of this, keep in mind that the wedding cake, also called the bride's cake, presents a powerful symbol of the bride's style and personal taste, just as the groom's cake is designed with his interests in mind. However, a growing tradition is for bride and groom's common interests to be reflected in the cake.

Choosing the professional who will bake, assemble and decorate your wedding cake is as important as choosing the design. If a wedding planner is employed, this person will take care of this detail.

If you're taking care of this, keep in mind that wedding cakes are often ordered at least six months in advance. In selecting a designer, don't be afraid to ask to see a portfolio.

You want a designer who will be able to create a cake that is right for you, who is able to help you plan the wedding cake of your dreams. And let's not forget about taste. Ask for a sample of the flavor with the filling and icing you want. Allow time to shop around.

Increasingly more couples are making their own wedding cakes! Baking your own can be a fun and cost-cutting alternative, but don't go it alone. A good, step-by-step video guide to cake decorating and tier cake assembly will be very helpful, as will some good cake making how-to's.

Here's a tip to get you started: Use fresh ingredients, and choose natural over artificial. For example the freshest of eggs and real butter (instead of margarine) does make a difference!

And if you are looking for a hard-to-find ingredient, such as clear vanilla flavoring, or a special colorant, you can purchase these online from cake decorating suppliers such as Wilton.

Don't be shy about enlisting family and friends. Invite them over for refreshments and video lessons! Do some trial runs and have fun!