Wedding cakes are not easy to cut. You need a wedding cake cutting guide so you can get it right. This is one of the crucial things when it comes to planning your wedding. If all you have is a fancy sheet cake, you have no problem.

But how do you handle all of those tiers, decorations and odd shapes? How can you effectively cut one of those amazing cakes without having it look like it went to the butchers?

There are many cake cutting guides available online. My favorite is at wilton.com. Not only is there a verbal explanation but they have diagrams as well.

They also have an amazing selection of wedding cake accessories if you are having someone other than a bakery make you cake for you. You may also want to choose your wedding cake topper from their selection.

Cutting the Cake – the Guide to Doing it Right

Before you cut the cake, realize that some disassembly is going to be required. The normal cake piece is 1 x 2 inches and it usually is 2 layers tall (you use however many layers on that particular level). Always remove the top tier.

It is not counted in the number of people a cake will serve. Top tier is always the anniversary cake. The couple freezes this piece and eats it on their first anniversary.

After removing the top tier, any inedible decoration such as beads, plastic figures, ribbon, etc are removed. Then the cake is cut from the 2nd tier down (that is the tier directly under the top tier).

For a square or rectangular cake, you work from the outer edge in, start 2 inches from the edge, and then cut this into 1 inch pieces, serve and repeat. The wedding cake cutting guide will resemble a grid.

For round cakes you are going to work in concentric circles. Start 2 inches from the edge and cut a circle around the cake. Cut this circle into 1 inch wedges or pieces, serve.

Continue working your way toward the center of the cake. When you reach the center, cut the piece into 4ths or however many equal pieces are required.

Petal flowered cakes are cut similar to round cakes. Hexagon, oval and paisley cakes are cut similar to rectangle cakes.

If you have single cakes on a multilevel stand, start at the top cake, cut and serve as directed here depending on the shape and repeat working to the lower levels.

Heart Shaped cakes are a little different. You first cut the cake in half, then into quarters, eights, etc., until the sections are about 2 inches. Then cut 1 inch pieces out of these 2 inch sections.

This is just a wedding cake cutting guide. Grooms cakes should be cut as any party cake. Your caterer or baker should be able to help you select the appropriate sized cake for your wedding.

If you are baking for a friend, use this guide to be sure that your creation is cut correctly and that you have the right size cake for the number of guests that are attending.

You may also want to take classes on wedding planning management theory to get more information on this subject.