Cupcakes still going strong as wedding trend

If anyone thought cupcakes would be a short-lived fad, they were wrong - cupcakes are big. "Extremely big, this year more than ever," says Tami Despres of Jacques Fine European Pastries in Suncook (jacquespastries.com). She says brides like the fact they can have something other than the traditional cake.

They're going with a variety of flavors and toppings. "No one does just plain vanilla or chocolate," Tami says. "They choose a variety with red velvet, carrot, spice - they really mix it up." Same with the toppings.

A fun new size has been added to the bakery's offerings - jumbo. "It's enough for two people to eat," Tami says. "They're great to add to a dessert table at receptions that also have a wedding cake." She adds that small and medium cupcakes are still best for cupcake stands. The Eiffel Tower cupcake stand (photo above) was custom made in Paris for the wedding of a couple who got engaged there. It's available for rent.

Trends for the standard tiered wedding cake - alternating round and square tiers, and taller, but not wider, cakes, four tiers usually. Most popular of all - theme cakes that reflect people's interests. "We've seen it go from classic to hikers, sky divers, mountains, you name it," Tami says. "We're doing a hot air balloon this weekend."