Donuts...really?! What were you thinking?

I have several pet peeves when it comes to wedding cakes. Here are a few:

1. Improper background for wedding cake pictures. Yesterday there was a nice big trash can directly in back of the cake table...now that would make for a nice picture, even more than the brick wall and half window. 
2. Plastic tablecloths/skirts, especially on the cake table. Now don't you think if you're gonna spend almost $500 on a beautiful wedding cake that you could at least rent a nice linen for the table? Or let's make that white plastic cloth look a little better with sticking a few off-white tulle bows on it with masking tape...there that's better...yeah, right!
3. Cake table crowded with miscellaneous odds and ends, barely leaving room for the cake. Hmmm...let's see...we'll need  about 150 plates, napkins, and forks to serve the cake, as well as several knives, and spatulas, and oh yeah...a couple sets of tongs for the large platter of donuts...I guess for those people who don't like wedding cake. Really, what were they thinking?
4. No color on the table under the cake. OK, let's see...if we have a white cake, what can we do to make the cake invisible..I know, put the cake on a white tablecloth, oh, and let's add a little white tulle...that should help. 

Now really...I have joked about this, but honestly, when you're setting up the table for your wedding cake, just stand back and look and ask yourself...will this be a nice picture? Let me suggest the following:

1. Look at the background behind the cake table. Whatever is behind the cake will show up in your pictures, so make sure you have a nice backdrop, or at least a solid wall without thermostats, light switches, etc. 
2. When planning on a tablecloth for the cake table, get either a nice solid color linen cloth to match the other wedding decor, or a nice white cloth, and then top that with an overlay in the wedding colors. The cake will then stand out more and not be washed out in the pictures. Oh, and use a tablecloth that is floor length, or use a table skirt, and do not use plastic! Again, think about how you want your pictures to look. 
3. Please don't crowd the cake table with serving items or other things...at least not until the pictures are taken and the bride and groom cut the cake. Most often, the only things you should have on the table, prior to serving, are the cake, nice serving tools for the bridal couple to cut the cake, and possibly the toasting goblets. If the table is large, you might include a simple floral arrangement or candles. Let the photographer take pictures without any obstructions, and please don't put any other food on the wedding cake table. Once the pictures are taken, then you can bring out the serving things.

Again, after the table is set up, stand back and ask yourself, "Will this be a nice picture that I will want in my wedding album for years to come?" If your answer is yes, then you are good to go. 

Example of nice backdrop

Another example of nice backdrop

Example of inappropriate backdrop (thermostat in back)

Table cluttered with serving items