Charmaine Jones of Cake Diva in Hoboken (201-216-0123; cakediva.com) has baked up unusual cakes for Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Jay Leno, and caters to any bride seeking to have some fun. She has even designed a sea-themed pink champagne wedding cake with a creamy coconut filling for the opening of the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, which featured live goldfish swimming in between four see-through tiers. Jones says she can adapt pretty much anything into a wedding cake design, including a stunning nine-foot tall creation—where each slice was over six inches high—decorated with gorgeous handmade sugar orchids and roses.

Judy Frasco-Edmonds, of Waldwick’s Desserts of Distinction (201-689-7790; dessertsofdistinctioninc.com), has done all kinds of fanciful cakes, including the popular stacks of gift boxes. “One bride met her fiancé in a forest program in Oregon, so they shipped pinecones from Oregon,” says Frasco-Edmonds. “We cleaned them up and made trees and evergreen leaves.” Like other specialty bakers, Frasco-Edmunds can duplicate lace patterns from a bride’s dress, mimic cascading ribbons from a headpiece, or create a whimsical look using different colored polka dots with sugar bows. For brides looking to kick it up a notch, she suggests cupcake towers with stars, initials, or bright funky colors. Creative embellishments can include butterflies, muted pawprints (for dog lovers) or playing cards. Consider a three-dimensional Jeep as a groom’s cake.

Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken (201-833-2417; carlosbakery.com), creates cakes that make a statement using traditional rounds and more funky looking square, hexagon, and octagon shapes. He’s produced everything from the popular topsy-turvy look for the more daring bride, to a sophisticated fall-themed cake: a four-tiered copper colored creation using two squares and two rounds, covered with fall sugar flowers and little pumpkins. Valastro says he sees a new trend: using different textured icing, mirroring the beading or embroidery found on the bridal gown. Two of his best groom’s cake creations: a ball field with a hand sculptured bat, Yankee jersey, and hat, and a box of cigars.