The bride was a prodigious shopper, with tastes for Manolo Blahniks and Louis Vuitton. For her bridal shower, friends and family presented her with a stunning four-tiered cake that incorporated all these elements - and more - in a confection that looked as far removed from a store-bought cake as a Kia is from a Rolls-Royce.

Today, with state-of-the-art technology and a deft, eclectic touch, wedding cakes can take on almost any shape, size and hue with embellishments as far reaching as the tiny shaggy dogs created by Ron Ben-Israel for a fanciful party cake, to staggering sugar spun flowers that look more real than the real thing.

"Oh my God - they are fabulous!" says Sarah Stitman, owner of Charmed Places, a unique locations company that caters to the non-traditional wedding couple, who prefer to steer clear of the de rigeur fondant type cakes.

With nearly limitless possibilities, couples are diving in to show their creativity in fanciful ways. Many brides, for instance, ask to have the flowers on their cakes match those in their bouquet, says Rolf Schreiber, assistant baker at Le Gateau Suisse in Blauvelt.

Couples are looking for different, unusual cakes, adds Sylvia Weinstock, author of "Sweet Celebrations" (Simon & Schuster). Weinstock is often asked to create a butter cream bustle - matching one from the wedding dress - on top of the cake. "I have also done cakes that resemble the beading on the wedding gown," she says. " S u g a r - based wildflowers are very in," says Maarten Steenman, the Dutch owner of the successful patisserie, La Tulipe Desserts, in Mount Kisco.

These scrumptious works of art, featuring fresh ingredients and innovative flavors, can run anywhere from $4 to $16 per slice, with extra fees for handmade florals. Delivery and set up may be extra, depending on the location of your wedding and complexity of setting up the cake ordered.

Maarten says his clients are opting for a shy, fragile look, adding that couples are choosing very emotional looks for their wedding cakes. Although his creations are veritable works of art, Maarten says when there are a lot of people to feed, "keep it natural, keep it simple. With all the food the guests will be consuming, they will appreciate a light, flavorful and fresh wedding cake."

Maarten is not a fan of domestic fondant, and regularly flies his supply in from Switzerland, where he claims they produce the best fondant in the world, with beautiful, natural flavors.

In some cases, natural fruit fillings might be a no-no. "Stay away from fruit fillings, if you want to keep the wedding cake on display, because those type of fillings are very delicate," says Rolf Schreiber of Le Gateau Suisse.