Buttercream: This is the classic creamy cake frosting you probably ate your weight in as a child. It is thick and sweet – made primarily from butter, sugar and eggs – and is a general crowd pleaser. It can also be used as filling and can be dyed a number of fun colors and used to form basic shapes, such as piping, dots and flowers. It is not a good choice for a hot outdoor wedding as it will melt fairly quickly in the sun.

Fondant: Fondant creates a leathery smooth coating that can act as a “canvas” for all sorts of intricate designs. It is extremely beautiful and hard to work with, making it more costly. Unfortunately, it is often more aesthetically pleasing than it is delectable and may have bland taste or slightly chalky texture.

Ganache: Ganache is a rich buttery dark chocolate frosting with a thick delicious taste. It can be used as filling or as a decadent icing. The up side is any chocolate lover will be ecstatic, the down side is that it cannot be easily formed into any fancy shapes. If you use ganache you should supply your baker with ribbon, sprinkles, or flowers to create an elegant wedding cake look.

Royal Frosting: Often implemented to create intricate embellishments, royal frosting is used sparingly because although technically edible, it is hard and flavorless.

Marzipan: This is the substance those small realistic almond flavored fruits are made from. Marzipan is great for sculpting surprising edible features, and is sometimes used as a layer beneath fondant to provide more flavor.