You may have noticed an influx of vintage wedding cakes and hen party cakes peppering your Instagram feed this 2024, a clear sign that vintage-inspired wedding cakes (we’re talking whimsical frills, heavenly tiers and hand-piped details) are back with a bang! And, the ultimate styling twist? A cool acrylic or piped slogan or phrase (Burnt Island Occasions have the ideal thing)! The perfect juxtaposition to those nostalgic tiers. 

Luckily for you, we’ve got a cake-baking, fancy frill-piping, edible pearl-adorning expert on hand in the form of Zoe, the founder of The Ginger Bear Bakery, to help you understand this current cake trend. Whether you’re looking to commission a vintage wedding cake for your hen party (it can take centre stage on the desserts table surrounded by other delicious snacks and our sumptuous selection of drinkware and favours) or want to enquire about a vintage beauty for the big day itself, we caught up with Zoe to talk all things cake… 

Plus, take a look and get inspired by these fabulous hen party cake designs crafted by Zoe and styled with some of Team Hen’s most coveted hen party favours and gifts! We’re obsessed! Featuring Burnt Island Occasions’ amazing acrylic cake toppers (and yes, they will create your very own bespoke designs), it’s definitely a match made in bridal heaven!  

#1 When did The Ginger Bear Bakery launch? What inspired the business? 

“The GBB launched in 2018, I made cakes around my full time job in the evenings and on weekends. I started to get busier very quickly and decided to take the leap and make it my full time job. I have always been very creative and knew I wanted to do something in the design world!”

#2 Tell us a bit about yourself - what was your career before The Ginger Bear Bakery?  

“Before the GBB I completed a Fashion Design degree and after a few years working in fashion retail I joined the Footwear team at Peacocks head office in Cardiff as a Footwear Technologist. As well as developing footwear ranges alongside the buying team and travelling to the Far East on development trips, I loved researching the new trends and creating quality, commercial products for the brand.” 

#3 What does your brand offer? 

“The GBB offers luxury wedding and celebration cakes, that look beautiful and taste delicious. A huge part of the offer is design, I am constantly looking at the changes in wedding trends and creating, beautiful, bespoke cakes for my clients.”  

#4 We’re loving your cool vintage-inspired cakes! Are these particularly popular at the moment? 

“Oh Yes! This trend has gone wild!  Only a couple of weeks ago I made six cakes and they were all variations of the vintage heart - varying from birthdays, an anniversary and a baby shower. I have had so many bookings for the vintage heart wedding cakes for 2024 and 2025 and also smaller versions for the celebrations leading up to the big day (such as hen parties and ‘night before’ dinners). The vintage vibe is going to be huge this wedding season!” 

#5 What cake trends are on the horizon for 2024?  

“Definitely anything vintage-inspired decorated with quirky wording. The ruffle piping isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Florals are also huge (I don’t think they’ll ever go off trend!)…pretty romantic florals in soft pastel colour palettes with ribbon bow details!” 

#6 What’s your current wedding trend obsession?  

“For 2024 it has to be bows! They are on everything and can add a beautiful detail to anything! I created a few bow styled cakes last year, but I have already seen a huge demand for them this year already.”

#7 What’s your top tip for brides considering a The Ginger Bear Bakery cake? What do they need to keep in mind when thinking about style, wording, font, number of tiers, flavours etc?  

“I love talking all things cake so when it comes to booking your cake with me, please send through as much information about your day to me as possible! Your suppliers, Pinterest boards, mood boards, screenshots …anything! The cake styling can be inspired by just about anything so the more I know about your day the better. I will always advise the best size and shape of cakes to suit your guest numbers and styling, and as for flavours, that’s totally up to you! The most popular flavour for my wedding cake over the last couple of seasons has been lemon and poppyseed - it certainly seems like the favourite!” 

#8 Your Instagram guilty pleasure is?   

“I think Instagram in general is my guilty pleasure…there are so many beautiful inspirational accounts that I love to scroll. Probably too many to mention! I very often get lost in the Explore page! My favourite accounts are fashion, architecture and floral - I find most of the inspiration for my work comes from these type of accounts. My head is constantly buzzing with new ideas!”  

Discover more vintage wedding cake ideas from The Ginger Bear Bakery. 

For more hen party inspiration and ideas head back to the Team Hen Journal STAT.