32 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® WEDDING GUIDE 2026-2027 DESSERT Paul Liu has seen it all in the wedding cake business since he first started decorating cakes at age 16 in his parents’ bakery. Now 54 and the owner of Freedom Bakery in Watsonville and Monterey with his wife Anna Liu, he’s seen the styles that come and go. When he started as a teenager it was buttercream swags and a limited number of design options for couples to choose from. “Now it’s much more interesting than it used to be,” Liu says. No longer limited to a few designs, couples are bringing their own ideas and personalities to the process. Sometimes they’re inspired by photos on social media, other times they want their cake to represent their individual interests and personalities. Liu says the recent trend in Monterey County leans toward vintage designs with the very same buttercream swags he first piped. Vintage wedding cake designs also include buttercream or royal icing scrolls, overpiping, stringwork and drop strings that hang from cake edges. In the past year, Hilary Nuovo of Layers Sensational Cakes in Monterey says smooth buttercream designs have been popular so they can be dressed with fresh flowers, as well as what she calls “old-style” frosted buttercream cakes. Luz Cedillo of Main Street Bakery, aka “The Cake Lady,” in Salinas, says the designs she’s seeing couples asking Taking the Cake Wedding cake designs can be anything couples dream of, from vintage to uniquely personal. By Pam Marino ALICIA BROGDEN PHOTOGRAPHY cakes.indd 1 2/18/26 5:14 PM
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