Watch 100 Years of Wedding Cakes and Toppers

You may know Mode’s Youtube channel for their immensely popular videos about how things like cars, homes, and fashion have evolved throughout the century. One of their recent videos showcases the way popular engagement ring styles have changed in the past 100 years, and the latest shows how wedding cakes have changed from the early 20th century to today.

The year 1916 starts off with a single-layer cake featuring elegant white blooms resting on top, but the following decades show the popularity of columns and cake toppers. In fact, though they are no longer in vogue, tiers of cake held aloft by columns had quite a bit of staying power, first showing up in the 1930s and ‘40s, and then reemerging for the 1960s through the 80s.

The 1940s also saw lovely flowers made from frosting, although delicate piping details had started two decades earlier. Bride and groom cake toppers arrived in the 1930s and became more elaborate in the 1990s, when they took a step away from realism. Anyone who has looked at photos of wedding gowns from the 1980s won’t be shocked by the over-the-top cakes of the time. The start of the new millennium brought forth the era of personalization, with trendy cupcakes and playful cake toppers

Of course there is variance throughout each era, but perhaps more so nowadays, where couples strive to put their stamp on their big day. For instance, though cakes that are practically works of art, such as the one shown for 2016, are popular, naked cakes – confections with the bare minimum of frosting and perhaps a few fresh flowers – are quite trendy as well.

Take a look at the video above, and let us know what you love most about each decade in the comments! Be inspired by 21 cakes that shy away from tradition, gorgeous confections decorated with fresh flowers, and small designs with seriously stunning style.