Cake Crushes

Ok, so I know I had been saying "CUPCAKES CUPCAKES CUPCAKES" since before getting engaged, but this idea may or may not happen for a few reasons:

1) I went and bought a vintage caketopper, which calls for at least one cake to put it on.
2) Our venue doesn't have refrigeration available, so cupcake type things would have to be done by a bakery (the whole point of the original cupcake idea was that it would be DIY) and brought in.

That said, I'm not necessarily about having a huge cake for all. Most people don't like the idea of the cake flavor being chosen for them. Plus, any flavor I'd want is likely something a little unusual, something not everybody would like. The cake itself is mostly interesting for the actual cake-cutting, or as a photograph that later ends up on a blog. And it gets so expensive!

If we go with cake, I hope we can just get something simple yet not cookie-cutter. Enter this website for inspiration:
http://maggieaustincake.com/

I am not in the DC area, but I am enamored of her cakes.

I'm not so big on the dainty flowers, but I love the smooth texture and simplicity of the actual cake.

Stained Glass=perfection.

I adore this. The cake stand included.

I have a thing for smooth, creamy cakes like that. Although I didn't initially pick up on the fact that those are supposed to be black pearls. They looked like capers to me, and I was like "that's weird for a cake."

Here's some other ones from my cake inspiration folder:

Breaks my flow of perfectly smooth icing, but I had to show off that amazing crown/cake topper.

See the smooth edges on the cake again? I like the creamier color on this one. I won't be going with a bright white dress so my cake shouldn't be stark white, either.

I seem to have a thing for crisp, clean lines and simple decoration. I can see just a smooth creamy tier with our topper on it, with other desserts available for guests.

What do you think?