While it’s doubtful that people would come to punches over pastry, passion runs deep regarding wedding desserts and the different traditions are worth understanding.

“In this corner…”
The “Pièce montée” (literally “assembled piece” or “mounted piece”) is usually a conical-shaped construction of croquembouche cream-filled puffs, held together by caramel or spun sugar or macarons the French sandwich cookies made famous by Ladurée.

…and in the other corner”
The traditional wedding cake, usually multi-tiered cake covered in frosting and decorated in myriad ways. The trend has been towards fondant icing, which gives a smooth modern look. Nowadays it’s rare to see bride and groom figurines perched on the top tier; brides prefer to have the cake topper incorporate fresh flowers or other decorative elements that tie into their wedding theme colors.