There are a lot of pieces to the wedding-planning puzzle, but none are as sweet as picking out the perfect cake. Lia Weber of Made. by Lia knows a thing or two about creating cakes for your day.

“I started Made. by Lia as a little Facebook page back in 2012, and it has grown to be one of the top wedding cake shops/craft bakeries in St. Louis,” says Weber, who is in The Knot Hall of Fame after winning their “Best of Weddings” award for the last six years. “In 2014, I won the reality TV show TLC’s ‘Next Great Baker’ with Buddy ‘The Cake Boss,’ which really helped me grow my business and fan base.”

Most recently, Weber has opened a brick-and-mortar shop in the St. Louis area.

“In May of 2019, I decided I wanted to take the jump and open my first brick-and-mortar shop just a block away from my home in the heart of Old Town Florissant,” Weber says. “In August 2020, after having to shift our plans due to COVID, we opened Made. by Lia Craft Bakery — a hip, local bakery and coffee shop where wedding cakes and sweets are created from scratch, by hand and made with personality.”

When it comes to cake trends, Weber says she is noticing textured buttercream, naked cakes and cakes accented with edible gold leaf — all adorned with beautiful fresh flowers — as the designs to note.

“I honestly try not to mold too much to trends since I like to keep our cakes fresh and unique to each of our clients,” Weber says. “My favorite cakes are when the client gives me the opportunity to bring my artistry and creativity into a cake design.”

When it comes to flavor, Weber says vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream and chocolate cake with ganache are the top contenders.

“Our flavors have stayed pretty consistent with our clients,” Weber says. “But we definitely have some that step outside the box, like banana with browned-butter buttercream, lemon with raspberry jam or chocolate with peanut butter fluff.”

Weber’s ultimate goal, though, is to take clients’ inspiration photos and turn them into a beautiful, unique work of art designed just for them.

“I love to put my own spin on cakes and give them personality to match the vibe of the wedding,” Weber says. “I love what I do. I love creating and love being able to be a part of someone’s most special day of their life. I’m truly blessed!”