Originally given to guests as a special souvenir, the iconic centrepiece of the Royal wedding was an eight-tier bespoke creation crafted by cake-maker Fiona Cairns that took five weeks to complete. The culinary masterpiece was the centrepiece at the reception, which took place in the picture gallery at Buckingham Palace. It is said that the Duchess of Cambridge requested the Joseph Lambeth technique used for cake decoration. This lavish concept was born in The Lambeth Method published in 1934 and remains one of the most admired and skilled techniques used. The sophisticated technique is based on the English tradition of ‘overpiping’, which creates three-dimensional rows of intricately piped leaves, flowers and garlands.