I'm sort of at a loss.  I've been commissioned by a bride to create two wedding cakes.  One is for her very small ceremony serving 35 taking place in late October at a winery in Austin, TX.  The other will be for a reception a couple of weeks later serving 150 guests in her hometown.  

Although she's super open to letting me be free with the design, she's envisioning something which includes chocolate-covered strawberries, specifically a tuxedo and a white "dress-like" topper with a monogram stuck in the top.  My issue is that my style of cake design is pretty modern. I'm looking for some fresh ideas that would incorporate her request while still staying true to my "brand" which she's a fan of.  That's the reason why she chose me to design her cakes to begin with so I know she's looking for something that isn't run-of-the-mill.  I don't want to do scrollwork, anything that involves piping, or anything that looks too Wilton-ish, if you know what I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that at all.  I just have zero experience in that department.  Basically, I'm trying to stay away from the more traditional designs and want to give her something a little different, but something that she wants at the same time.  Maybe a square design, or a mix of shapes?  A double-barrel?  I'm just having trouble trying to figure out how to modernize her request.  I guess I'm just hoping to see an example of a non-traditional cake that fits the bill but I'm not sure that it even exists!

The small cake will be picked up by the clients and transported several hundred miles.  It will likely be in the car for over 7 hours so I want to stay away from buttercream.  I also know that the strawberries would need to be placed when the cake is set up so it would need to be something they could easily do themselves for the ceremony, but not necessarily for the reception cake since I will be delivering it . I've taken a look at her Pinterest board and she's into bling.  I'd like to tie the two cakes together design-wise in some way.  Any ideas you could throw my way would be much appreciated!