Wedding Cake Traditions
Wedding cake traditions and symbolism started in the Roman times. The Romans broke a thin loaf of bread made of wheat over the bride’s head – this represented fertility. Cake cutting symbolizes the couple’s commitment to nurture each other. In case you’re wondering, it’s regarded as immature to smash cake in your loved ones face. The top tier of the cake is often saved and frozen – many save it for their 1st anniversary. It’s good luck for guests to take a piece of cake home, although this is not practiced much any more. Tradition is that the bride cuts the cake and feeds to the groom, then he feeds back. This represents their 1st shared sweet moment as a married couple. In Anglo-Saxon times, many small cakes (nothing more than dried up biscuits) were served in a mountainous pile – and taken for the journey home. Brides and grooms would kiss over the pile of “cakes”. Now that we have baking powder, cakes are much larger, and lighter. Piling them up on top of each other may have been out of a case for transportation. A lot of wedding cake tradition is dependent on the families getting married, and if they have traditions in their families. Lots of times serving knives and toppers are passed down to grown children by their parents, or their grandparents. Whether or not these family heirlooms are used is up for discussion, and often a topic of conflict for couples planning their wedding. Many couples want to use new modern serving knives and cake toppers, which offends their family members. I often get to wear the "damage control" hat as a wedding planner in these scenarios. Making everyone happy is part of the job!
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