Cake
Traditions
THE
BEGINNING:
The
wedding cake, as we know it
today, was originally made
of many little wheat cakes.
During
the days of the Roman
empire, wedding cakes were
baked of wheat or barley. At
the reception, they were
traditionally broken over
the head of the new Bride by
the Groom as a symbol of her
fertility. Guests would then
scramble for pieces of the
cake, and take them home for
good luck. This is
one wedding cake tradition,
which is fortunately for the
bride, not practiced any
more.
It later became a tradition
to place many small cakes on
top of each other as high as
possible. The newlyweds
would then try to exchange a
kiss over the top of the
tower of cakes without
knocking them down. During
the reign of King Charles II
of England, the baker added
icing, and the modern style
of wedding cake was born. It
is unclear when the
tradition of the newlyweds
smashing wedding cake into
each other's face first
began, and uncertain if such
marriages are consummated
later that day or evening!
Another tradition was to
place charms in the wedding
cake, which were attached to
ribbons. A bridesmaid would
pull at a ribbon, and
depending on the charm that
she uncovered, her fortune
would be indicated. The
charms that were
traditionally used, and
their respective meanings
are:
- A Heart: Will bring love.
- A Clover: Meant good luck
- An Engagement Ring: You're
the next to wed
- An Anchor: Adventure will
come
- A Flower: Love is going to
bloom
- A Horseshoe: You are lucky
in lifeCUTTING:
The cutting of the
wedding cake is not done
just to signify the end of
the wedding formalities. At
one time, the wedding cake
was cut only by the bride,
and was symbolic of her
upcoming loss of virginity.
But today, this tradition
includes the groom as well,
and cutting the cake and
sharing the first bite with
each other, symbolizes that
the wedded couple promises
to share a whole new life
together and will sustain
each other. How this
evolved into cake smashing
into face, I'm not sure.
What I am sure of though is
smashing cake in each
others' faces isn't positive
symbolism. So discuss
it ahead of time if you
don't want to ruin the
appearance you've put so
much effort and expense
into.
TIP:
One of my favourite tips is to cut the cake
right after the new couple come in to make
their grand entrance and BEFORE dinner is
served. This way they're both still
picture perfect for the photo op and the
cake can be whisked away with enough time to
cut and serve it in time to be eaten as a
dessert. So many cakes sit uneaten
because it is cut too late into the evening.
Cutting it early isn't as strange as you
might think given the wedding cake's
symbolism.
POST WEDDING:
According to another
wedding cake tradition, if
an unmarried person sleeps
with a piece of a wedding
cake under their pillow,
they will dream of their
future spouse that night. We
don't do this as much
anymore, but I remember
wrapping hundreds of bite
size fruit cakes in coloured
foil for many weddings in
the past. I'm glad
most couples opt now for
yummy centres instead of
that candied fruit
concoction.
The top tier of the
wedding cake was
traditionally kept and used
at the christening of the
couple's first child. But
today, this tradition has
been modified slightly, and
the top tier is saved to be
used at the couple's first
anniversary. |
|
|
Laura & Jason Marriott
15 August
2001
|
