According to The Bride’s Book of Etiquette, a wedding cake has traditionally been a symbol of good fortune and fertility.
A wedding cake carries so much tradition and symbolism for your special day. It is usually the centerpiece of your wedding reception. Wedding cake traditions date back since Roman Ancient times.
Here are a few modern wedding cake traditions that are still an essential slice of every wedding:
Cutting the wedding cake
The cutting of the cake symbolizes the first activity that the bride and groom do together. Historically the cutting of the wedding cake was done by the bride alone and was seen as a symbol of her losing her virginity.
The cutting of the wedding cake is the perfect snapshot for your wedding album too. All of your friends and family gather around to witness this entertaining tradition take place.
It is important to ask your baker just where on the cake is safe to start cutting. You don’t want your entire wedding cake collapsing.
Feeding each other the wedding cake
The bride and groom will usually feed each other a piece of the wedding cake after the cake cutting is complete. This lovely gesture symbolizes their promise to provide for one another throughout their marriage.
These days this tradition has turned into more of a cake smashing session. Where the groom will smash the piece of cake on the brides beautifully make-upped face.
Now ladies I’m sure this isn’t always appreciated after you’ve spent hours getting your pretty face all done up. Be sure to talk to your significant other beforehand if you are not up for a face full of wedding cake.
Wedding cake charms
Another beautiful wedding cake tradition is placing charms on ribbons inside the cake for your guests to find. Each charm has a special meaning to it and is meant to symbolize luck for those who receive a charm.
Some of these charms include:
- A heart charm symbolizing true love
- An anchor charm for adventure
- Flowers charm for new love
- A purse charm for good fortune
- Wedding bells charm for a wedding on the horizon
Saving the top tier of the wedding cake
Saving the top tier of a wedding cake for the couple’s first wedding anniversary has been a significant tradition that many people hold dear.
Historically people had babies not long after they got married. The top tier of the cake was saved for the christening of the first baby.
These days’ people choose not to have children straight away or at all. So, the modern tradition is to save the top tier of the wedding cake for the your first anniversary.
Do remember to let your baker know if you decide to save the top tier of your wedding cake. Glad wrap the top tier of your wedding cake properly and seal it in an airtight container inside your freezer.
Cakealicious Cakes 
Hi there, what an interesting blog post! I have learned things about wedding cakes that I never knew before. I think it’s great to learn about the history and tradition behind certain rituals – some so old they date back to Roman times! How crazy is that? I also really liked how you explained the reasons for cutting the cake, and feeding each other a piece of cake. The most interesting part for me was learning that historically people saved the top tier of their wedding cake for the christening of their first baby…that is really quite beautiful and romantic! What a lovely gesture, so save something from your wedding for your first child. This has been a surprising and heart-warming read, thank you so much for sharing these nuggets of gold. Beks
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