Cake Traditions to Sweeten Your Wedding
There are a wealth of strange traditions surrounding the cake that you might be interested in including at your wedding reception.
The world has seen its fair share of bizarre wedding customs over the centuries. While some practices are going to appear odd to those who are not part of a specific culture, there are certain rituals even long-standing members of a group find weird. Interestingly, many of these acts have to do with the cake. While you might already be familiar with one or two of these customs, there are a wealth of strange traditions surrounding the cake that might take you by surprise.
Learning about some of these fascinating rituals can help you to determine whether or not you want to include any of them in your reception. Take a look at these cake-related customs, and discover the lengths people will go in the name of tradition.
Smash It Up
To kick things off, it can be fun to start with a more well-known custom: the smashing of the cake. At modern weddings, guests can often get a kick out of watching a couple cut the cake and then waiting in anticipation to see if the cake will get smashed in someone’s face. Some couples love this tradition and happily grab handfuls of cake to rub on their partner’s cheeks. Still, other couples are happier keeping their clothes free of sugar and frosting. Interestingly, the custom itself seems to have developed from another weird one.
According to certain European wedding traditions, it was common for a groom to take a few bites off of a loaf of bread baked specifically for the event. Upon biting off a tiny edge of the bread, the groom would then hold the loaf above the head of the bride and shower her with crumbs. After all the bread was crumbled above her, the guests of the wedding would be invited to come and collect crumbs from the ground. The crumbs collected symbolized good luck, and when cakes replaced bread as the preferred nuptial treat, smashing the cake became lucky.
Two-Cake Town
One cake at your reception might be a delicious idea, so why not make it two? Recent years have seen a shift in the number of cakes at weddings. The main reason behind this seems to be to allow both partners the chance to have a bit of creative freedom. Compromise is often the key to a happy relationship, but there are certain happy mediums that might be difficult to find. For example, you’re never going to win when you’re fighting against a partner who wants a chocolate cake. It just won’t happen.
Instead of fighting a losing battle, you can find a lot more joy in having two cakes. The beauty of this option is that you do not need to get two lavish options. You can get two wonderful cakes that are smaller in size and allow guests the option of trying whatever option appeals to them. This is a more modern practice, so there really aren’t any fascinating facts surrounding it. Still, you may find the choice of bringing a second cake into the picture to be too sweet to pass up.
Purity or Price?
The tradition of having a white cake at a wedding is also one with interesting roots. Though white is usually used at ceremonies to symbolize purity, the real reason cakes are white is because of cost. The purer the sugar used in the frosting, the whiter the results. White became the norm as people over the decades raced to see who could boast the whitest confection of the season.
Though there are many interesting traditions surrounding the cake, it is hard to imagine a wedding without one. Discover what customs are the most appealing for your own event by exploring the other fascinating stories out there.
