A wedding cake is more than just a centrepiece at the wedding reception, it’s a work of art. With all the time and effort that goes into designing and creating a wedding cake, it really makes you wonder where all wedding cake traditions stem from.
Throughout the centuries, different wedding cake traditions have been created to symbolise the couple’s commitment to one another and to predict what lies ahead for them in the future.
Fortunately, these days, wedding cakes can be anything you want them to be. The size, design, colour and flavour are entirely up to you.
It’s always interesting to know where things originated, so let’s take a look at five of the most beloved wedding cake traditions and where they came from.
Cutting the Cake
It’s the highlight of the wedding reception and something no guest wants to miss. But what is it about cutting the cake that’s so special?
Traditionally, it was only the bride who cut the wedding cake to symbolise her breaking through to womanhood. Today, cutting the cake represents the first activity that the couple get to do together which is why the groom gets to do the honours as well.
Cutting the cake is up there with some of the most classic and photographable moments of a wedding day.
As wedding cakes have become more complex with multiple tiers, intricate designs and smooth, glossy icing, it’s a team effort to only cut through the top tier. Work together as a couple to cut a clean line into the cake and leave the rest of the cake cutting to the caterers.
Feeding the cake
What is it about feeding the cake to your new spouse that is so endearing?
Feeding the cake to your bride or groom was originally an act of playfulness at the end of a long day of formalities. This once romantic, sweet gesture symbolised the commitment to one another.
However, nowadays, feeding the cake can result in a minor food fight. Of course, this is optional but just make sure you’ve agreed on how you’re going to practice this tradition. You don’t want to blindside your bride or groom with a smear of cake to their face!
Saving the top tier
The top tier was traditionally reserved for the christening of the couple’s first child. As it’s now perfectly acceptable to wait to have children, have children prior to the wedding, or not have children at all, couples tend to save the top tier to enjoy on their first wedding anniversary.
As the top tier comes with its own wedding cake traditions, it’s often made with a more dense cake flavour. We’re not all fans of the fruit cake but the density and sugar content freezes well.
We’re lucky to have a whole range of alternatives if fruit cake isn’t your thing!
Lots of tiers
The number of wedding cake tiers dates back all the way to medieval times when bakers would stack multiple cake layers as high as possible.
Why did they do this? To decide the newlywed’s fate of course…
The idea of tall wedding cakes was to put couples to the ultimate test when they had to kiss over the towering cake. If the cake didn’t come tumbling down, the couple was predicted to have a prosperous life together. If not, they were thought to have a lifetime of bad luck.
Multiple tiers are still one of the longest standing wedding cake traditions, with couples opting for anything from three to seven layers. Cake makers have become very capable of achieving tall, secure cakes so if you want it, you can have it.
White wedding cakes
White was traditionally a highly-desired colour for many reasons. As a symbol of both purity and wealth, white was the perfect colour scheme for weddings way back when.
But there was a practicality to white wedding cakes that shouldn’t be overlooked.
White was the standard colour for wedding cakes as it was simply the colour of the sugar in the icing. As food colouring was yet to be discovered, it was white and white only for couples at that time.
Today, your options are endless.
Still one of the more popular wedding cake traditions, white is always an eye-catching feature on the cake table.
From throwing the bouquet to acquiring something old, new, borrowed and blue, weddings are filled with traditions and superstitions. We’re lucky to live in a time when you can choose to take them or leave them.
It seems wedding cakes come with a whole set of traditions of their own. You may decide to incorporate some of the classics or steer away from wedding cake traditions altogether. The choice is completely yours.
Couples choose our venue because it gives them the artistic license to have the wedding they’ve always wanted.
From the full traditional to the all-out alternative, weddings at Markovina can be anything you want them to be.
We’d love to help you achieve the wedding of your dreams and we have a team that can assist you every step of the way.
Come and have a look around the estate and get a feel for what the venue can offer. Call us today to have a chat about what you envision for your wedding day.
