Wedding Cake FAQs

Planning a wedding? Then you are surely excited about designing (and eating!) your wedding cake! This is a rundown on the FAQs about wedding cakes, including design, cutting, customs, and etiquette.

What is a groom's cake, and who should pay for it? The groom's cake is an old Southern custom that has caught on like wildfire around the country in recent years. It is a second smaller cake that is designed to highlight something about the groom, such as his hobbies, pets, profession, fraternity, etc. The groom's cake is a whimsical and fun element that can add a dash of humor to even the most formal wedding. Like the main wedding cake, the groom's cake is traditionally paid for by the bride's family. It is very often ordered by the bride in secret and unveiled at the reception as a special surprise for the groom.

How do I choose decorations for my wedding cake? The wedding cake is a focal point at the reception, and as such should be one of the elements that reinforces the wedding theme or style. All white cakes are traditional, but brightly colored cake decorations are appropriate for all but the most formal wedding. Flowers, either sugar or fresh, are one of the most classic options for the cake decorations. If you like the all white idea, select a design that will give the cake personality. Many brides have their cakes designed to mimic an element from their bridal ensemble, such as the pattern from the lace on their gown or their pearl bridal jewelry. The pearl bridal jewelry can be mimicked with tiny frosting beads trimming each layer of the cake or as an all over Swiss dot motif.

When do we cut the cake? Etiquette says that the wedding guests should stay at the reception until after the cake has been cut. It used to be that this event took place at the end of the reception, but these days the newlyweds will often stay at the reception into the wee hours of the morning, so the cake cutting has been moved up to allow guests the option of departing without appearing rude. The typical time for the cake cutting is shortly after dinner so that you don't have to drag the guests off of the dance floor to watch.

I often see the bride and groom smash cake into each other's faces; do we really have to do this? No! Who knows where the cake smashing began, but it is high time to end it! It is rude and undignified. Smashing food in the face of a loved one is definitely not a nice thing to do. The newlyweds should gently feed each other a small bite of cake, with the groom taking special care not to smear the bride's lipstick.

We plan to have cupcakes instead of a traditional large wedding cake; how do we handle the cake cutting ceremony? When cupcakes are the dessert, the bride and groom can hold up a cupcake for the other to take a small bite from. Granted, this lacks the drama of the classic wedding cake cutting moment (this is one of the drawbacks of the cupcake trend). A better idea is to have your baker create one oversized cupcake (about the size of a small birthday cake) so that the newlyweds can have their cake cutting moment.

The wedding cake is one of the favorite parts of the wedding (especially for the guests!), so have fun designing your dream cake.

Guy writes on many subjects including travel, customs and society. SilverlandJewelry.com. Pearl bridal jewelry is an elegant and timeless accessory for the bride.

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