Simply serving the wedding cake is one of the most traditional components of any wedding. You don’t need to worry about doing anything wrong as long as you serve a slice to every guest, although it’s a good idea to follow proper wedding cake etiquette when serving the cake, which we will cover here. There are, however, some quirky traditions representing old-school etiquette that you can choose to observe if you wish.
In parts of England, the groom having his own cake is a tradition that still exists, albeit being rare, even though Prince William had one at his wedding. Traditionally, the cake was purposefully baked to meet the groom’s tastes, often decorated to not detract attention from the main wedding cake. Today, there are no rules; anything goes as long as it is respectable!
It’s difficult to pinpoint where the tradition originated as the groom’s cake rarely got a mention. It would seem the main wedding cake was referred to as the bride’s cake, and the groom always had his own cake. If you do want a groom’s cake, we suggest you get a 6-8 inch single-tier cake using a single colour to avoid taking away the spotlight from the main wedding cake.
Perhaps the oldest remaining tradition existed before wedding cakes were covered in icing and used as centrepieces. It was believed that if a single lady brought home a slice of wedding cake (or some crumbs) and placed it under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband that very night. Today, people don’t consider a slice of cake a good bedmate but do sometimes request to take a slice of cake home. Be ready with cake boxes, especially if you have served an epic meal and your guests are surely full.
I kind of wish I had done this, but I didn’t like the idea of eating old cake, so I didn’t. It was traditional for the newly wedded couple to save the top tier of their wedding cake to eat on their one-year anniversary. This is thought to be because the couple would have children by then. The cake used at the time was relatively easy to preserve as it was fruitcake, which isn’t favoured by modern brides (nor us). Today, it isn’t totally uncommon for the couple to preserve the top tier of the wedding cake until after their honeymoon or on their one-month anniversary. If you do want a cake after a year, we recommend asking us to arrange a nice and fresh miniature version of your wedding cake.
Traditionally, the wedding cake is served near the end of the wedding reception to signify the celebrations are coming to an end in an hour or so and to allow guests time to digest their meals. Today, however, it is very acceptable and the norm to cut the cake at the end of the meal. This is partly to ensure early leavers—those with children, for example—get a chance to have cake and because it allows the guests to enjoy the rest of the evening without any more formalities… you know what I mean!
A big part of the cake-cutting ceremony involves the couple feeding each other cake. To avoid any surprises, we strongly recommend you agree on how this will be done beforehand. You can feed each other the cake using your fingers or forks. Some couples choose to be less formal and ram the cake into each other’s faces. Be warned, gents, not to ruin your new wife’s hair and makeup, not to mention the dress!!!
Check out our wedding cake prices for further information on pricing or our wedding cake portions guide for— you guessed it—portion info.