Wedding cakes can be a fun way to celebrate your special day. They can also be a delicious treat for your guests.
Traditionally, newlyweds save the top tier of their cake for their one-year anniversary. This tradition started as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. This trend continues to be a popular choice for many couples.
It’s a symbol of love
When a couple feeds each other a bite of cake, they are showing the world that they’re committed to being there for one another and are making a covenant to live happily ever after. It’s a sweet and romantic way to end your wedding ceremony.
Originally, wedding cakes weren’t the iced confections we know today. They were typically plain fruitcakes. As sugar became more affordable, white icing was introduced. This symbolized purity and wealth, and later came to symbolize virginity. When Queen Victoria had her cake iced in white at her wedding with Prince Albert, it became known as royal icing.
The tradition of putting a figurine of the bride and groom on top of the cake dates back hundreds of years. The topper represents the beginning of a new chapter in a couples’ lives together, and it is often an opportunity for the couple to show off their personalities. Some popular choices include a heart for true love, a clover or horseshoe for luck, flowers for blooming love, a baby carriage for children, a telephone for communication, an anchor for adventure, a money bag for good fortune, and wedding bells for future marriage.
Many people also choose to have gold or silver charms baked right into the cake or placed underneath the bottom layer. Each charm has a special meaning, and when guests find theirs, they will be blessed with that particular piece of luck.
It’s a chance to show off your personality
It’s no secret that wedding cakes are a great way to show off your personality. You can choose a cake design that reflects your hobbies, interests, and values. Or, you can go the extra mile and get a cake that’s shaped like something important to you and your partner (like this gorgeous geode style!).
You’re a creative free spirit who loves to experiment. You love the idea of a wedding cake that combines different design elements, but you don’t want a super intricate or fussy design that will weigh you down. Opt for a hand-painted watercolor drip cake that will showcase your unique, artistic talent. You’re also a sucker for the little details, so a sugar flower that looks real will be right up your alley.
This is the kind of minimalist cake that suits your no-nonsense, practical style. The marble stone finish and gold veins look almost too real!
Traditionally, brides and grooms would feed each other the first bite of their cake as a sign of unity and a promise to create a sweet life together. This fun tradition is now more commonly accompanied by the couple cutting their cake and serving guests slices.
Historically, groom’s cakes were dark fruitcakes, but more recently, they are often chocolate or another of the groom’s favorite flavors.
It’s a chance to incorporate your family’s culture or heritage
When planning your wedding cake, think about how you can incorporate a little piece of your family’s heritage into it. This is a great opportunity to celebrate your heritage and bring some fun into the day. It’s also a chance to show guests your unique sense of style. You can use accents like flowers, leaves, or even an ombre effect to make your cake truly special and memorable.
Wedding cakes have long been steeped in tradition. They actually started out as a simpler, more bread-like dessert, and over time, they evolved into what we know and love today. In Roman times, wheat cakes were served at weddings because they represented a blessing of the new couple. They were later topped with white frosting, which symbolized purity and virginity. Over time, the cakes grew taller and more intricate, becoming the tiered structures we now see at weddings.
Many couples still enjoy the tradition of feeding each other bites of their wedding cake. This is a great way to show your new spouse that you’re a team, and it can also be a fun way to start your honeymoon. This isn’t something you need to take too seriously, though—it can be as lighthearted as you want!
A fun twist on the traditional wedding cake is to put gold or silver charms in it. These charms represent the hopes and dreams of your future together. Some of the most popular include a heart for true love, a clover or horseshoe for good luck, a baby carriage for children, a bell to wish you both joy, and a money bag for fortune.
It’s a chance to save the top tier for your one-year anniversary
Saving the top tier of your wedding cake for your one-year anniversary is an old tradition that began in Victorian times. Back then, most couples would have children within their first year of marriage, so the preserved tier could be eaten at the child’s christening. While this practice hasn’t become as popular as it once was, many modern brides and grooms still choose to honor this tradition by saving their top tier for their first anniversary.
To preserve the tier, you’ll need to freeze it as soon as possible after your big day. Make sure it’s completely wrapped in plastic wrap, then sealed inside a cake box. It’s important to use a cake box that is airtight to prevent freezer burn. Once the tier has been frozen, you’ll need to store it in a safe place where it won’t be disturbed until your anniversary.
If the idea of preserving your top tier isn’t appealing, consider asking your baker to create a replica on your one-year anniversary instead. This way, you can have the same look and feel as your original cake without worrying about whether it will hold up in the freezer. Just be sure to give the replica a few hours to thaw before serving. Enjoying it will be like reliving your special day, and it will remind you of all the happy memories you’ve made together.