Unique Wedding Cake thread

[DominusTecum]

Sounds suspicious to me, I've never heard of this whole "groom's cake" phenomenon. (Admittedly, I am not a woman, and haven't desired to plan weddings since I was 2 years old :p but I've been to perhaps 8 protestant weddings and 2 traditional Catholic ones in my life, and never did any of them have a separate cake for the groom, just one cake, the wedding cake, with multiple tiers and layers, like every wedding cake known to mankind.) Is this very common in the south, or just some weddings?

[Mommie2Boys]

Hmmmm...evidently it's a Southern thing. Down here, you automatically get two cakes. I've honestly never been to a wedding where there wasn't one! Sometimes, bakeries even offer you a discount on the groom's cake (one place we found threw one in for free!) with purchase of the bridal cake.
 
Edited to add pics: I found these on our computer...they're not the best pics but they at least show the two cakes...
 

[marykaty]

I am a Northerner, no Southern history.  I remember groom's cakes at my older brothers' and sisters' weddings, but they were small pieces of something like fruitcake without frosting, wrapped in foil or plastic, and then in mesh fabric, tied with a ribbon to match the 'wedding colors'.  They were really popular, and single people were to take one home, put it under the pillow and sleep on it so that they would dream about their spouse-to-be.  I don't think I dreamt of anyone, but I was always nervous of eating them, in case it would ruin the effect!  I think this custom came from England or Ireland, but I could easily be wrong.

Mary

[marykaty]

Well, I just read the first page of this thread, and realized the bit about the individually wrapped fruitcake pieces was mentioned in the article on groom's cake.  I also see that Ger, from Ireland, doesn't recognize the custom, so my guess that the custom might come from there was wrong.  Oh well...

The photos are great fun!  I wish I knew how to post my sweet daughter-in-law's cake from their wedding last year.  She is thrifty---didn't like the prices of the cakes----so she ordered 5 single round layers with white frosting.  She placed them on cake plates that made them look like a spiral staircase, with the largest on the bottom.  Then she put tiny ribbon roses in red, and pink and red rose petals all around it.  Her maid of honor picked a little bride and groom topper at the last minute, rather silly but cute.  Anyway, several people at the wedding took photos of the cake so they could reproduce it.  Decorating it herself after buying just the layers saved loads of money.  I was impressed that she and my son were so thrifty with their wedding.  (But they weren't thrifty with their honeymoon in Ireland, and their going back again this year, to see some relatives.)

[Richeldis]

I am a Northerner, no Southern history.  I remember groom's cakes at my older brothers' and sisters' weddings, but they were small pieces of something like fruitcake without frosting, wrapped in foil or plastic, and then in mesh fabric, tied with a ribbon to match the 'wedding colors'.  They were really popular, and single people were to take one home, put it under the pillow and sleep on it so that they would dream about their spouse-to-be.  I don't think I dreamt of anyone, but I was always nervous of eating them, in case it would ruin the effect!  I think this custom came from England or Ireland, but I could easily be wrong.

Mary

In England, the cake is traditionally a dense fruit cake (there's only the one!) heavily soused in brandy, marzipaned and iced. After the official cake cutting by the bride and groom, guests are given pieces to take home often in small cake boxes and pieces sent to those who couldn't attend. With a tiered cake, the top layer was sometimes kept for the first child's baptism.
I like the idea of sleeping with a piece under your pillow to dream about your future spouse! I don't think it would have worked for me, I like eating cake too much to sleep on it  !

 

[Mommie2Boys]

With a tiered cake, the top layer was sometimes kept for the first child's baptism.

I've never heard of this! The tradition over here is to freeze and save it to eat on your first wedding anniversary. We did just that...and although Jason was a bit scared that it would be gross a year later, it actually held up quite well and was delicious!

[The_Bear]

Hello everyone, this is my first non introduction post...and on the traditional Catholic website I'm responding to the cake post...nice.  I was just so excited to see this thread because I am getting married in 10 days and my fiance is from missouri and had never heard of the groom's cake...I was so excited about it and he thought I was a little off, once I explained it he was very happy to find out that there would be a chocolate cake with Homer Simpson on it at the reception

[AdoramusTeChriste]

Hello everyone, this is my first non introduction post...and on the traditional Catholic website I'm responding to the cake post...nice.  I was just so excited to see this thread because I am getting married in 10 days and my fiance is from missouri and had never heard of the groom's cake...I was so excited about it and he thought I was a little off, once I explained it he was very happy to find out that there would be a chocolate cake with Homer Simpson on it at the reception

Best wishes!

Homer Simpson groom's cake, lol!

[HappyWife]

 

There are so many traditions surrounding cakes. As far as I can tell the oldest tradition or actual cake was the dense fruit cake, made to symbolize bounty and good fortune with all those nuts, fruits, and so forth. (In ancient Rome and Ireland they would eat wheat loaves for good luck, or break them over the brides head, but these were not actual cakes) Then when the white wedding cakes came into popularity during Victorian times (the Victorians were so into the symbolism of purity and so forth, the white bridal gown came into popularity at this time as well) the fruit cake was still desirable and so it became the groom’s cake. The name of the groom’s cake had nothing to do with the actual groom at the wedding but of future grooms, hence the dreaming cake thing. Even though many people still have the traditional fruit cake at weddings, chocolate is a much more popular flavor, and fruit cakes have largely been forgotten except at Christmas time. You do see the carry-over of symbolism though in the traditional frosted fruit down the sides and around the cake. This sign of bounty took the place of the fruit inside the cake.
   There has been a push of recent to have the groom much more involved in not only the execution, but in the planning of the wedding. People are beginning to recognize that it is his day too. This is where we have the switch in meaning of the groom’s cake. It now has everything to do with the groom himself. I have seen cakes built as exact replicas of the grooms, motorcycle, pet dog, favorite band, etc.