Cake 101

I'm discovering, the more weddings I do, that most people don't know how to cut a wedding cake.  And, why would you?  It's your first wedding!  So I decided to do a lesson on Cake 101.  But you can't talk about cutting the cake until you know the history of the wedding cake. 

Thank you Christine at Not A Crumb for enligtening us with some cake history:

The origins of the wedding cake date back to ancient Rome when a cake (more like bread) was broken over the head of the bride to symbolize the dominance of her husband.  In medieval times, each guest at a wedding would bring a small cake to be stacked on the table in tall layers.  If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the top of the stack it was considered a sign of good fortune, logevity and fertility.  This eventually evolved into the creation of multi-tiered confections.  The tiered design we all think of as the traditional wedding cake originates from the tiered spire of a medieval church in London, England, called St. Bride's Church.  The traditional cake cutting ceremony symbolizes the first task that the bride and groom perform together as husband and wife.  Feeding one another the first slice demonstrates the commitment of the bride and groom to provide for one another. 

In terms of style, gone are the days of traditional white cake. Pale pastels as well as vivid bright colors are ways to coordinate the cake with the rest of the wedding decor.

Cutting the cake:

Cut the bottom tier.  Use the cake knift which is serrated to cut the cake and use the cake server to remove the slice from the cake.  The grooms right hand goes over the brides right hand.  This symbolizes the husband as head of the household.

Hope this helps!