It’s Not About the Cake – Chapter 13 of It’s Not About the Wedding
The world’s largest wedding cake (pictured at left) was made not for an actual wedding, but for the New England Bridal Showcase in 2008. This cake was 17 feet tall, weighed 15,032 pounds, contained 700 sheet cakes, and required the use of two fork lifts to put each tier in place. It was estimated that it could serve up to 59,000 people. That one really takes the cake.
If you end up like I did, you may not even get more than a single bite of your wedding cake. The only bite I tasted was the one shoved into my mouth by a lady in white. Countless hours can be spent considering cake designs, flavors, colors, shapes, and sizes. I would not want to discourage anyone from doing so, as this is all part of “the dream” for many people, mostly brides. However, the same words of caution apply here: Don’t get too wrapped up in the details.
Remember that once a few photographs of the cake have been snapped, this is something that is going to be literally cut into pieces and spread around the room in short order. So, don’t get too attached. Many of us have also seen the movie scenes where a multi-tiered cake has been knocked over or fallen down in one felled swoop. At that point, your only option is to cut up what are now basically sheet cakes anyway, so you may just want to start with those.
Many contemporary weddings also contain a groom’s cake. A groom’s cake has its roots in the American South, and although it used to be viewed as an added and unnecessary expense, this once-neglected cake has been making a huge comeback. Intended to be a gift from the bride to the groom, the groom’s cake is usually dark (often chocolate or liquor-soaked) and designed with a nod toward what’s traditionally considered “masculine” (i.e., no rosettes in sight). I recently attended a wedding where the groom’s cake had a NASCAR theme, due to the groom’s obsession with auto racing.
The groom’s cake can serve many purposes, from dessert at the rehearsal dinner to an alternative choice to the bride’s cake at the wedding reception. It’s customary for the groom’s cake to be displayed next to the bride’s cake and later cut and put into boxes for guests to take home. And believe it or not, legend has it that single women are supposed to sleep with a slice under their pillow the same night they receive it — and if they do, they’ll dream of their future husband. They’ll also have dirty sheets. Boxed slices of groom’s cake can also serve as your wedding favors. If you go this route, take advantage of the opportunity to get creative with the packaging — an additional way to reflect your bridal style. Whatever you decide, gifting your new husband with his own cake is something you should do because you want to — not because you feel obligated.
Remember, a big, expensive cake is not a prerequisite for getting married, and don’t believe anyone who tells you that marriage is a piece of cake!
Little Drops of Nectar 