The Do’s and Don’ts of the Wedding Cake Cutting Tradition

The ceremonial cutting of the wedding cake is one of the longest-standing wedding traditions of them all.  This tradition is meant to symbolize togetherness – that is, it’s viewed as the first task that the married couple will do together.  Although some couples choose to forego this ceremonial act, it’s still widely practiced in weddings all across the US and elsewhere.  What follows are some basic do’s and don’ts associated with this ritual.

Do’s

First, you will want to make sure that the wedding cake is positioned in the center of the room, or at least in a location that is visible to all.  Your guests will want to see every minute of the ritual, so don’t shortchange them if you can avoid it.  Plus, heck, if you’re going to do it, then you might as well make sure that everyone there can share in the enjoyment of it.


Also, make sure you’ve got someone lined up to cut and distribute the pieces of cake after the ritualistic cake cutting has ended.  Obviously the people most central to the event – the bride, groom, mother of the bride, etc. – should not be doing this.  Instead, see if the caterer can do it, or if not see if one of your not-so-close friends or family members could do the honors. Another thing you should do is to use a special cake server and knife that you can keep as a memento of the occasion.  Not only is this an elegant touch at the reception, but you’ll be able to instantly relive the tradition whenever you want just by looking at your special cake cutting memento.

Don’ts

First, do not overstay your welcome!  Keep this ceremonial act short and to the point.  There’s no need to drag it out, especially considering that many of your guests will be ‘lubed up’ by then and ready to boogie on the dance floor!

Second, do not allow your guests to huddle around the cake table and snap tons of photos.  Not only will this be a distraction, but having overzealous picture takers near the cake table could obstruct the view of your other guests.  Instead, leave the pictures to your hired photographer. Finally, do not bring the cake to the reception yourself!  You’ve got too much going on to have to worry about this too, plus this will greatly increase the risk of absolute disaster – mishandling and dropping the cake.  Leave the cake delivery to your hired vendors – after all, that’s the kind of thing you’re paying them for!

Conclusion

The cake cutting ceremony is still widely practiced and enjoyed by many people, so if you’re going to do it, do it right.  And, you may notice that I didn’t mention anything about whether or not you ought to smash the cake in your spouse’s face.  The reason I didn’t mention this is that doing this is neither a do or a don’t…rather, it’s a highly personal decision that only you and your spouse can make.  Good luck!