How Did Wedding Cakes Begin?
When someone says "wedding cake", the first though that comes to mind is a beautiful 3-tier cake with colorful flowers and decorations, topped with a representation of the bride and groom. In truth, the first wedding cakes were a far cry from that, as well as a collaborative effort throughout the centuries. Ancient Rome gets credit for the original idea. Then, the "cake" was a loaf of wheat or barley bread. The bride and groom would each partake of the bread (much like today), then the groom would break the rest of the loaf over the bride’s head (today, that depends on whose wedding you attend..) The 1700’s began to see sweeter bakery cakes covered with soft, white icing. The English took them a step further in the 1800’s with the introduction of tiered wedding cakes. Early English marriage ceremonies included a custom that consisted of the guests piling sweet rolls in front of the newlyweds. The rolls represented the any children that the couple would have. The bride and groom would then attempt to kiss over the top of the pile of rolls, giving us the foundation for the first "tiered" cakes.In the late 19th century, wedding cakes were called "bride cakes", as the bride was the main focus of the ceremony (another tradition that is still visible today). Wedding cake toppers also began to appear in the late 1800’s, but their popularity didn’t really catch on until the early 1900’s. With the emergence of modern wedding cakes, the cake has been traditionally white, symbolizing the purity of the bride. Today, wedding cakes are white, chocolate, fruit filled and cream filled–anything goes! It is also important to note that wedding cakes always have been and always will be works in progress, changing with the times. They come in an array of sizes, styles and colors. So many, in fact, that the modern wedding cake is sometimes only identifiable by the tiers. Many times, the wedding itself is planned around the cake itself. Their importance and significance has grown with their size, price, and the many many legends and stories of their origin.
In Ancient Rome, rich families had a special cake which was used only in wedding ceremonies. At one point in the ceremony, the guests broke the cake over the bride’s head. This symbolized their wish for a life of wealth and happiness for the young couple. Then each guest would scramble for the crumbs of the cake to take home wit
