San Jose Wedding Cake Traditions

We sometimes go a little crazy with wedding items

We forget what exactly we're getting and why we're getting it. Cakes are a great example. There are reasons, we spend more for a good cake as the following wedding cake superstitions may show. And usually, unlike the funny video, there are differences between a good cake and your normal cake. No matter which tradition you follow, you will be cutting the cake. So, click here for a list of Wedding Cake Cutting Songs.

The wedding cake is a very ancient tradition, which today is a focal point of many weddings. You can find references to it in many cultures throughout history in one form or another. In bygone years, it was customary to through many small cakes over the bride which may have evolved into the Romans baking a sort of bread that was eaten during the wedding ceremony, sometimes it was baked very thin and was broken over the bride's head after the ceremony to symbolize fertility. Wheat has traditionally symbolized fertility. In England during the middle ages, it became traditional to kiss over a cluster of cakes. The higher the tower, the better luck in their marriage. It took a french baker to combine the cakes into one large cake and to use icing. The shape of the modern tiered cake seems to be associated the spire of St. Bride's Church In London.

The groom's cake was probably started in England as a fruit cake with nuts and fruit being another symbol of fertility. It is said that pieces of the fruit cake (rarely eaten at the event) if saved by the bridesmaids, and put through a ring three times and then put under their pillow would cause them to have dreams of their future husbands. Also if they keep a piece of the cake in their pocket until after the bride and groom's honeymoon is over will marry soon.

Cutting the cake is now part of the ritual celebration at a reception. Traditionally the bride and groom make the first cut together and then share that piece between them. If the bride did not make the first cut the couple would be childless. Nowadays, it is traditional for the bride to take the knife and the groom to put his right hand over his wife's right hand and her left hand to cover his right while they make the cut together on the bottom layer. This symbolizes their commitment to provide for each other. In the past it was done by the bride alone showing her ability to be a good housekeeper, by distributing food without waste. The modern method of cutting together is said to signify the couple's intentions to share all possessions.

Feeding the first slice to her husband is a relatively more modern tradition. This symbolizes her offering herself up to her husband, inviting him to partake of what she has to offer. She will negate that offer and it's message of chattel, if she smashes the cake in his face. Likewise if the groom retaliates it shows disrespect for the representation that throughout marriage they will "feed" and take care of each other. Feeding each other symbolizes the first task in the couple's life together.

Modern weddings have many types of songs played while cutting the cake. Here are a list of many of those songs

Some other traditional do's and don'ts include being sure that the bride, no matter how well she bakes, never bakes her own wedding cake (bad luck and hard work her whole life). All present at the reception must have a piece (good luck to all who do and bad to those who don't).

The layers of the cake are said to represent different things. The bottom layer represents the couple as a family. The top layer represents them as a couple. The middle layers represents children they hope to have.

Wedding cakes traditionally must be made of the finest ingredients be made as rich as possible to indicate abundance and to attract the same to the couple. A well-made cake is a sign of a well formed marriage. White icing has come to symbolize purity and was started in Victorian times. The icing was also a sign of affluence since it was made with refined sugar, which at the time, was very expensive.

It is still traditional to save the top layer of the cake for either the first anniversary or the baptism of their first child and eaten at the christening feast. If you do decide to save the top layer, wrap it in plastic wrap, then paper towels, then freezer paper. Tape it shut with freezer tape and freeze as soon as possible. You can put the whole thing in the freezer for an hour or so before you wrap it to set the icing if you want.