We’re making up for leaving you hanging on Tuesday. We were out for an emergency but it’s all under control and we’re back again to make up for that missed post! Tiffany’s here to share some great insight into the great Southern tradition of Grooms cakes!
The most direct path to a man’s heart? FOOD. Maybe that’s how the tradition of the bride giving her new husband a gift of a cake came about. The tradition is believed to have started in Victorian England where the cake was very simple, made with fruit, liquor and perhaps chocolate, if the bride had access to money. In the mid-19th century, the tradition jumped the pond to America and took up popularity mainly in the South.
Image credits: LSU cake via Tigerfan, Sub cake via No Menu, Nintendo via I Geek Trooper, Army cake via Flickr, Packman cupcakes via Tiny Prints, Stadium cake via Cake Central, Tree stump cake via Kara’s Party Ideas.
Over the years, the groom’s cake started to shift in appearance and claimed the role of chocolate, and other distinct flavors, cake at wedding receptions. Nine years ago this style held true when my hubby and I married, he chose a one layer chocolate cake topped with chocolate shavings. Now, a new shift has begun over the past 4 years, thanks to reality shows like Ace of Cakes. Groom’s cakes have gone beyond just his favorite flavor; bakers are going all out and carving the cakes into the Groom’s favorite hobby or food, such as, football stadiums, burgers and fries, pets, favorite vacation spots, or something that represents their home town…you name it, it can be done.
Good things can’t be contained. With all the new wedding media and TV shows, the groom’s cake tradition has flown and landed in the North and West. And these regions are putting their own twist on the tradition. Groom’s cakes, traditionally served at the reception, are now being served at the rehearsal dinner so guests can take full advantage of eating the entire thing. Quite smart considering the wedding cake alone usually never gets completely devoured.
The other part of the tradition that is changing is the groom’s involvement. Originally the bride kept the groom in the dark about the cake so it would be a surprise, but with the endless design possibilities grooms are stepping forward and getting into the spirit. “Weddings tend to sway to the girlie side of things. By giving my hubby the option of going crazy with HIS cake he had the chance to have his individual personality represented in our special day. After all, it’s about TWO people joining lives, not just one,” recalls my friend Sheree. Her hubby ventured outside the realm of cake. He choose to have a massive stack of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, capped with a topper of Homer and Marge Simpson – two of his all time favorite things in life. I think I see the next groom’s cake trend in our midst.
Tiffany has been in, planned and coordinated over 20 weddings – only one being her own. For the past 8 years Tiffany lived in Beverly Hills, CA with her husband, David, and worked as a professional actress. During that time, Tiffany remained involved in event and wedding planning, and partnered in a business making emergency bridal kits. But life stepped in and moved Tiffany and David to Nashville in February of 2011 where she stumbled upon Ashley and Amy at Wedding 101. Now Tiffany fuses her wedding and entertainment knowledge to help brides create unique and creative weddings that are an expression of themselves.
Tiffany met her hubby, David, a month before she graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC (BA of Theatre Arts). They married in March of 2003 in Pensacola, FL.