There are so many different options and choices available to us today. We can contact people by traditional phone, smart phone, regular cell phone, email, or regular mail. If we want to get somewhere we can drive a car, take a bus, ride a bike, or stroll along. Given all the options available to us today, it's only natural that this variety should work its way into one of our most cherished traditions...that of the wedding cake. Selecting the flavor of the cake and the color of the icing is just getting started. You will need to take some time to choose the best wedding cake topper for your special cake. In this article we will be examining the world of the wedding cake, providing some background details on the tradition, and working on up to the selection process of the perfect topper for that very special wedding cake.
The wedding cake is often proudly and strategically placed during the wedding reception. Often towering way up into the heavens, it can compete with the bride as the "center of attention" on her big day. This delicious work of art establishes a focal point that the other aspects of the reception can revolve around. For those who prefer a flare for the dramatic, the wedding cake can be wheeled into the room at the end of the reception, providing a "grand entrance" for everyone to see. To many people this grand entrance will perhaps trigger memories of the bride who walked down the aisle earlier in the day.
In The Beginning
The wedding cake has evolved with the passing of time. In the beginning it was a simple symbol of fertility, but it has transformed itself into an artistic tradition with many different artistic interpretations. For many people in the ancient world, wheat was a symbol of both fertility and a bountiful harvest. The Ancient Romans used to throw grains of wheat at the bride and groom as a symbolic "fertility wish" to the new couple during their wedding. This custom eventually evolved into bringing little wheat cakes to the wedding banquet itself. People would crumble this cake over the head of the bride to wish the couple "many children". The fallen crumbs would then be eaten by the guests as a symbol of sharing in the couple's good fortune.
Did you know that this "crumbling of the cake" over the bride's head might have evolved into another wedding day tradition? Do you know what that tradition is? In order to shield the hapless bride from the shower that is to come, bridesmaids eventually draped a cloth over her head before the "crumbling tradition" took place. Many believe that this simple cloth evolved into the modern day wedding veil.
Enter The Middle Ages
By the time the Middle Ages rolled around, sweet rolls or buns had replaced the wheat cakes, but it was still customary for guests to bring these tasty treats to the wedding. They were placed in a huge mound between the bride and groom, and if the happy couple was able to kiss over this stack, it was believed that they would be blessed with many children.
Many believe that the next step in the evolution of the traditional cake was performed in the 17th century by a French pastry chef. While on a trip to London he happened to observe this "cake piling" ceremony. Upon his subsequent return to France he coated the stack of buns with sugar, and thereby "cemented" them together into one very tasty art form. This was to become the first rendition of the tiered and frosted wedding cake, and a mere forerunner as to what was to come in the years ahead.
A Touch Of Class
You are probably familiar with the classic style of the modern day wedding cake. It's the one with the distinctive design of smaller tiers as the cake builds vertically? Here's a bit of trivia for you. It is believed that this model was inspired by the spire of the 14th century Saint Bride's church in London.
Victorian England introduced us to many of today's valued wedding traditions. For starters, Queen Victoria herself is said to have had a cake that weighed in at 300 lbs. As talented confectioners and bakers became more daring and adventurous, their creations became even more beautiful and elaborate. In 1947, when England's Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were married, their wedding cake weighed in at a whopping 500 lbs, and was 9 feet tall.
Today's Version
Long gone are the days when the elaborate wedding cake was reserved for only the rich and famous. Today every couple can share in the tradition by having a fantastic wedding cake added to their big day. The wedding cake designers of today have taken their art form to towering heights...pardon the pun. Long gone are those boring and bland days when you were limited to a regular white cake with regular white frosting. Although a white cake will likely always be the most popular (due to its traditional meaning), today's couple is limited only by the limits of their mind and budget when it comes to their wedding cake.
Why The White Color?
White is definitely the color of a wedding, but did you know that there is another reason why the white is the customary color of a wedding cake? Back in Victorian times the finer ingredients of a wedding cake were scarce and hard to come by. If the cake had a white icing, this revealed the fact that only the best and most expensive white sugar was being used. Brown sugar was much more common, and therefore much less expensive. So, the more white the cake, the richer the people.
Be Prepared...Plan Ahead
The most important thing to remember when choosing that special cake for your big day is to not leave it till the last minute. Whether you choose a talented family member, the local baker, or a pastry chef who specializes in these tasty masterpieces, if you plan well in advance you will be able to navigate the difficult waters of whatever obstacles might come your way. Although some bakers require only a minimum notice, many are booked far in advance. It's a shame to have that perfect cake of your imagination be "canned" due to the fact you cannot allocate a baker's time.
So, you have no idea who will be baking your wedding cake? If you don't have a particular baker in mind just yet, you have a bit of homework ahead of you. Shop around and get some great recommendations from family and friends. Be sure to browse the internet and yellow pages as they are both valuable informational sources. If you happen to be surfing the web you may see that many bakers today are posting photos of some of their wedding cake masterpieces. As a sort of masterpiece cake gallery, they showcase what they are capable of creating. This will spike your imagination as to what you would like your own wedding cake to look like.
Consider The Budget
Don't forget your budget. Be sure to be mindful of your wallet before you let your imagination get the best of you. You want your wedding day to be one of celebration, not the day that you started your spiral into debt. Many people are surprised at the high cost of a wedding cake these days. Keep in mind that you are asking a bakery artisan to create a colorful masterpiece for you, and this can often be reflected in the price that he/she will be asking. Although the cost of labor is often the largest expense in the creation of a wedding cake, keep in mind the simple fact that fondant is more expensive than buttercream.
Have you thought about staging your masterpiece? This comes next. Be sure to take the wedding cake stand into consideration during your planning phase. While some cakes can be simply placed on flat boards that will not be seen by the general public, others are elaborately displayed on beautiful stands for everyone to see. Keep in mind the simple fact that actual size of the cake table must be in proportion to the actual size of your cake. A table that is too small will make the cake look way too big, while a table that is too large will make it look like a tiny cupcake. And before we forget, your cake table will need a beautiful covering to compliment its strategic location at the wedding reception. Oh, don't forget the cake knife and cake server. There needs to be a place on the table for these two items as well.
The Topper For The Wedding Cake
The wedding cake topper tops off your special wedding cake. The "wedding cake topper" is the simple name for the decoration or figure that sits atop a wedding cake. While it is true that some couples prefer to have the simple elegance of an unadorned cake, many prefer to have that final "crowning touch", the wedding cake topper, added to the upper layer of the cake. Today the simple plastic "bride and groom" of yesteryear has more likely been replaced by the classic porcelain figurine of today.
What types of wedding cake toppers are available today? We are glad you asked. Many different types of figures are available, from the classic poses to figurines depicting some of the potentially "humorous" aspects of the wedding (such as a bride dragging the hapless groom back to the altar). Personalized wedding cake toppers are also popular, while niche toppers such as a marine marriage have their place as well.
In Conclusion
We have so much to say, but there is only so much detail that one can go into in a single article. If you would like to learn more about wedding cakes (and wedding cake toppers to be more specific) please come and visit us on our blog. - 30520
The wedding cake is often proudly and strategically placed during the wedding reception. Often towering way up into the heavens, it can compete with the bride as the "center of attention" on her big day. This delicious work of art establishes a focal point that the other aspects of the reception can revolve around. For those who prefer a flare for the dramatic, the wedding cake can be wheeled into the room at the end of the reception, providing a "grand entrance" for everyone to see. To many people this grand entrance will perhaps trigger memories of the bride who walked down the aisle earlier in the day.
In The Beginning
The wedding cake has evolved with the passing of time. In the beginning it was a simple symbol of fertility, but it has transformed itself into an artistic tradition with many different artistic interpretations. For many people in the ancient world, wheat was a symbol of both fertility and a bountiful harvest. The Ancient Romans used to throw grains of wheat at the bride and groom as a symbolic "fertility wish" to the new couple during their wedding. This custom eventually evolved into bringing little wheat cakes to the wedding banquet itself. People would crumble this cake over the head of the bride to wish the couple "many children". The fallen crumbs would then be eaten by the guests as a symbol of sharing in the couple's good fortune.
Did you know that this "crumbling of the cake" over the bride's head might have evolved into another wedding day tradition? Do you know what that tradition is? In order to shield the hapless bride from the shower that is to come, bridesmaids eventually draped a cloth over her head before the "crumbling tradition" took place. Many believe that this simple cloth evolved into the modern day wedding veil.
Enter The Middle Ages
By the time the Middle Ages rolled around, sweet rolls or buns had replaced the wheat cakes, but it was still customary for guests to bring these tasty treats to the wedding. They were placed in a huge mound between the bride and groom, and if the happy couple was able to kiss over this stack, it was believed that they would be blessed with many children.
Many believe that the next step in the evolution of the traditional cake was performed in the 17th century by a French pastry chef. While on a trip to London he happened to observe this "cake piling" ceremony. Upon his subsequent return to France he coated the stack of buns with sugar, and thereby "cemented" them together into one very tasty art form. This was to become the first rendition of the tiered and frosted wedding cake, and a mere forerunner as to what was to come in the years ahead.
A Touch Of Class
You are probably familiar with the classic style of the modern day wedding cake. It's the one with the distinctive design of smaller tiers as the cake builds vertically? Here's a bit of trivia for you. It is believed that this model was inspired by the spire of the 14th century Saint Bride's church in London.
Victorian England introduced us to many of today's valued wedding traditions. For starters, Queen Victoria herself is said to have had a cake that weighed in at 300 lbs. As talented confectioners and bakers became more daring and adventurous, their creations became even more beautiful and elaborate. In 1947, when England's Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were married, their wedding cake weighed in at a whopping 500 lbs, and was 9 feet tall.
Today's Version
Long gone are the days when the elaborate wedding cake was reserved for only the rich and famous. Today every couple can share in the tradition by having a fantastic wedding cake added to their big day. The wedding cake designers of today have taken their art form to towering heights...pardon the pun. Long gone are those boring and bland days when you were limited to a regular white cake with regular white frosting. Although a white cake will likely always be the most popular (due to its traditional meaning), today's couple is limited only by the limits of their mind and budget when it comes to their wedding cake.
Why The White Color?
White is definitely the color of a wedding, but did you know that there is another reason why the white is the customary color of a wedding cake? Back in Victorian times the finer ingredients of a wedding cake were scarce and hard to come by. If the cake had a white icing, this revealed the fact that only the best and most expensive white sugar was being used. Brown sugar was much more common, and therefore much less expensive. So, the more white the cake, the richer the people.
Be Prepared...Plan Ahead
The most important thing to remember when choosing that special cake for your big day is to not leave it till the last minute. Whether you choose a talented family member, the local baker, or a pastry chef who specializes in these tasty masterpieces, if you plan well in advance you will be able to navigate the difficult waters of whatever obstacles might come your way. Although some bakers require only a minimum notice, many are booked far in advance. It's a shame to have that perfect cake of your imagination be "canned" due to the fact you cannot allocate a baker's time.
So, you have no idea who will be baking your wedding cake? If you don't have a particular baker in mind just yet, you have a bit of homework ahead of you. Shop around and get some great recommendations from family and friends. Be sure to browse the internet and yellow pages as they are both valuable informational sources. If you happen to be surfing the web you may see that many bakers today are posting photos of some of their wedding cake masterpieces. As a sort of masterpiece cake gallery, they showcase what they are capable of creating. This will spike your imagination as to what you would like your own wedding cake to look like.
Consider The Budget
Don't forget your budget. Be sure to be mindful of your wallet before you let your imagination get the best of you. You want your wedding day to be one of celebration, not the day that you started your spiral into debt. Many people are surprised at the high cost of a wedding cake these days. Keep in mind that you are asking a bakery artisan to create a colorful masterpiece for you, and this can often be reflected in the price that he/she will be asking. Although the cost of labor is often the largest expense in the creation of a wedding cake, keep in mind the simple fact that fondant is more expensive than buttercream.
Have you thought about staging your masterpiece? This comes next. Be sure to take the wedding cake stand into consideration during your planning phase. While some cakes can be simply placed on flat boards that will not be seen by the general public, others are elaborately displayed on beautiful stands for everyone to see. Keep in mind the simple fact that actual size of the cake table must be in proportion to the actual size of your cake. A table that is too small will make the cake look way too big, while a table that is too large will make it look like a tiny cupcake. And before we forget, your cake table will need a beautiful covering to compliment its strategic location at the wedding reception. Oh, don't forget the cake knife and cake server. There needs to be a place on the table for these two items as well.
The Topper For The Wedding Cake
The wedding cake topper tops off your special wedding cake. The "wedding cake topper" is the simple name for the decoration or figure that sits atop a wedding cake. While it is true that some couples prefer to have the simple elegance of an unadorned cake, many prefer to have that final "crowning touch", the wedding cake topper, added to the upper layer of the cake. Today the simple plastic "bride and groom" of yesteryear has more likely been replaced by the classic porcelain figurine of today.
What types of wedding cake toppers are available today? We are glad you asked. Many different types of figures are available, from the classic poses to figurines depicting some of the potentially "humorous" aspects of the wedding (such as a bride dragging the hapless groom back to the altar). Personalized wedding cake toppers are also popular, while niche toppers such as a marine marriage have their place as well.
In Conclusion
We have so much to say, but there is only so much detail that one can go into in a single article. If you would like to learn more about wedding cakes (and wedding cake toppers to be more specific) please come and visit us on our blog. - 30520
About the Author:
Sue Toliver has two web sites: (1) special wedding cake toppers and (2) dinner set review if you would like more info on how to "jazz" up your wedding.
