The wedding cake is one of the oldest traditions associated with the wedding reception. It began with the Romans almost 2000 years ago. Around about 100 A.D., they started baking a small wheat and salt cake for the wedding ceremony. During the ceremony the groom would eat part of it before breaking the rest over his bride's head. Guests would then attempt to catch a portion of this cake to take home for good luck.
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Through the years, the cake grew larger until it was not only impractical to break it over the bride's head, it became near impossible. This tradition slowly disappeared and eventually the idea of a sweeter, tastier cake emerged. Most people believe that it began in the 1600s with a French chef who came to visit King Charles II. The chef was appalled as he watched wedding guests pile sweet buns higher and higher while the bride and groom attempted to kiss over them (which would bring them prosperity). The chef decided to create his own tiered system which used cut broom sticks to separate the layers.
To create such an elaborate large cake, days of preparation was needed and the wedding cake was often frosted in lard to prevent it from drying out. The lard was then scraped off before the cake was served. Eventually, someone got the idea that it would be much easier to add sugar to the lard rather than scraping the lard off. The concept of cutting the cake is supposed to be symbolic of the bride and groom's new life together, as it is the first task they perform together after the ceremony.
When it comes time in your reception, you'll want a song specifically for the task. Some couples choose a romantic selection like those found on the First Dance Songs and Unity Candle Songs pages. However, some like to pick a song that is more light-hearted and whimsical or one that is aimed specifically at this task.
We have some of the best songs for this purpose listed below. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.
Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.
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For more reception songs, go to Best Wedding Reception Songs or select one of the pages below:
For more ceremony songs, go to Best Wedding Ceremony Songs or select one of the pages below:
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