Wedding Dish
By Christine Boulton, owner, www.thinklikeabride.com
Ah, grooms’ cakes, that lovely Southern tradition that is catching on around the nation. What a great way to honor the man in the wedding. Even though this tradition started in England as a white cake to counter their traditional fruitcake, we have certainly made it our own. Chocolate is still the top flavor choice, but even that is being tweaked.
High Design From Neyland Stadium to a prized ’57 Chevy complete with tufted upholstery and a shiny chrome bumper, the passions and hobbies of today’s groom are ending up in sugar. Whether the groom designs it or the bride does it as a loving tribute to her groom, the result is still the same: a distinctly masculine entity in a sea of romance. This is the one place that your creativity and sense of whimsy can really run wild. If there is a guy in America that is into it, someone somewhere has made it into a groom’s cake.
Classic Sophistication For the couple that wants an elegant look, the trend is sleek, classic cakes. A classic look is a simple tiered square cake, bathed in the richest of chocolate and garnished in tuxedo strawberries or fresh fruit. A more modern twist is to do a smaller version of the bride’s cake in chocolate. This looks especially pretty if the cakes are to be displayed on the same table at the reception.
His Night for His Cake I am seeing many couples choose to serve the groom’s cake at the rehearsal dinner. As cakes get more whimsical, brides are having a really hard time picturing them at the elegant soiree they have spent the last year planning. After all, who wants a bleeding armadillo at their black tie wedding? Another reason is the ‘inside joke’. Sometimes the message behind the choice of cake is such an intimate inside joke that the majority of the wedding guests would not get it. The families and closest friends however would get it and laugh hysterically; so this keeps it private.
What! Not Chocolate Yes, while I did say that chocolate is still the top choice for grooms’ cakes, it isn’t the only one. As more couples pick chocolate for the bride’s cake, the primary reason that grooms’ cakes have historically been chocolate no longer applies. The trend now is to make the groom’s cake in the groom’s favorite flavor, even the cake his mom always made him.
That’s Not Even Cake! Is your groom not a fan of cake, period? Don’t have one. Have great piles of his favorite cookie, or maybe a display of homemade cherry pies. You could always do a sundae bar if that is what strikes his fancy.
As with everything else wedding-related these days, the groom’s cake really is about personal choices. From the design, to the flavor, to when you choose to serve it, make special because you have made it a reflection of what makes you the unique couple you are.
Christine Boulton has been a professional in the wedding industry for more than 20 years. She is the owner of www.thinklikeabride.com and currently serves as a marketing consultant to some of the industry’s largest vendors. Christine, who is known for her never-ending stream of research and always knowing and understanding what brides want, is published regularly in this and various other magazines and blogs.
