ACCORDING to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the history behind a groom’s cake is that it’s a wedding traditional cake originating in Victorian England but observed more often in the modern age in the American South.
While a wedding cake may often be decorated in white and light in texture or colour, the groom’s cake can take a variety of forms, many incorporating chocolate or fruit cheesecake sometimes serve as a groom’s cake.
The groom’s cake is often served at a table separate from the wedding cake at a wedding reception.
This may sound very new to many, I am aware but you know this cake and you have even eaten it at different weddingswhich you have attended.Thiscake is served at the wedding reception usually at the end. The bride and groom usually are the first ones to taste this cake, when they feed each other.
The groom’s cake is then sliced and put it in small cake boxes, bags or put on a tray for each guest to get a slice after greeting the bridal party. In Zambia, the groom’s cake is usually referred to as the guest’s cake.
The groom’s cake was often richer than the bride’s, since the addition of flavors like chocolate, fruit and especially alcohol were better served to the stronger sex with the strong stomach. This belief that men have a strong stomach has been in existence for a long time, not only when it comes to cakes but also food which is about to go bad, men are allowed to eat and not women. During the Victorian era, the first groom’s cakes were heavy and dense fruit cakes.
A characteristic recipe for the groom’s fruit cake was published in the “The British Baker” in 1897. Eventually, flour cakes, either white or chocolate, supplanted fruits cakes as the most popular choice.
Groom’s cake is a tradition most popular in the south eastern United States that began during the Victorian era, inherited from Britain. By the 1890’s, the groom’s cake had become a popular complement to the “lady’s cake”. Traditionally, the cake was cut by the bridegroom and served with wine to the bridesmaids before going to church.
The groom’s cake never became particularly popular in England but in the southern United States, the practice of having two separate cakes became very popular with the brides cake being light and the groom’s being dark.
Groom’s cakes are traditionally served at the wedding ceremony, but in Zambia this type of cake is served at the wedding reception. It is usually considered proper for the groom’s cake to be served separately from the bride, traditionally, the groom’s cake are chocolate and are often garnished with fruit.
Many are decorated to reflect the groom’s hobbies, such as fishing, golfing, painting or building.
By the middle of the 20th century a competing custom incorporating both cakes on the same table had arisen.
The bride’s cake is placed on the base and the groom’s cake mounted on top. The bride and groom would cut the cakes and then give pieces to each other to eat and then the cakes would be served to guests.
One tradition was to cut a piece of the cake and put it in a small box, and then present the box to an unmarried woman attending the wedding. The woman was not expected to eat the cake, but rather to put it under her pillow, superstition held that this tradition would help an unmarried woman find a husband; remember, it is just a superstition.
Traditionally, it is believed that the groom’s cake is a gift from the bride to the groom that reflects his personality and interests in his favorite cake flavor. The groom’s cake is displayed next to the wedding cake and typically it is later cut and put into boxes for guests to take home. According to legend, if a single woman sleeps with a slice under her pillow that night, she will dream about her future husband. A slice is to be eaten, enjoy the flavor and these days the popular flavors are chocolate, cheesecake or even liquor- soaked cake.
As i conclude let me talk about the difference between courtship and engagement. Courtship is about open and honest exploration of each other’s lives and families leading up to engagement and marriage.
If you are not ready for what is ahead then you enter into courtship. To enter into any relationship you need to understand the purpose why you are there, do not wait until the man is about to propose then you give an excuse that you have to think about it and ask some friends or family.
Engagement starts after there has been an actual proposal by the man and an acceptance by the lady and both are committed to their decision, this is recognized by God. The engagement period is not a period for trial and error, just as you do not enter marriage with divorce as an option.
Then marriage which is God’s idea follows. He said it’s not good for man to be alone, I will make him helpmate, God saw that for man to succeed in the task, he needed someone of the opposite gender.
Marriage is for you to be joined with someone of the opposite gender who would help you fulfill God’s calling and responsibilities in your life. Marriage is primarily to help you serve God better.
When l was young we played a game where four circles were drawn on each corner of the square on the ground, one had to run from one circle to the other gaining points and making sure the ball does not hit them.
It was a requirement that one stands inside the circle but when preparing to go to the next circle one leg was allowed to step outside the circle. This is how many people have entered into marriage, with one leg inside the other leg ready to move on as a result there is no commitment and are not fulfill its purpose.They enter into marriage with an attitude of coming out if it does work out.
Marriage is different from a game, you cannot just back out whenever you feel like nor have issues that are not resolved to your liking.
The Bible says that any foundation other than God’s word will not stand a test of time so build your marriage on God’s word and pray to God to reveal His mind and not you cajoling Him to endorse your choice.
Remember it takes 1 year to plan a memorable wedding, happy planning.
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