Wedding Cake and Sweets

The dessert in a wedding is the “sweet ending” of the joyful day. After the ceremony, a treat that will sweeten the couple and the guests, along with all the wishes and the celebrations, predispose a pleasant beginning of the life as a couple.

Through the centuries, the ingredients used for making wedding treats, had positive symbolism. Most of them were traditional, yet, there were other ingredients that were more difficult to obtain and were considered more “luxurious”. Nuts, spices even sugar and cocoa were hard to find until 17th century and were not available worldwide as they are today. These unique ingredients combined with local and seasonal products, like honey, fruit, grains and herbs or flowers, in different forms and combinations, composed the festive treats of special occasions.

Wedding Sweets & Sweets Symbols

In weddings, the symbolism of these treats combined tradition with wish and desire for the couple’s prosperity. The flours used, came from grains, which in most of the cultures are a symbol of nature’s euphoria, fertility and all the good meanings that condition the land. Fresh fruit and flowers, with their scents and sweetness, symbolize the freshness of spring, which is nature’s most productive and fertile season, predisposing more pleasant days after the cold winter. Each place has its own traditions and customs.

The wedding cake, in the form that we know today, has been shaped through centuries of adding recipes and ingredients. Starting from simple breads, pastries, pies and tarts, with the commerce development, the population exchange and travel, and the availability of the products, the wedding cake ended up in the known form that is recognized worldwide. Simple stacked sponge cakes with various fillings and white coating, have evolved into artwork, with different themes and colors, elaborate techniques and diversity of flavoring combinations. Many times the meaning of the cake itself is abolished and replaced by other kinds of desserts or pastries. There are many alternatives and the personal symbolism and desires of the couple, have the mainly part in their decision.

Beyond tradition and customs, there are many couples that prefer different kinds of celebration instead of traditional ceremonies, unique traits that make a professional advice necessary, for every detail to express the uniqueness of the taste of each individual.

Alternative or traditional couples, salty or sweet treats, ceremony or celebration, the sure thing is that with so many options and with the help of wedding planning experts, the result will be a special “dream come true” day for every couple.

Konstantina Finidou

Pastry Chef