Guest Author - Victoria

Just like it sounds, it’s a cake for the groom. The groom’s cake was part of the southern wedding tradition but lately southern belles aren’t the only ones ordering these cakes for their beaus. This cake used to actually be called the wedding cake while the wedding cake of today was called the bride’s cake.

While the wedding cake or bride’s cake was eaten at the wedding reception, the groom's cake, which was usually a fruitcake, was taken home as a wedding favor (thinly sliced pieces in personalized bags or boxes) for the unmarried female guests to put under their pillows. Supposedly, the women would dream of their future husbands.

The bride orders the groom’s cake at the same place where she orders her wedding cake. She usually keeps the design of the groom’s cake a secret from the groom but makes sure to choose designs that represent the groom’s personality. Some grooms refuse to let anyone in on the secret and they take great joy in ordering their groom’s cake. Either way, the groom's cake really serves as a way for the groom to have his own special part of the reception or rehearsal dinner.

While the bride’s cake is usually lightly colored, the groom’s cake is usually a dark color (both filling and icing) in keeping with the fruitcake tradition. The groom's cake is often a chocolate cake but can also be the groom's favorite filling. I’ve seen cakes shaped like a compass, cars and coat of arms. For my uncle’s groom’s cake, he stuck to chocolate both inside and out but had small figurines on the top of the cake of a mixer, sauce pan and dozen eggs because he is a chef.

You can either serve the groom’s cake at the rehearsal dinner or display it next to the wedding cake at the reception. It’s nice to offer a second dessert option and if you are not serving fresh fruit or ice cream with your wedding cake, a sliver of groom’s cake is acceptable.

Good news about the groom’s cake. If you order the cake from the baker there is a chance that it will be significantly cheaper than the bride’s wedding cake. It all depends on the vendor that you choose. Some vendors will charge 1/3 more for wedding cakes and groom’s cakes just because they are for a wedding. If you were to get the same cake for a birthday party, graduation or anniversary, sometimes you would pay less. Find out the practices of your wedding vendor before you make a final decision.