Where Does The Grooms Cake Go?

The groom’s cake, a wedding tradition dating back to Victorian England, is a dessert that can be served at the rehearsal dinner or after the wedding cake. It was originally intended to be shared with the groomsmen, just like the bride’s cake is for the bridesmaids. Nowadays, it is either served at the rehearsal dinner or after the wedding cake.

The groom’s cake has evolved over time, but it still holds a special place in the wedding tradition. It can be decorated with hobbies, school logos, or other interests, such as a tractor or football helmet. The mother-of-the-groom wedding-day outfit should match the formality of the wedding and the wedding theme. In 2024, the current average cost of a groom’s cake is between $185 – $215.

Grooms cakes can be displayed alongside the bride’s cake or independently depending on the size and theme. Couples can also display the groom’s cake on a separate table, on the bar, or even presented as a surprise to the groom during the reception.

The groom’s cake can be served at the rehearsal dinner or alongside the main wedding cake, either for consumption or simply as a snack. Some couples have even divided the cakes among unmarried women at the wedding, placing slices under their pillows as a good luck charm.

In the south, grooms cakes are often personalized for the groom’s favorite team or hobby, and they can be decorated with either the groom’s type of employment, hobbies, or college alma mater. Today, the groom’s cake is usually cut toward the end of dinner, just before dancing begins, and is the last official event of the evening.

What is the point of a groom’s cake?

Originating in England in the late 19th century (followed by increased popularity in the American South during that same time), the grooms cake was created as a way to provide a more masculine vibe, since the traditional wedding cake was considered too feminine.

A grooms cake is simply a wedding cake entirely influenced by the grooms tastes, hobbies, and personality. Its one detail that is entirely all about him, and like many popular wedding customs, this practice is rooted in tradition and has a special meaning.

Originating in Englandin the late 19th century (followed by increased popularity in the American South during that same time), the grooms cake was created as a way to provide a more masculine vibe, since the traditional wedding cake was considered too feminine. Enter: The liquor-infused fruit cake, which served as the original grooms cake before it was later transformed to reflect more modern aesthetics. Interesting, right?

For those whod like to learn more, we tapped cake expert Rachel Teufel for further insight into the grooms cake tradition, plus details on how theyre now incorporated within modern weddings.

Is the groom’s cake supposed to be a surprise?

The grooms cake can be displayed alongside the brides cake or displayed independently depending on the size and theme, Teufel says. Couples can also display the grooms cake on a separate table, on the bar, or even presented as a surprise to the groom during the reception (typically during toasts).

A grooms cake is simply a wedding cake entirely influenced by the grooms tastes, hobbies, and personality. Its one detail that is entirely all about him, and like many popular wedding customs, this practice is rooted in tradition and has a special meaning.

Originating in Englandin the late 19th century (followed by increased popularity in the American South during that same time), the grooms cake was created as a way to provide a more masculine vibe, since the traditional wedding cake was considered too feminine. Enter: The liquor-infused fruit cake, which served as the original grooms cake before it was later transformed to reflect more modern aesthetics. Interesting, right?

For those whod like to learn more, we tapped cake expert Rachel Teufel for further insight into the grooms cake tradition, plus details on how theyre now incorporated within modern weddings.

Where do you put the groom’s cake?

What Kind of Cake?. Todays grooms cakes are often served on a table separate from the wedding cake at the reception, offering a second flavor choice for guests. But your grooms cake filling is entirely up to you. Any kind of cake will do, but for a New Orleans style wedding, you cant go wrong with Doberge cake. An original New Orleans recipe, Doberge cake combines thin layers of cake and pudding that make a delicious choice for your big day.

If you want a grooms cake that fits right in with your New Orleans wedding festivities, gift your groom the most coveted dessert in the city: a king cake. King cakes are a Mardi Gras tradition that is always the life of the party. These Danish braided pastries are blissfully sweet, laced with cinnamon, and topped with colorful icing. While the official season for king cakes only falls between January 6th and Ash Wednesday, there are plenty of local New Orleans bakeries,such as Haydels Bakery, that will custom bake this carnival treat for your carnival themed grooms cake.

Allow us to assist in contacting hotels, venues and vendors for your group accommodations of 10 or more. We can help make planning simpler and your dream wedding in New Orleans a reality.

Is grooms cake a southern thing?

Grooms cake is a tradition most popular in the Southeastern United States. It was brought over from Britain by colonists. The Southern grooms cake was traditionally a dark-liquor soaked fruitcake, especially in Virginia. The white-iced brides cake was considered too light for masculinity.4 Chocolate grooms cakes became popular in the late 19th century, but they can be any flavor, such as carrot cake, red velvet cake, etc.3.

Grooms cakes are usually served at the wedding reception as a second flavor choice to the guests, but are often served at the rehearsal dinner in some regions. Grooms cakes are often decorated to reflect the grooms hobbies or interests, such as golfing, fishing, hunting, and other sports. The 1989 movie Steel Magnolias features a famous scene with a red velvet grooms cake shaped as a giant armadillo.

Another tradition was to cut a piece of the cake and put it in a small box, then present the box to an unmarried woman attending the wedding.5 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.5.

Who plans the groom’s cake?

Couples are designing the groom’s cake together. Your wedding cake will likely be traditional, but the groom’s cake can be more fun. Choose the look together as a fun detail. If you like a classic look, go for it. The groom’s cake doesn’t have to show his hobbies. As couples are trying new desserts for their wedding cakes, the need for a groom cake is becoming unnecessary, says Isadora Martin-Dye, a wedding planner and owner of Rixey Manor. There are no limits on flavor or design. Liz Berman, a Boston-based baker and owner of The Sleepy Baker in Natick, Massachusetts, says wedding cakes don’t need to have limits on flavors. The same goes for its look. The groom wanted a wedding cake that looked like a pegasus with him riding on the back. The bride wouldn’t let her have a pegasus cake, so she got a traditional one. But she secretly hired me to make a groom’s cake. The wedding cake was next to a pegasus cake with the groom riding on the back!

Do people still have groom’s cake?

Through the decades, just as most other aspects of the wedding have evolved with time, so have grooms cakes. For some, theyre a beloved, long-standing tradition, and for others, theyre simply a way for grooms to express their hobbies and interests. As such, its not uncommon to see a cake shaped like a college football teams helmets or covered in camouflage icing or bedecked with the grooms favorite bottles of booze. But in 2023, when weddings can be as inclusive and creative as the people getting married want them to be, a tradition that was at one time rooted in finding a bunch of unlucky spinsters their dream man is increasingly feeling dated — for most, anyway.

Jenean Carlton has been baking since she was in high school, and opened Carltons Cakes in Atlanta in 2015. A born-and-raised Southerner, Carlton is a proponent of the tradition, if only because many weddings in the South are very bride-centric. “I hate it when I see the groom saying, ‘Oh, honey, it doesnt matter. Just whatever you think,” Carlton says. “I always want them to go for it, because its often their last chance to really have some kind of say in the wedding.”

As a baker, Carlton also just really likes making grooms cakes. She says they offer the ability to be more creative and flex her skills as a sculptor and artist, whether she airbrushes character art onto a massive World of Warcraft cake or crafts ice cubes out of isomalt sugar for a cake shaped like a bucket of cold beer. “Its a place to do something different and artistic,” she says. “You can be very, very, very unique.”

Who typically pays for a groom’s cake?

Like the actual wedding day, theres a three-course meal served at the pre-wedding dinner. So hence, the Grooms cake and other desserts are also on the menu.

In addition to the officiants fee, and marriage license, and rings, Grooms family pays for the whole arrangements of the event.

It means that the grooms parents pays for the rehearsal dinner cake as well.

One thing that is noteworthy is that grooms family doesnt have to be his parents always. It can be the groom himself, the grandparents or aunts & uncles.

Even though if the groomsmen choose to pay for the cake at the dinner, it would also be considered as paid by the grooms family.

Does the groom get his own cake?

However, if choosing the second option, the grooms cake is often cut after the main wedding cake, if it is to be served to the guests. What really defines a grooms cake is that it is a gift from a bride to her groom. An homage to him, a gift that represents his hobbies, passions and likes!