Let Them Eat Cake: The Case for Cutting Your Cake After Dinner
Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Cut Your Wedding Cake
When planning your wedding timeline, the cake-cutting ceremony might seem like a small detail. However, after years of photographing weddings, I’ve discovered just how important wedding cake is to many of your guests, especially those who might not be tearing it up on the dance floor.
Why Cake Matters to Your Guests
There’s a portion of wedding guests who are there for the key moments: watching your ceremony, enjoying dinner, seeing the cake-cutting, hearing the toasts, witnessing the first and parent dances, and then indulging in a piece of cake before calling it a night. For these guests, often including older relatives and those less inclined to stay late, the cake is a personal wedding favor. It’s their treat to themselves, and they look forward to it eagerly.
Waiting hours after dinner to cut the cake can lead to restlessness. Many of these guests may leave before they get a slice, feeling like they missed out on one of the most anticipated parts of the evening.
The Perfect Timeline for Cake Cutting
To keep everyone happy, I recommend cutting the cake shortly after dinner. Here’s a suggested sequence:
- Finish Dinner: Allow guests to enjoy their meal and start to relax.
- A Little Mingling: Take a few moments to greet guests at their tables.
- Cut the Cake: Have your cake-cutting ceremony while energy levels are still high.
- Serve the Cake: Once the cake is cut, staff or family can quickly plate and distribute slices. This can happen after toasts and dances, as well.
This approach ensures that your cake enthusiasts—from grandparents to aunts and uncles—can enjoy their moment without waiting too long or leaving disappointed.
A Decade of Cake Wisdom
After over a decade of photographing weddings, I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked, “When will they cut the cake?” by eager grandparents or aunties. Their anticipation is genuine, and accommodating it is a small way to show your appreciation for their presence.
Of course, every couple’s timeline is unique, and if you prefer to wait to cut your cake, that’s perfectly okay. This is simply my recommendation based on countless weddings and a bit of sweet-toothed wisdom.
So, as Marie Antoinette famously (or perhaps infamously) said, “Let them eat cake.” And let’s make sure they can enjoy it at just the right time!
