~Off Topic Thread~

[*julez* 124]

i never have understood that tradition of mashing cake into each other's face.

Neither did i until the wedding when Joni smashed a load into my face without any kind of warning apparently i looked like i was going to flatten her

No offense to those who like the cake smashing tradition, but I think its a pretty awful thing to do to your new spouse! Definitley one American tradition that can fade into oblivion as far as I'm concerned.

[English Muffin 59]

I've never heard of the cake smashing thing either, definitely not a British thing. I would have been royally p!ssed off if Scott had done that to me on my wedding day, after having paid a small fortune to have my make up professionally done.

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Where does it come from? Maybe it's from one of the many immigrant communities in the US, and became a more widely observed custom. It would be hilarous if the groom didn't know that the bride had never heard of the custom and let her have it.

[*julez* 124]

Well, I've been married twice now and neither time did I have cake smashed in my face. I would have been so angry. To Gillian's point - my makeup would have gotten all messed up. Plus, cake/frosting up my nose does not sound appealing at all.

Not sure where/why it all started or why it has taken hold!

[no name 1]

Well, I've been married twice now and neither time did I have cake smashed in my face. I would have been so angry. To Gillian's point - my makeup would have gotten all messed up. Plus, cake/frosting up my nose does not sound appealing at all.

Not sure where/why it all started or why it has taken hold!

Not to mention if it had gotten on my expensive dress!

[ginger1981 0]

I've never heard of the cake smashing thing either, definitely not a British thing. I would have been royally p!ssed off if Scott had done that to me on my wedding day, after having paid a small fortune to have my make up professionally done.

Where does it come from? Maybe it's from one of the many immigrant communities in the US, and became a more widely observed custom. It would be hilarous if the groom didn't know that the bride had never heard of the custom and let her have it.

Well, I've been married twice now and neither time did I have cake smashed in my face. I would have been so angry. To Gillian's point - my makeup would have gotten all messed up. Plus, cake/frosting up my nose does not sound appealing at all.

Not sure where/why it all started or why it has taken hold!

I'm not sure where it came from either. My mom gave me a tiny piece of cake and I fed it to Nicky with a bit of mess but not much. Well, then my mom gave Nicky a slab of cake (I blame my mom for instigating it lol) and he smashed it and rubbed it in. Well, that got me going so I wiped some cake off me and smashed it back on him.

Really I've never been to a wedding where it didn't happen. But then again my family and friends are fairly blue collar in many ways and drinking beer and smashing cake makes guests happy :-)

[no name 1]

Wedding Cake #2-

Smashing wedding cake into your new spouse's face is totally disrespectful when you realize where the tradition originated. It is said that the cake tradition is supposed to represent that throughout your marriage, you will "feed" each other and take care of each other.

link

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Some fun-loving grooms smash a piece of wedding cake in the bride’s face as part of the post-wedding festivities. But do you know where this custom began?

a. It’s the endless chocolate versus vanilla argument that started with Adam and Eve.

b. Cake tossing was first observed in the 13th century when out-of-work millers invaded wedding ceremonies looking for clients.

c. Giving a bride a rude shower of cake dates back to Roman times when it was thought to ensure her fertility.

Answer: Wedding cake in a bride’s face is a fertility blessing.

Originally, the cake was not eaten by but thrown at the bride. It developed as one of the many fertility traditions surrounding a wedding. Wheat was is a symbol of fruitfulness and was among the earliest grains to be ceremoniously showered on the bride and groom. In its earliest origins, the unmarried young women attending the wedding were expected to scramble for the grains to ensure their own betrothals, much as they do today for the bridal bouquet.

Early Roman bakers changed the “throw it” to the “eat it” tradition. These bakers were distinguished and respected in their trades. Somewhere around 100 BC they began taking the wedding wheat and creating small, sweet cakes with it; the cakes were eaten while the service was in progress.

I’m so glad that this tradition is no longer popular. There’s plenty of time for a food fight if that is your kind of thing - but not on your wedding day!

link

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Cake-smashing: Traditional or tacky?

by ILONA PELTZ ON SEP 27TH 2007 2:33PM

I'd seen it on the occasional sitcom. I'd read about it. But I never for once believed that people really did this. Seems I was wrong. I confess to being baffled. Who does this? Why?

I checked in a few chat sites, visited a few blogs. The discussion is lively, to say the least, and detractors outnumber fans by a long stretch. Fans claim it's "traditional". Traditional to whom? For how long? I do not know a single person who has done this at their wedding.

Fans further claim it's "harmless fun". Hmm ... Seems like nothing more than a sublimation of aggression to me. While there are all sorts of ... creative ... things I can imagine doing to my beloved, cramming cake up his nose just isn't one of them. And harmless? Try telling that to your hair, your make-up, and your clothing.

And mostly -- have they no idea how totally TACKY this is?

link

Edited June 24, 2008 by illumine

[*julez* 124]

Ah, devilette, ever the gumshoe! I love that you always find the story!

[no name 1]

Ah, devilette, ever the gumshoe! I love that you always find the story!

I was curious after you guys brought it up! So I searched.

I;'ve never been to a wedding that did it.

[The Red Baron 0]

Its always about sex those pagans huh and the romans the randy wotsits

[*julez* 124]

Have a Happy Birthday!!

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Yay! Rockin' cake! Happy birthday Robin.

Moving van coming today... and my parents are not around to help out as they are going to a taping of the Daily Show in New York. I feel so jet lagged still, and I'm having this weird after-effect where I get dizzy when I stand up from a sitting position. Last night I almost fainted. Must be the stress too, I'm sure of it.

[no name 1]

Have a Happy Birthday!!

That rules!

[Jeraly 4]

Where does it come from? Maybe it's from one of the many immigrant communities in the US, and became a more widely observed custom. It would be hilarous if the groom didn't know that the bride had never heard of the custom and let her have it.

Especially if she was from a country that had a more traditional outlook on life - certain parts of Asia etc... can you imagine this discussion in the MENA forum for example?

Saying that - I would have been well p'd off if Jeremy had done it to me, but at least I have heard of it before so I wouldn't have taken it *totally* to heart

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Happy Birthday Robin

i'll buy you your birthday drink in 7 weeks time!