One way to make your wedding cake particularly different and “charming” is to incorporate the custom of ribbon—or charm—pulling into it. Wedding cake charms date back to the Victorian era when the bride would plant small charms, attached to ribbons, in the layers or icing of her wedding cake. She would then have each of her bridesmaids and/or women closest to her in her life, pull a charm from the cake before it was cut. Each charm was an object that foretold the bridesmaids’ future.
Traditionally, there were six charms:
1. The Heart – “Love will come”
2. The Clover – “Good luck”
3. The Engagement Ring – “Next to marry”
4. The Anchor – “Adventure awaits”
5. The Flower – “Love will flower”
6. The Horseshoe – “Lucky in life”
Today, as wedding charms have become popular again, and, presumably since the bride has more than six women who are dear to her, other charms have been created. Some other charms you can find are:
The Wreath – “A happy home”
The High Chair – “Blessed with children”
The Rocking Chair – “Longevity”
The Airplane – “Travel and adventure”
The Satchel – “Good fortune”
The Mirror – “A Happy Life”
If you want to do the ribbon pulling ceremony, make sure you consult with your cake maker, who will most likely want to hide the charms herself when she ices the cake. I would not advise trying to “plant” the charms your self. The ribbon pulling should occur before the cake is cut and can be announced by your master of ceremonies. If you wish, each bridesmaid can read out loud what her charm means after she pulls it – usually they’re the charm’s meaning is on the ribbon.
If you like the idea of the ribbon pulling ceremony, but do not want to do it at the wedding, consider having a small cake made for your bridal luncheon/tea party and doing it then. Or, mention the idea to your maid of honor who may be willing to incorporate it into your bridal shower—that way you can get a charm too!
A very nice perk of doing the ribbon pulling ceremony is that the charms can provide very special gifts for your bridesmaids. Most wedding charms come in sterling silver so your bridesmaids can wear them on their charm bracelet or as a pendant after the wedding. If your bridesmaids' do not have charm bracelets, the charms are inexpensive enough that if you are not on an overly tight budget, you could also buy sterling silver charm bracelets.
Wedding cake charms are available in most bridal merchandise and invitation catalogs.
I did not know about this unique and historical custom until after my wedding. I wish I had learned about it sooner because I definitely would have used it! All of my bridesmaids have charm bracelets—and as gifts for participating in the wedding I did give them charms! This ceremony would have been very special and a neat addition to my wedding reception.
No comments:
Post a Comment