About Cutting The Cake At The Party
Decorating By paolacaracas Updated 6 Jun 2007 , 9:22am by lovely
Just out of curiosity
I keep reading that in the US you have to go and wait at the reception to cut the cake...DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO? I would hate to do that with all my saturday nights. also, what happens when you have more than one cake that night?
Does every cake designer needs to do this? can you get away with having a wedding cake business if you don't want to go cut your cake?
I never stay, usually the Bride appoints a close friend or family member to cut the cake. They would have to pay extra for me to stay and cut the cake. Some of those wedding parties go on for hours and hours!
I dont think that most cake decorators stay and cut the cake. It is normally set up and left. Sometimes the reception site will stay and cut the cake for a charge. Otherwise, someone there will cut the cake. I know that some people here will stay and cut, but it is part of their package. Also, I think they stay so they can get their stands, etc back without any problem.
I dont stay and cut unless its for family or a close friend and then I have been invited to the function and have been asked to be the "cake cutter." Ive never had anyone just want me to cut their cake for them. I do instruct them how to cut it, especially a round wedding cake. other than that Im out of there.
I'm one that stays but (1) I'm usually also doing the catering, too (2) it's included in my pricing for the cake.
However .... I always STRONGLY suggest that the bride and groom do the cake cutting ceremony as soon as they arrive at the reception. Reasons are:
1) It gets one of the required ceremonies out of the way, so the couple can enjoy their reception without having to worry about where to be next.
2) The sharing of the wedding cake is traditionally the first meal shared by a man and his new wife. Ergo it is logical to do this FIRST.
3) If you are paying a photographer by the hour (and some charge like that), then by getting the required photos out of the way, you are reducing the risk of putting him into overtime.
4) If the cake is cut right away, then once I (as the caterer) see that the guests are done with their meal, I can go ahead and cut the cake for their dessert, rather than having to stand around and wait for you (the bride) to finally get around to the cake.
5) I've seen too many weddings in which the couple waited and waited and waited until FINALLY they realized "Oh! We have this very expensive cake that we probably should cut now!" but by then over half of their guests have left. So they end up with over half of their cake leftover ..... a reminder of how much wasted money was spent.
6) The cake is the only food designated as "wedding" food .... you dont' have wedding chicken, you dont' have wedding salad, but you DO have wedding cake and the only place to get it is at a wedding. To many people, the wedding cake IS the reception and to postpone the serving of the wedding cake until most people have left so they are unable to share in the cake is just rude.
6) If they wait until really late to have me cut the cake, then there is an add'l labor charge because they are throwing me and my crew into overtime.
Once I explain all of this to a bride, they are very happy to do the cake cutting ceremony at the beginning instead of doing it the very last thing of the night (and when did the cake cutting get pushed to the end of the night, almost as an afterthought, anyway?)
If I have multiple weddings on the same day, I can hire someone to go in and cut the cake for me. It's not very costly in the grand scheme of things ..... A wedding cake package for 200 will invoice for $1100. I can pay someone $60 to take care of it ($10 an hour at an avg of 6 hrs/night.)
I have never cut/served one of my wedding cakes. That is up to the caterer or venue staff.
Your Saturday nights are safe!
5) I've seen too many weddings in which the couple waited and waited and waited until FINALLY they realized "Oh! We have this very expensive cake that we probably should cut now!" but by then over half of their guests have left.
6) To many people, the wedding cake IS the reception and to postpone the serving of the wedding cake until most people have left so they are unable to share in the cake is just rude.
Glad you mentioned this Debi, my dh and I have been to three weddings in the last year that were just this way. 
" Once I explain all of this to a bride, they are very happy to do the cake cutting ceremony at the beginning instead of doing it the very last thing of the night (and when did the cake cutting get pushed to the end of the night, almost as an afterthought, anyway?) "
It is the desert for the meal, so many of the brides wait until AFTER the "meal" to cut and serve the cake....... I too tell them to do the picture taking at the beginning of the reception, and then the cake can be cut and set out and ready when the guests are ready to eat it..... If I make the cake and am invited to the party, I usually will cut and serve, if not color me GONE !
Yeah usually you set up the cake and leave, unless they pay extra or it's in the package deal that you gave them or you volunteer. LOL.
" Once I explain all of this to a bride, they are very happy to do the cake cutting ceremony at the beginning instead of doing it the very last thing of the night (and when did the cake cutting get pushed to the end of the night, almost as an afterthought, anyway?) "
It is the desert for the meal, so many of the brides wait until AFTER the "meal" to cut and serve the cake....... I too tell them to do the picture taking at the beginning of the reception, and then the cake can be cut and set out and ready when the guests are ready to eat it..... If I make the cake and am invited to the party, I usually will cut and serve, if not color me GONE !
Yeah, I've had a couple of brides question "You do the dessert first??" and I tell them they are NOT doing 'dessert' ..... they are performing one of the wedding rituals .... cake cutting, garter throwing, toasts ..... all are a ceremoney performed during the reception. They are not having dessert first .... they are just getting the picture out of the way so their guests can be served the dessert promptly after dinner.
About 20 yrs ago, I was a banquet waitress. When we served weddings, the bride had 2 choices for the cake. Either she ordered one from the caterer or banquet hall, or she had her cake delivered to the reception, usually from a bakery, or a family member. Then she decided who was going to cut the cake. If it was a friend or family member that was fine with the caterer or hall. If you ordered the cake from the bakery,and they didn't stay to cut, then we (caterer or hall) would cut the cake for an additioal (20 yrs ago price) of $25.00.
Usually a waitress such as myself would cut the cake, and I was paid for doing it. The cake was one of the last thing a couple did, and because it was late, the one cutting the cake was paid, because she could of left after the dinner was served. At that time, the cake was cut to bring home, sometimes cake boxes or bags were provided by the bride. Otherwise we wrapped indivual slices in paper napkins. Placed on trays and placed near the door, to be picked up by departing guest.
Perhaps the bride had a sweet table**. Then the cake was divided, half was wrapped to bring home and the other half was served on the sweet table, If the cake was to be served as dessert, then no charge was added for the cutting, if you wanted a scoop of ice cream added to the plate (cake ala mode) then a $1.00 a plate was added, by the number of guest that were there. If you had a cake that was to serve 200, and only 125 people were there, then you were charged $125, but I think that was the ice cream charge. I'm sure many of these traditions still carry on, only the prices are different.
**Sweet tables were very big here and usually started late, around 11 p.m. It provided coffee, tea, pastries.and a assortment of chocolates and fruit. The establisment may provide a sweet table, or the bakery where you ordered your cake from. Some places let you bring your own sweet table, Aunt Sally's banana bread, Mom's rum torte, the neighbor who is a cookie expert may donate to the table. I love the sweet tables, some get real elaborate.
.....At that time, the cake was cut to bring home, sometimes cake boxes or bags were provided by the bride. Otherwise we wrapped indivual slices in paper napkins. Placed on trays and placed near the door, to be picked up by departing guest.
wow. never heard of cutting the cake just for guests to take home. ("Here's your hat, your coat, your cake, thanks for coming! See ya 'round!"). Around here, that would be considered very rude to expect the guests to eat their cake 'on the go'. Is that a regional thing? 
Hey Carleen
Does this mean your from australia. Thats what they do here. The wedding cake used to be like a wedding favour. Thats what you used to take home with your little bag of almonds. hehehe I guess it does sound rude but I don't think wedding cakes 20 years ago (sometimes even now) were anything but fruitcake with fondant.
I didn't realise wedding cakes were changing until the last couple of years where the cake was orange and poppy cake served with a caramal sauce (oh and reading on CC)
Anyhoo, have a lovely day all,
Leigh 
In the UK, wedding cake is traditionally a heavy rich fruitcake in marzipan and royal icing which keeps for years (literally years - it is traditional to keep the top tier of the cake to bring out at your first child's christening).
You can buy little cake boxes designed so that you can mail a slice to people who could not attend the wedding. Now that more people are choosing different, more perishable cake, I guess that idea is out of favour.
Sorry, I think there was a little misunderstanding about serving the cake from my first post. The cake was a gift to all the guest. It was meant to bring home. I was just stating that at one time the cake was always cut up to take home. It was not considered rude. I don't know why they did that. I was told at a very young age to "bring home the cake, put it under your pillow, sleep on it, and dream of your own wedding". Sort of like , catch the brides bouquet, your the next one to marry, and we all know how often that worked.
Today I think most cakes are served at the wedding. To this day, I would rather bring my cake home.
Indy and Lovely, you are both going to be surprised to hear where I from. And Tubbs I'll pass on that cake, no fruitcake for me thanks.
At the time I was waitressing in Chicago.
Wedding traditions have change over the yrs. In the fifty's when my sisters were married, dance halls were rented, and the family's made the food. A good time was had by all. Then came Buffet style, followed by sit down dinners served family style, to elaborate 7 course meals, to 5 course meals with a sweet table.
In the 90's, family's started renting backyard tents, now Hotels are putting tents up on their property.
Cake traditions changed too. At one time the only food at a wedding was the cake.
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