Do You Have to Have a Wedding Cake?

Not everyone enjoys the delicious tradition.

Wedding cakes can often be quite expensive, and even those without a tight budget may simply choose to focus the priorities elsewhere. What's the right choice for your wedding?

By Emily Lasnier

naked-cake-with-miniature-comfort-food-desserts
Photo: Vue Photography

For someone with a sweet tooth, the best part of a wedding is the cake. It is also often a focal point of the reception, with plenty of towering confections featuring truly stunning designs. However, a number of couples decide to avoid the tradition altogether. This can seem unfathomable to some, but choosing to go without a cake on the big day is just as valid as embracing the custom. There are several reasons lovebirds might make this choice. 

Wedding cakes can often be quite expensive, and even those without a tight budget may simply choose to focus the priorities elsewhere. A bride who realizes she never eats the cake at someone else’s wedding may prefer to add more appetizers to cocktail hour or invest in performers to entertain guests at the reception. 

As hard as it may be for some to believe, there are plenty of people who simply don’t enjoy cake. Occasionally dietary restrictions are a factor, but it may simply be that one or both of the pair getting married prefers a different dessert. Macaron and cream puff (aka croquembouche) towers can be substituted for cake, as can pie. Instead of a main confection, a full sweets table with a variety of options can also be offered to attendees instead. The couple of honor may even choose to go the savory route instead. For instance, there is a small but growing trend of people who stack full wheels of cheese in lieu of cake. 

The dessert portion of the evening is also a chance for the newlyweds to embrace their cultural background. Cake isn’t the standard for every country, and if a bride or groom has family roots elsewhere, they may choose to embrace that option instead. Finally, despite having an event centered on their love, some brides and grooms simply do not feel comfortable when all eyes are focused on them. The idea of doing the traditional cake cutting may fill them with dread or anxiety, so they just leave out the cake entirely. 

Discover which outdated wedding rules you can ignore and which pre-wedding events are necessary. 

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