Grooms Cakes

Yep- it's a Southern thing. I don't remember ever seeing it at a separate table... but those weddings weren't fancy to begin with .... I do know that it's usually a chocolate cake, though it doesn't have to be. One wedding I went to had a white fancy cake, and then the groom's cake was chocolate with little deer on it because the groom was a hunter!!! Every time I hear groom's cake, I think of a line from Fried Green Tomatoes... the groom wanted a red velvet cake in the shape of an armadillo and someone was concerned about what it would look like when it was cut into.... "Bleedin' armadillo groom's cake"

Modernizing the Groom's Cake Tradition

Traditionally, a groom’s cake was sliced and boxed for the unmarried girls attending the wedding. She would take it home and place it under her pillow hopeful that the man she dreamed of would become her future husband.

Today, the cake is meant to be a reflection of the groom’s interests, hobbies, favorite sports, alma mater, profession, or anything else he enjoys.

Popular Themes for Groom's Cakes:

Hobbies - photography, chessboard, poker table, pool table, bowling, books, etc.
Sports - baseball, hockey, kayaking, snowboarding, fishing, golf, etc.
Team Sports - the groom's favorite teams
Wild Animals
Treasure Chests or Gift Boxes
The cake can be ordered by the bride as a surprise for her groom, by the groom himself, or by the bridal couple together. If the cake is to be displayed near the wedding cake, its design and presence should not compete with the wedding cake, which should always have top billing in design and placement.

When to Serve the Groom's Cake

It’s a personal choice when to serve the cake - at the rehearsal dinner, as an alternate dessert with the wedding cake, or as a late night dessert for the wedding party. Groom's cakes traditionally tend to be fruit cake or chocolate cake, but that shouldn’t dictate the bride and groom's choice.

If the cake is to be pre-boxed and taken home by the guests as favors, then there are several creative ways to display it. The slices can be individually boxed and arranged to look like a tiered cake on a cake stand. Alternatively, a couple could order individual petit four cakes in place of one full-sized cake. These petits fours can then be boxed for the guests, and could boast the couple's monogram.

A groom’s cake is not mandatory at a wedding, but it does add a special and memorable touch.

We had put our groom's cake on a separate table from the wedding cake at the reception.
I have also seen the groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner. Hindsight being 20/20 I wish we had our groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner instead of at the reception. Maybe my husband would have gotten a taste of his cake!
Hope this helps!
L.

"Bleedin' Armadillo Groom's Cake" - Ha!!

I love this tradition and at my wedding we had the cake on a separate table at the reception, and it was just the cake my husband liked for his granny to make him (pound cake, with a little dressier topping than usual).

My second cousin met her groom playing tennis, so they had a groom's cake made to look like a tennis court, with two abandoned tennis racquets lying on the court, and the wedding cake had a "bride" and "groom" on top - in tennis outfits.

A., I got married about 3 years ago and my husband and I decided to have the groom's cake at the rehearsal dinner. I was really glad that we did it that way because it keep us from having a lot of cake left over after the wedding. According to our cake person, this was becoming a real trend. Cyndi

I have been to a wedding with a grooms cake and yes it was at a separate table. But, I only have one or two weddings to base that on...didn't have a grooms cake at my own.

Grooms cakes go way back. It is a separate cake and usually is put on separate table from the wedding cake. It is usually a smaller cake of the grooms favorite cake. The men usually like this cake better than the wedding cake. I had an old family member make a homemade carrot cake - my husbands favorite. It was eaten as well as the wedding cake. Good luck.

I think it can be done either way. At my wedding (10 years ago) we had the groom's cake on the same table, opposite ends. It was a wonderful chocolate cake that my mother in law made because it had been my husband's favorite his entire life.

And the armadillo cake is in Steel Magnolias. Red velvet, so it did look a bit bloody when cut. I had almost forgotten about that. Quite funny.

I had a grooms cake at my wedding and it was definitely on a seperate table. Usually the grooms cake is chocolate and is often a funny or novelty or themed cake. My husband is a NASCAR fan so my aunt made him a Jimmy Johnson 48 car cake. I have seen sports themed cakes and a ball & chain cake, etc. The idea is to have fun with it. You can order them, but if you have a cake baker in the fam, often times they are homemade. Enjoy!