Wedding cakes have been a part of marriage ceremonies since medieval times. The Romans were the first to have wedding cakes which were actually loaves of wheat bread. During the ceremony, the bread was broken over the bride's head as a blessing for long life and many children. Guests often ate the crumbs as a sign of good luck. In medieval England, wedding guests brought small cakes to the ceremony as a gift for the newlyweds. The cakes were stacked in a pile, as high as possible, to make it difficult for the newlyweds to kiss one another over the top. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the tall stack, it was thought to symbolize a lifetime of prosperity. Eventually, the idea of stacking them neatly and frosting them together was adopted as a more convenient option.Although wedding cakes were once white inside and out, but now there are few rules about how they look today. Contemporary cakes can be any color, flavor or shape. Even if a couple prefers a traditional layered wedding cake, there are countless options for decoration. All sorts of designs are used however, the most common are flowers of sugar icing.

Saving a portion of the wedding cake is an old tradition that some couples still practice. As a sign of posterity, couples freeze the top portion of their wedding cake, thawing it out on their first anniversary to share with one another. Since normal cakes won't keep this long (and still taste good,) bakers can prepare a special layer that will survive for a year in the freezer.