Why Are Wedding Cakes White?

There are many traditions involving the wedding cake. What many people do not know is why traditional wedding cakes are white. Is there something special about the colour white, Why was it that for many years wedding cakes were only made in one colour, 

White wedding cakes were introduced in Great Britain in the 17th century, and were the popular choice for wedding ceremonies by the end of the 18th century. The colour white is representative of a bride’s purity; and for this reason both the wedding dress and the wedding cake are traditionally white. The wedding cake would have been a gift provided by the bride’s family. A white iced cake would also represent the affluence of the bride’s family, as white icing requires the use of refined sugar which was an expensive ingredient at the time. Today, of course many couples pay for their own wedding cake.

In some Western societies, mainly in the US, there is also the tradition of the groom’s cake. It is a cake that is a gift from the bride; and served to the wedding guests by the groom. The colour of a groom’s cake is generally darker shades, and sometimes black, which is a contrast to the white wedding cake. 

Wedding cake trends are constantly changing. Most weddings will have a colour scheme, and the wedding cake will often be designed to incorporate these colours. It is therefore not at all unusual today for a wedding cake to be decorated in combinations of colours other than white.