Cake Help!!!

Mmmm.... i love that fondant icing!
It's my favourite part of the cake!

I just gotta say, when dh and I had our second wedding reception over here his mom thought it would be a good idea to have both kinds of cake as it was custom to have a fruitcake.  I had a sneaking susipicion that it just wouldn't og over very well but seeing as it was the custom i thought what the heck. We also had a very small chocolate sponge which we ended up having to stretch quite far.  In the end, not a soul touched the fruitcake and since I can't stand the stuff dh had a lot of cake he had to eat!! 

We had a small traditional fruitcake and champagne.

  In the end, not a soul touched the fruitcake and since I can't stand the stuff dh had a lot of cake he had to eat!! 

Interesting to read everyone's take on it...my DH couldn't have cared less what kind of cake we had -- he just wanted the whole wedding ordeal to be OVER!  LOL  He is very shy, so yeah - for him it was an ordeal being at the center of attention & all.  We went against the English tradition of fruitcake, with the chocolate sponge cake as I described.  But the summer fruits (strawberries, blackberries, 2 or 3 colors of currants, grapes, I don't remember what all) looked beautiful & dramatic all over the creamy (buttercream) icing.  Everyone commented on how lovely & delicious the cake was -- and what a welcome change!  (I wonder if quite a few Brits aren't all that keen on the fruitcake thing either?)  Plus, once they'd had 4-5 hrs of free alcohol, a multi-course sitdown dinner (we were only 20 people altogether) & all -- everyone was quite content!  Steve's parents did take some cake back home to people who couldn't come to the wedding (elderly people) -- only one old lady out of the lot complained about there not being fruitcake.

I don't care what traditions are anywhere. I've always planned on having a lemon cake with buttercream icing and fresh raspberries.

I've told adam when we get married im NOT having a fruitcake...im having a proper cake with proper icing!

Like so:



It's got real sponge and real icing. I've never understood the whole fruitcake thing here lol...

I still think its important to respect the wishes of both partners in the marriage. 

I mean if one person only gets their way, what type of precedent does it start for the rest of the relationship?

Traditions are important to some and people should not mock them, just because they don't like them. 

I mean if one person only gets their way, what type of precedent does it start for the rest of the relationship?

It sets the precedent that I'm in charge! 

But I do seriously have issues with the wedding pork pie.

with fondant icing? 

It sets the precedent that I'm in charge! 

A very important point to get established early on, IMO!

with fondant icing? 

Well... that might be OK.

DH didn't have many opinions about our wedding or the party but he did want fruitcake. I went to M&S and got three layers - the biggest one was fruit cake and the smaller ones were sponge and one of my best friends made a gorgeous silk flower toppers for each one. It was lovely and we both got our way. 

That's a great idea! My bf is already threatening that he wants a three-tier pork pie. 

that sounds so much better to me than a three tier fruitcake!  Much to my future MIL's dismay, I have banished all fruitcake from our wedding.  The stuff makes me queasey.  I, too, am of the opinion that a meal and party is enough. 

You guys are right about tradition, but I feel like, since none of my family are coming over due to financial situations, even though that's 'not on us' (we wanted to pay for my parents to come but it costs more than if we went over there, which we are doing for my 21st birthday), that having the cake be my choice of sponge, is a fair trade.....

And I think since I've got no american traditions, besides the mexican food for our reception dinner, that the family should be open to having something different, even though it's tradition.....

I don't know what british traditions besides the cake there is, so probably have to talk to him about that, so that he doesn't feel like I'm taking the one british tradition there is, away from him :p

I think it's fine, and a good thing, to do a combination of traditions.  We did that naturally, i.e. the bridesmaids walked down the aisle as they would in the US followed by the bride.  Here often the bride goes down followed by the bridesmaids walking in a group together.

So, enjoy your spongecake and your mix of traditions!