New Orleans Wedding Cakes

Marriage, is a bond/legal pact made between two people who love each other, and is an essential

part of our American culture. There are many stereotypical ways in which marriage and a traditional wedding are supposed to be; however, in New Orleans marriages and traditions are looking in a different light. A New Orleans wedding is very different from the traditional wedding we normally think about. As described in the abstract of this article, “The ritual of cutting the wedding cake at weddings in the New Orleans area is preceded by another ritual, tradition: unmarried female friends of the bride each “pull a ribbon,” to which a silver charm or “favor” is attached, from the cake. Charms can include a ring, a heart, a thimble, a button, a horseshoe, and a clover, each with a traditional meaning” (1). The author, Marcia Gaudet, through the article explains why ribbon pulling, charms, horseshoes etc. are some typical traditions of New Orleans weddings. She continues her depth by explaining to the reader the meanings behind all of traditions along with giving other derivations of wedding traditions with their meanings as well. The essential part/ main objective Marcia Gaudet really wants the reader to grasp is the importance of the wedding cake. “The Great Cake and its layers upon layers of sublimated meanings –erotic to commemorative –are certainly here to stay. It is a food that has become a veritable institution. A wedding without it would be a wedding without protocol, a rite without confirmation” (1). The wedding cake and its multitude of layers represent the love and its multitude of layers that the bride and the groom have for each other. For a wedding is not complete without the ribbon pulling of your wedding cake. If this essential piece of the wedding is missing it is almost as if wishing the newly wedded couple unwanted bad luck in their future marriage. As seen in the photo the ribbons are stuffed into the icing of the cake. When it is time to cut the cake the Bride's unmarried friends are asked to come up to the cake and hold on to a ribbon. When all the ribbons are being held a cue is given an all the ribbons are pulled out of the cake simultaneously. On the ribbons can be found different charms. Traditional charms seen include "a ring, a heart, a thimble, a button, a horseshoe, a clover - and sometimes a fleur-de-lis - an anchor, a dime, and also a penny" (1).

Like everything else in a New Orleans every charm has a special meaning. New Orleans being a very voodoo, fortuneteller centered city people often believe that the charm you get will be your destined future. However, like most things it is up to the person if they want to believe in them. The significance of the traditional charms in a New Orleans Wedding Cake are "the ring means "next to marry", the heart means "true love", the thimble or button means "old maid", the horseshoe or clover means "good luck", the fleur-de-lis means "love will bloom", the anchor means "hope", the dime means "wealth", and the penny means "poverty"" (2).  Today most people just do the ribbon pulling as more of a traditional aspect however; the charms are not taken as seriously. The charms are more of a fun, joking aspect to the wedding that everyone enjoys.

Gaudet, Marcia. "Ribbon Pulls in Wedding Cakes: Tracing a New Orleans Tradition." Folklore 117.1 (2006): 87-96. Web.

Google Image. http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/21Elegant-Candle-Lit-Wedding-The-Roosevelt-New-Orleans-Greer-G-Photography-cake-pull.jpg

Google Image 2. https://img0.etsystatic.com/006/1/6839760/il_fullxfull.391014930_j16a.jpg