Victorian Wedding Cake Charms
by Jewelry by Rhonda

How it got started...

What a romantic Victorian era tradition to make your wedding grand! The custom of "ribbon pulling" dates back to time of Queen Victoria (as do most of our wonderful wedding traditions). A bride would hide small charms (distinctive symbols of romance, love, friendship, memorials, etc.) attached to satin ribbons within the icing of her wedding cake. The bride would have each of her bridesmaids (as well as other important women in her life) pull a charm from the cake before it was cut. It was believed each charm had a special meaning, a bit of advice, or would foretell the future in luck, romance, fortune, etc.

How to use them...

Traditionally, the bride's attendants (even friends, children, family members can participate) assemble behind the cake, along with the bride and groom, at the wedding reception. The ribbon-pulling ceremony takes place just after the cake-cutting ceremony, but prior to cake serving. Each person takes a turn and pulls a ribbon from the cake. The charm foretells the future. Some couples like to have the ribbon-pulling ceremony prior to the cake cutting - it's your wedding, do what you want!

If you like the idea of the ribbon-pulling ceremony, but do not want it to be part of the wedding reception - consider having a small cake made with the ribbon pulls for your bridal luncheon/tea/brunch or bridal shower. Today, cake pulls are being included in showers, birthdays, afternoon teas, confirmations, bat mitzvahs, etc. - any event involving a cake! Charms make perfect party favors for your guests and they have a keepsake charm as a remembrance of the event.

If you want to pull the charms out of your wedding cake at the reception, consult with your cake-maker and let her hide the charms when assembling and icing the cake. I would not recommend you trying to insert the charms yourself into your wedding cake.

The charms are easiest to hide under the bottom layer of the cake with only the satin ribbons delicately streaming from underneath the cake - around the perimeter. The charms can also nest between the cake layers while the cake is being frosted. Some bakers hide the charms under plastic film to protect the cake decoration. Let your cake-baker know your preference and she can make recommendations, too. The charms should not be baked into the cake. It is easiest to have the ribbons draping from the back of the wedding cake. This is the best photo opportunity set-up for the ribbon-pulling ceremony.

Don't want to have the charms in the cake? Another popular idea is to have the charms in a centerpiece or bouquet on the table. Have the ribbons flowing to the outside from in-between the flowers.

More Ideas From Brides...

• One bride told me she had a Hawaiian-themed (or beach-themed) Rehearsal Dinner, so there was no cake - just different desserts. She creatively placed the charms inside a large bowl of sand decorated shells on top. The girls pulled the ribbons from the sand.
  
• One bride told me about a Fortune Bouquet. Her toss bouquet was actually made of small individual flowers or small bouquets. Each single flower/small bouquet had a ribbon tied around it - attached to the ribbon was the charm. She tied the individual flowers together with a ribbon until she was ready to toss it. The small flowers with the charms attached separated and instead of having one fortune told (one bouquet catcher who will be the next to marry), she had multiple predictions.
  
• Make a keepsake charm bracelet for the bride at her bridal shower. Each person attending the shower will pull a charm from the cake and this will be their personal prediction (as usual); but, each charm would then be added to the charm bracelet for the bride. This becomes her bracelet of good wishes from her friends for her new married life.
  
• One bride took two good luck charms (one for herself and one for her groom) and tucked one charm inside her bouquet and one charm tucked inside her groom's jacket breast pocket. They had their own personal good luck charms included in the ceremony on their wedding day.

Jewelry by Rhonda