The Elegant Southern Wedding Cake Tradition Meant To Bring Good Luck

We've all heard of the usual wedding traditions. Something borrowed, something blue is a rhyme any good bridesmaid knows. Throwing the bouquet is an event that single ladies either dread or look forward to. The Best Man toast can be quite moving or a total laugh riot. However, New Orleans has one wedding tradition called a "cake pull" that really needs to become more normalized.

This charming Southern ritual involves tying a series of small metal charms to the ends of ribbons. The charms are then inserted into the cake on the bottom layer or multiple layers. Before they cut the cake, the happy couple will invite family, friends, or the wedding party to come up to the cake and pick a ribbon. All together, everyone pulls their charm out of the cake, and whatever charm they get will reveal their future. Sometimes the charms are put on pearl bracelets and worn as jewelry afterwards. This allows the newlyweds to bless those attending their special day. You don't have to go with a traditional wedding cake from any culture, but this is one tradition that's fun for everyone.

When it comes to a city as storied and culture-rich as New Orleans, it's no surprise that its weddings have more intricate traditions than just throwing perfectly good rice. It should also come as no surprise that this observance likely has its inspiration from Victorian European tradition. It's uncertain whether its history is Irish, English, or Scottish, but the origin of cake pulls likely comes from a 1600s custom where brides would have charms on ribbons sewn into the hems of their dresses. Their bridesmaids would take the charms home afterwards as keepsakes of friendship. There are numerous other cultural rituals involving baking talismans into goods that could have helped concoct this practice as well.

The cake pull first became a thing in the United States in the early 1900s. McKenzies Pastry Shoppe was founded in 1924, and they offered traditional wedding cake pulls until their closure in 2000. They are often credited with introducing the custom to New Orleans, although it may have existed for some time before then. The convention has evolved over the years from including just the bridesmaids, to groomsmen, to sometimes all the guests at the wedding if the party is small enough.

While there are many considerations in weddings — including whether your cake can stand up to the weather — this ceremony comes with an additional choice: Which charms to use! According to tradition, the charm you pull decides what areas of your life will be blessed. Some couples customize their charms to better represent those in attendance.

In New Orleans cakes, you'll find local cultural symbols such as a fleur-de-lis for strength and rebirth or the Saint Louis Cathedral for peace and joy. More commonly, you'll find a few standards such as a telephone for fortuitous news, a clover for good luck, or a ring to hint that you'll be the next one married. Other traditional cake charms include an alligator, a baby, a key, a seashell, a party mask, a heart, money, and a bird. Not everyone agrees on which charms indicate what fortunes, so you can assign your own significance.

It's customary that the ribbons represent your wedding colors, but sometimes they display Mardi Gras colors to symbolize the city that made the tradition famous. Some couples may also opt for specific ribbon colors for certain charms, thereby "stacking" the cake odds to give favored bridesmaids or groomsmen the best blessings. If you and your spouse can't decide on charms or designs, keep in mind that there's a Southern practice where grooms get their own wedding cake. That way, both of you can make this New Orleans custom truly your own.