Traditionally, wedding cakes were made to bring good luck to all guests and the couple.

One of the first traditions began in Ancient Rome, where a cake of wheat or barley was broken over the bride's head to bring good fortune to the couple.

The myth behind this cake tells of a pastry chef, visiting medieval England, who witnessed their tradition of piling sweet rolls between the bride and groom, which they attempted to kiss over without knocking them all down.

The pastry chef then went back to France and piled sweet rolls up into a tower to make the first Croquembouche.

This traditional French wedding cake is built from profiteroles and given a halo of spun sugar.

[5] In 1703, Thomas Rich, a baker's apprentice from Ludgate Hill, fell in love with his employer's daughter and asked her to marry him.

He wanted to make an extravagant cake, so he drew on St Bride's Church, on Fleet Street in London for inspiration.

[6] Traditionally the bride would place a ring inside the couple's portion of the cake to symbolize acceptance of the proposal.

[8] The white-iced upper surface of the bride cake was used as a platform on which all sorts of scenes and emblems could be mounted.

[8] The myth that eating the pie would bring good luck was still common, but the glass ring slowly fell out of favor as the flower bouquet toss replaced it.

The more refined and whiter sugars were still very expensive, so only wealthy families could afford to have a very pure white frosting.

The tiers represented prosperity and were a status symbol because only wealthy families could afford to include them in the cake.

Queen Victoria accentuated an existing symbol, the color white, being frequently associated with virginity and purity in Western culture.

In China, the couple begins cutting a multi-tier cake from the lowest level and gives the first pieces to their parents and other ancestors as a symbolic way of honoring their place as the foundation of the family.

In other countries, the wedding cake is broken over the bride's head to ensure fertility and bring good fortune to the couple.

The groom and bride would attempt to share a kiss on top of the stack of rolls to ensure fertility and have good fortune.

[18] In Appalachia, a stack cake was a way for poorer people to celebrate potluck-style by spreading the expense across the community.

[13] In the United Kingdom and Australia, the traditional wedding cake is a rich fruitcake, which is elaborately decorated with icing and may be filled with almond paste.

This tradition was brought over from England by early American colonists,[citation needed] who considered the white-iced bride's cake too light for men's tastes.

The groom's cake may be decorated or shaped as something significant to him, such as a hobby item, sports team or symbol of his occupation.

The movie Steel Magnolias included a red velvet groom's cake in the shape of a giant armadillo.

Its smooth, firm sugar icing is often embellished with appliqués, Fondant can be cut into designs, formed into shapes, flavored or tinted.

[citation needed] Flowerpaste or gumpaste is a pliable dough usually made from egg whites, unflavored gelatine, and powdered sugar.

[citation needed] Royal icing is made with water, sugar and egg white or meringue powder.

It hardens to a firm finish that can be piped or thinned for "flood work", when larger sections need to be iced.

Joseph Lambeth, a well known British cake decorator, developed a technique where he creates layered scrolls using royal icing as a medium.

In the US, the most common type of cake topper features a representation of a bride and groom in wedding attire.

Being cheaper than a multi-tiered wedding cake, cupcakes also versatile in that they can have multiple flavors, colors, and designs.

[23] In Norway and other Scandinavian countries, a pastry called Kransekake is the preferred approach to a wedding cake.

[25] More recently, some people freeze part of the cake and save it until the couple's first wedding anniversary.