Wedding cake charms were originally used in the Victorian era. The Victorian era in British history encompassed the time of the rule of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria’s rule was largely characterized as a time of peace and stability for Britain. It was during this time that the tradition of wedding cake pull charms was introduced.
The high society of the time would place silver or gold charms into pieces of wedding cake. Each bridesmaid, upon taking a piece of cake, would receive a charm. Each charm had a special meaning attached to it, such as a cross which meant a life of peace and tranquility, or an anchor which projected a life that was steady and true for the receiving bridesmaid.
It was not uncommon for the bride to also provide a charm bracelet to each bridesmaid to place the charm upon. Then, after the wedding, when the bride gathered with one or more of the bridesmaids, the charm bracelet and charm would elicit conversation of the happy day. The bracelet would also provide an ideal way for the first wedding anniversary to be celebrated, with the bride gifting an additional charm, with some particular special meaning for each bridesmaid, in memory of the wedding.
Alternatively, at some weddings the bridesmaids would gift their charms to the bride for her own charm bracelet in memory of the happy occasion. This provided the same conversation piece when later greeting the bridesmaids after the wedding and provided the bride with a special reminder of each bridesmaid.
Today the tradition of placing charms under pieces of wedding cake or a special cake made for a wedding shower, lives on. A baker can place the charms under the completed cake and then ice over the bottom layer so that the cake has beautiful ribbons trailing from underneath it to flow out onto the cake stand. The ribbons often come in decorative colors that match the theme of the wedding or wedding shower, and can have either knot, or a more elaborate silver cake pull on the end of the ribbon.
Wedding cake pulls today can hearken back to the Victorian era, with such charms as hearts, stars, and butterflies, or they can take on a more modern aspect. Modern wedding cake pulls can include charms such as an airplane for a life of travel and adventure, or an emoticon text-happy face for good news is coming. Whether the traditional elegant cake pull charm or the more modern playful charms are used, wedding cake pull charms make a wonderful bridesmaid gift that reminds the bride and bridesmaids of the happy event for years to come.
