The cake: Arguably everyone’s favorite part of the wedding day (at least for the kids). The question is, when should you cut the cake? After dinner comes dessert, so it should be right after people finish eating, right?

Nope!

I would disagree (at least partially), and here’s two…

Reasons Why:

1. People Leave – A lot of people think of dessert as the end of the evening. They’ve sat through the ceremony, watched the first dances, and eaten dinner.

Once they’ve cleaned the last delicious morsel of cake off their plate, they believe there’s nothing else to stick around for. “Best to pack up and head home now before we get tired!”

But if you’re having a typical wedding, then there’s at least one major thing still to come… dancing! Not to mention other festivities (like the bouquet and garter toss) and your grand exit. Do you want half your guests to leave before the evening is over?

2. Dessert Beats Dancing – Every time. I’ve suffered through this many times. The bride and groom cut the cake, then I announce dancing and start playing upbeat dance songs.

But the weirdest thing happens… no one dances. I play line dances and the biggest hits, make sure my volume and EQs sound good, and no one comes out to the floor.

The problem is that everyone has flocked to the dessert table! For a solid 20 minutes, everyone munches on their dessert while I awkwardly try to get people to dance. And it simply doesn’t work.

So what’s the solution? Don’t have any cake?

Bride and groom laughing while holding pieces of a giant doughnut
Have a giant doughnut instead?

(Image by www.emilymariephotos.com)

No way!

There are two places in your timeline that I’d suggest moving your cake cutting to.

You Could Cut the Cake:

1. At The End of the Night – By saving dessert until later in the night, you give everyone something to look forward to. People are more likely to stick around to watch grandma bust a move to the Wobble, and they’ll get to send you off by sparkler light. Everybody wins!

2. Well Before Dancing – Sometimes, it’s impossible to move the cake cutting too late in the evening, because of restrictions from the caterer or the venue, and I can respect that.

If the end of the night isn’t an option, try putting some space in between dessert and dancing. Cut the cake, then allow people to enjoy it while you have your first dances and all the toasts.

This not only shows people that there’s more to stick around for, but by the time dancing starts, the sweets-munching will be over. Everybody still wins!

So, what do you think?

Will you have your cake cutting right after dinner?

Will you move it up to give people time before dancing starts?

Or will you move it to the end to give your guests something sweet to anticipate?

When Should I Cut the Cake?
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