Hello, hello! We hope you had a great weekend (+ be sure to check out The Weekend Edition if you missed it!). Today, we’re talking about wedding cake: specifically, cutting the wedding cake. This age-old tradition is the first task the newlyweds accomplish together; it symbolizes the promise the couple has made to provide for one another. This sweetly symbolic act happens in an instant, so you’ll want to make sure your cake – and cake cutting technique – both go on without a hitch. Read on to see ten wedding cake cutting do’s and don’ts including a few wedding cake tips, too. We’ve also included eight must-see handmade cake servers to make your cake cutting experience a little bit sweeter. Enjoy!

Wedding Cake Cutting: Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts

1. DO pick the type of cake (or alternative) that’s right for you.

The same wedding cake for one couple may not be the right choice for another. Pick the type of cake you LOVE, not simply what’s expected. This means it can be large, small, in between, or not a cake at all! Consider cake pops, pie, or cupcakes as fun alternatives.

2. DO cut the cake in a central location.

Guests love to see this part of the wedding, so make sure everyone has a front row seat. Also, be sure your MC announces the cake cutting before it happens.

3. DON’T smush cake into your honey’s face (unless they want you to).

‘Nuff said.

4. DO designate someone to cut cake and serve to your guests.

This is typically covered by your caterer; if not, designate someone to do it for you.

5. DO encourage guests to leave room for the professional photographer.

Yes, we know everyone loves a photo of the bride and groom cutting the cake, but please leave room for the professional photographer. Having the millions of flashes going off and guests in front of the couple makes his/her job harder (and doesn’t give the couple the beautiful result they’d like).

6. DO use a designated cake server that you can re-use after the big day.

We’ve hand-selected some of our favorite wedding cake servers to help you along! First, we love this set of exceptionally crafted peacock wedding cake server and knife set. This cake server set is sure to be a lasting keepsake for years to come.

Next up, this set (#2) can be hand-stamped with “Mr. and Mrs.” with your new name, wedding date, or custom phrase or wording. The set shown in #3 features a cake server with matching cake forks, each stamped with the wedding date.

Sea glass… on a cake server set? We found it! This set is perfect for a beach wedding. The cake server set in #5 reads ‘Love Sweet Love’, along with your names and “Established ___” with the date of your wedding. Finally, the server in #6 reads a sweet fairytale: “Once in awhile right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.”

Sweetly simple: this cake server simply reads, “Just Married”. Love.

Finally, add a pop of color with custom beading, like this sunny yellow set:

7. DON’T forget to take a piece of cake.

Sounds silly, but it’s actually a problem that happens for many couples. The wedding day goes by in a flash – be sure to take (+ enjoy!) a piece of your own wedding cake.

8. DO save the top tier for your 1st anniversary.

A wedding tradition still practiced today is to save (+ freeze) the top tier of your wedding cake to eat on your 1st anniversary. Surprisingly it tastes really good one year after the wedding. My parents froze the tier for my wedding, and my husband and I really enjoyed the cake on our anniversary.

9. DON’T arrange for your own cake delivery.

Leave cake delivery to the professionals or you may risk a ruined cake. Cake transport is a lot harder than it looks and requires a very specific technique.

10. DO keep it short + sweet.

Arrange for a short song to play in the background (typically a small segment of song), keep it simple, then head to the dance floor to kick off the night!