Victorian Ribbon Ceremony

Photo courtesy of Carlson Craft

Back in Victorian England, charms were placed into the wedding cake that brought luck and foretold the future. These charms were attached to ribbon and were hidden within the layers of the wedding cake.

Currently, I do not see many brides using these charms anymore. In fact, I have only had one bride that did use them. I guess the only couples that would use them would be those who wanted to do something a little different or are having a Victorian theme wedding – one of my favorite themes, by the way. Hence, why I decided to write something about these charms, which, of course, can be used whether your wedding theme is Victorian or not. Here is the lo-down on how the ribbon ceremony traditionally takes place:

The bride should, in advance, determine how many women of marriageable age she will have in order to have the appropriate number of charms. These women were traditionally the bridesmaids, as they were always single. However, these days that may not always be the case, so this is why you would want to pre-determine who the bride wants to receive the charms.

Traditionally, there were six charms:

1. The Heart – “Love will come”
2. The Clover – “Good luck”
3. The Engagement Ring – “Next to marry”
4. The Anchor – “Adventure awaits”
5. The Flower – “Love will flower”
6. The Horseshoe – “Lucky in life”

Today, and presumably since the bride usually has more than six women who are dear to her, other charms have been created. Some other charms you may find are:

The Wreath – “A happy home”
The High Chair – “Blessed with children”
The Rocking Chair – “Longevity”
The Airplane – “Travel and adventure”
The Satchel – “Good fortune”
The Mirror – “A Happy Life”

If you want to pull the charms out of your wedding cake at the reception, consult with your baker and let her hide the charms when assembling and icing the cake. The charms should not be baked into the cake. It is easiest to have the ribbons draping from the back of the wedding cake. This is the best photo opportunity set-up for the ribbon-pulling ceremony. The ribbon-pulling should occur before the cake is cut and should be announced by the Master of Ceremonies. If you wish, each bridesmaid can read out loud what her charm means after she pulls it – usually the charm’s meaning is on the ribbon.

Traditionally, the ladies who are going to pull the charms gather behind the cake, along with the Bride and Groom, at the wedding reception. The ribbon-pulling ceremony takes place just after the cake-cutting ceremony, but prior to cake-serving. Each lady takes a turn and pulls a ribbon from the cake. The charm foretells the future. Some couples like to have the ribbon-pulling ceremony prior to the cake-cutting.

So, c’mon. Bring back the old! Have a ribbon-pulling ceremony.