The wedding cake has its origins as a fertility symbol in Roman antiquity when a cake, rather than being eaten, was broken over the bride's head.

The cake idea developed over the centuries into a series of several cakes placed on top of one another. When the tower of cakes was sufficiently high to present a challenge, the bride and groom would stand on opposite sides of the cake and attempt to kiss while trying not to cause the tower to fall. Good fortune could be expected if the kiss was successful.

This tradition is carried over to today's wedding cake which often sees the cakes in tiers with the kissing couple on top.

Today it has become traditional to cut the cake at the reception following the meal and after the speeches and gifts have been given. It is the last formal part of the wedding and should mark the end of the reception - although, these days, the reception will very often carry on unbroken into the evening party.

The bride and groom make the first cut of the cake together, after which it is taken away by the staff at the reception venue and divided into portions which are then distributed among the guests at the reception. It is common to keep a number of portions back for people who were unable to attend the wedding.

Note: if you are planning to send a piece of cake abroad by post, make sure the country to which you are sending it allows foodstuffs to be sent through the mail. Not all do.

Today's wedding cake is traditionally a fruit cake topped by royal icing. The fruit cake is chosen because it can keep for much longer than sponge or other cakes and will seldom if ever go mouldy, thus allowing it to be sent to people who couldn't make it to the wedding. The top layer of icing on a single cake or the top cake in a tiered cake is kept for the christening on the couple's first child.