Incorporate Your Swedish Heritage in Your Perfect Wedding

Many people are now having a breakfast/brunch party the day after their wedding. This allows you to open presents and to catch up with those people you might not have had a chance to talk to. It's often a good opportunity to catch up with your parents' friends and your relatives.

Sweden has a tradition that must come from the old days when the daughters would leave their families to become members of their husband's families. As a last part of the goodbye at the bride's parents' house, the bride's family would make a cake so that the last bit of food the bride had at her childhood home was sweet.

The times that I've encountered the cake it's been a Princess Torte, a beautiful green confection full of yellow cake, marzipan, whipped cream and either vanilla cream or raspberry jelly. The Swedes are great about their pastries because as rich as they are, they're not horribly sweet. (Yum!)

(Of course, this could also be a great way to finish up the wedding cake from the day before, especially if everyone's traveling. Since single women no longer seem to take cake home from the wedding to place under their pillow so that they can dream of the man they will marry, there's often a lot of cake left over! And you don't want to waste cake! Just wondering, what did they wrap the cake in before Tupperware? Who wants to get marzipan and whipped cream in your pillow?) You might not HAVE to make a new cake, but it's a nice tradition to start!

Even though today's couples are becoming part of one another's families, it's still a lovely thought that you leave on your honeymoon with sweetness in your mouth, remembering your past and anticipating the marriage ahead. Your relationship deserves sweetness and tenderness. Start your life off with cake. You can get serious about your vegetables when you get back from your honeymoon!