Cake cutting before or after dinner?

Since me and FH are eating first. We are cutting the cake during dinner.

Our Rough Reception Timeline

6:00 - Cocktail Hour

7:00 - Wedding Party Arrives/Introductions

7:15 - Cut Cake, send to back for plating

7:20 - Toast, Bless the Food

7:25 - NOM NOM NOM

8:30 - Serve cake, begin dances

Our venue told us that their typical timeline is that we would walk in and cut the cake and do first dances. Um, no. I spent months on pinterest finding the cake I want. I'm not walking it and cutting it, so they can take it away. When I talked to our DJ on Sunday he even made some comment about how they will want to get the cake back to cut it. It can't take that long...seriously?! Okay so they plate up some icecream with it...well start that and then when the cake is back there throw a slice on and call it a day. I'm doing it after our dinner. We will do dinner and as we are wrapping up (the last tables might still be finishing and that's okay) we will do the two toasts and then do the cake. After the cake we will do our first dance and then my dance with my father. During that time they will cut the cake and then start serving it. I just think it's too odd to cut the cake before. I don't normally eat dessert first, so why would I do it there.

We are cutting ours after. We will also be eating dinner before the dances though. Ours is dinner dances cake. However, no one has to cut ours in the back because other than the cutting cake we are having cupcakes.

@Kimberly. You just need to drop everything and be my personal slave at my beck and call for the next 42 days or so. Thats perfectly reasonable, IMO. :-)

I never thought of cutting it before so that people could grab it after with a buffet. Hmmm, maybe I will revisit this.

Definitely doing it after dinner.

We're doing it after dinner. First of all, that's when I eat dessert, and second of all, it's so pretty, I want it displayed for a little while longer before it gets destroyed.

I've never seen anyone other than family care to watch cake cutting. And most people will agree they never know when cake is served and half the time they are already wasted and miss it or the cake doesn't get eaten.

We're doing our first dance after dinner, then a 45 minute dance set, then cake, then another dance set til the end.

We're doing our first dance after dinner, then a 45 minute dance set, then cake, then another dance set til the end.

Beth, you make a good point...I'm paying enough for the damn cake, I DO want it to be displayed a little longer than an hour!

Another thing is...due to the way the venue is set up, the cake table is displayed on the dance floor...so I don't know if that will be an option to wait super late before cutting it. And because we will be at maximum capacity, our head table will also be set on the dance floor, getting broken down after dinner. Not ideal, but what we have to work with.

We're cutting ours after we eat. We just have a sweetheart cake for us & cupcakes to serve so they don't need extra

time to cut & serve.

I understand it seems like its over when it just started when you cut the cake right away, but I kind of like it. Because at some weddings people look at the cake cutting as the cue to leave. And I like to stay and dance. So If its like special dances, then toasts, then cake cutting, the rest of the night is freed up for dancing and you don't have to worry about people leaving before I get on the dance floor, lol.

Idk now, maybe i'll do it right after dinner, no dancing in between. we will just have a small cake so it wont take to long to cut up in the back.

i just know that i want to make sure people eat it/ get the desserts.

But then it circles back to my photographer, maybe i pay for another hour....

We're cutting ours before

We are cutting it before dinner so it can be served right after.

Technically after, BUT to save time with the photographer, they suggested that as we get announced after cocktail hour we go straight to the cake to stage a few pictures. They say they do that all the time. I'm not having a dance floor though, so they will be done with all pictures after the toasts.

Personally, I don't like when they cut the cake before dinner. It just seems like they are rushing everything and some tables are just left waiting after dinner until the dancing comes along. I understand if it's the case of wanting your photographer to get pictures of it, but you only have so much time before they leave. But the one time I saw someone cut the cake before the dinner, no one noticed. And I didn't even see the cake before it was cut. Sort of disappointing if you spent a lot of money on it.

I like when there is guest interaction. When everyone watches and cheers. But I guess I just like to be the center of attention.

Roughly... we will do the toasts while people are eating and then we will cut the cake - while the cake is being served and people eating dessert we are going to show our slideshow/video and then do first dance. At my cousins wedding I went to a few years ago, they cut the cake an hour and half or so into the dancing and there weren't many people watching them or knew they were even doing it. I'd like to do all that stuff kind of together (but not in a rushed manner). Some guests are driving about an hour and half to our location, so if they want to leave somewhat early and not miss anything we'll have done all the "typical" stuff. Our ceremony starts at 4pm..