Some wedding traditions are sweet and some still make sense, but keeping the top of your cake is one tradition many couples are ready to move on from. The tradition of saving the top layer of a wedding cake originated in 19th-century, Victorian Era Great Britain. Back when the cakes were dense, alcohol-soaked and genuinely shelf-stable for a long time. It was considered good luck to keep it until the christening of your first child. That sounds wild to me, but a little research showed me that it was typical for newlyweds to have their first child within a year of marriage.

As fewer couples had children right away, the christening cake became the first anniversary cake. The dense, alcohol soaked cake was also replaced with the airy, decorated cake we now know. Moving into the 20th century, most bakeries use perishable ingredients (fresh fruit fillings, certain frostings, delicate flowers) that genuinely don’t freeze well. Even with a well-sealed cake, a full year in a home freezer is a long time and the result is often disappointing. This tradition has couples spending a lot of dough on that top tier, waiting a year and then eating something that tastes like freezer or even worse, the items in their freezer. I’ve heard horror stories about fish and onions. With the challenges that newlyweds have in their first year, storage space and often moves, keeping it for a year doesn’t always make sense.

Why save the fabulously beautiful top for a year when your guests could be enjoying the whole cake fresh on your wedding night? I recommend getting a fresh replica made for your anniversary instead. A fresh cake is guaranteed to taste great and you won’t be rolling the dice. If you are looking to save money, I recommend getting a smaller one or two tiered wedding cake for you and your boo to cut together and serve it all on your wedding day. I do recommend asking your planner to save and pack a large portion for you both to eat when you return to your honeymoon suite as you may not have time to enjoy it during your wedding. For additional guests, purchase sheet cakes that can be stored, cut and plated by the catering crew in the back. This can often be done before you even cut your cake so that everyone is ready to take a bite, it’ll be ready to go out to the tables. No one will know the difference.

ProTip: Some bakers include an anniversary cake if you order a wedding cake through them. It’s worth asking.