cake cutting songs

The wedding cake is usually cut during the last hour of the wedding reception, signaling to guests that it’s time for dessert and coffee as the party begins to wind down. As your party nears its end, you want to make sure your cake-cutting songs are on point! For those curious about the timing of other key events, read through our detailed post on a traditional wedding reception timeline. The cake cutting, in general, is also a cue to guests that it’s okay to leave soon, so don’t schedule dessert too early or the reception could start wrapping up before you’re ready. Also, since you’ll already have guests’ attention, dessert is also a good time to grab the mic and thank your guests for coming to the wedding.

There are several traditions surrounding wedding cakes, all of which have different origins and interpretations. The joint cutting of the cake, with both members of the wedding couple holding the knife, could be interpreted to symbolize the couple’s commitment to teamwork and aligning on goals as they start their future together. If the wedding cake has multiple layers, traditionally the bottom layer will be cut into first by the married couple. This plays to the concept that love is built with a good foundation. Another well-known tradition is to save a slice of wedding cake, or the top tier, to be enjoyed during the couple’s first-year anniversary. For a deeper dive into traditions, we encourage you to read our full summary of popular wedding traditions and their origins.

Whether you decide to neatly cut into a slice of cake together or get messy with a good cake smash, the cake-cutting ceremony is guaranteed to be a charming wedding photo op. Oftentimes guests are distracted on the dance floor or mingling at dinner tables toward the end of the night, so be sure to have the wedding DJ or band make an announcement to introduce the cake cutting ceremony. And if you're wondering "What is a good cake cutting song?", we created this list of our 20 favorite cake cutting songs for a wedding. Many of these songs feature clever lyrics (some of the most popular cake-cutting songs are, naturally, about sugar!), while others express romantic sentiments that are perfect for this sweet wedding moment.

Minted's Top 20 Wedding Cake Cutting Songs

We’ve cooked up this list of favorite songs to set a sweet scene for your wedding cake cutting.

James Taylor's remake of this Marvin Gaye classic gets a lot of wedding airplay but we're partial to the original. Fun fact: Taylor's version also features his then-wife Carly Simon on vocals.

Sweetest lyric: "How sweet it is to be loved by you (well, it's like sugar to my soul) / How sweet it is to be loved by you (oh yes it is)."

Fun fact: Inspired by the movie Wedding Crashers, the music video for this pop hit by Maroon 5 features the band trying to crash as many weddings around Los Angeles as they can in one day.

Sweetest lyric: "Yeah, you show me good loving, make it alright / Need a little sweetness in my life / Your sugar, yes please (Your sugar, yes please) / Won't you come and put it down on me?"

Play this ultra-romantic ballad if you're planning to go right into a couple’s spotlight slow dance after the wedding cake-cutting ceremony.

Sweetest lyric: "And years from now, when I look back / I'm still under your spell somehow / You're the sweetest thing that I ever did see."

If you're going for the opposite effect and want an upbeat song to get guests back to the dance floor, this high-energy, dancey track will 100% do the trick. Also, how could a song titled “Cake” not make our top 20 cake cutting songs list!

Sweetest lyric: "I didn't come here to party / I didn't come here to stay / I came to leave with somebody / I only came for the cake."

This 1965 Motown favorite is perfect for your cake-cutting moment, with sweet, apropos lyrics ("Sugar pie, honey bunch / You know that I love you") and a catchy, toe-tapping tempo.

Sweetest lyric: "Every time I see your face / I get all choked up inside."

Getting married by the beach? Not only will this sexy song by DNCE (a.k.a. Joe Jonas's side project) be perfect for slicing the cake, it'll become the anthem of the night.

Sweetest lyric: "I keep on hoping / We'll eat cake by the ocean."

For a bit of nostalgia, bring it back to 1969 with this bubblegum-pop tune by The Archies, the band formed by a group of teens in the cartoon TV series “The Archie Show.”

Sweetest lyric: "I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you (I just can't believe it's true) / I just can't believe the wonder of this feeling, too (I just can't believe it's true)."

If your musical taste skews more indie, then you'll love this dreamy tune by the Australian indie rock band The Temper Trap. It's melodic and ethereal, and would be a lovely soundtrack as you slice into your wedding cake together.

Sweetest lyric: "A moment, a love / A dream aloud."

Give your cake-cutting moment some '80s new-wave cool with the original song by Echo & the Bunnymen, or go for a more mellow, reggae vibe with Seal's 2004 cover.

Sweetest lyric: "She glides across the water / She calls for you tonight / To share this moonlight."

What better way to kick off married life together than slicing into the wedding cake with this power ballad as your soundtrack?

Sweetest lyric: "You're my sunshine and I want you to know / That my feelings are true / I really love you / Oh, you're my best friend."

If you're anticipating some wedding cake in your face, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is a must-play for the epic cake smash. Be careful picking this song, because you are definitely tempting fate!

Sweetest lyric: "Hit me with your best shot / Fire away."

If your wedding crowd loves '90s R&B, this one's a slam dunk. The familiar-sounding strings-and-piano intro will perk up everyone's ears, and by the time the chorus comes around, the dance floor will be packed with guests singing along.

Sweetest lyric: "All my life I've prayed for someone like you / And I hope that you feel the same way too."

Country crooner Thomas Rhett's "Sweetheart" may have debuted in 2017 but the catchy doo-wop beats sound like an oldies throwback to yesteryear.

Sweetest lyric: "Yeah, you're sweet like chocolate / Hot like sriracha."

This one's an end-of-the-night classic but if you're not saving it for your last song, then we suggest you play it while you feed each other forkfuls of tasty cake. Major bonus points if one of you is actually named Caroline!

Sweetest lyric: "Sweet Caroline / Good times never seemed so good / I'd be inclined / To believe they never would."

This joyful, upbeat song by Natalie Cole is a rom-com staple, which is why it's the perfect soundtrack to your own happily ever after.

Sweetest lyric: "You've brought a lot of sunshine into my life / You've filled me with happiness I never knew / You gave me more joy than I ever dreamed of / And no one, no one can take the place of you."

If you're not saving this 1967 classic love song for your ceremony recessional, then we're all for using it as your cake-cutting song at the end of the night. The original version by The Turtles is always welcome, or you could mix things up with one of the many great covers, including versions by Weezer, The Nylons, and even Miley Cyrus.

Sweetest lyric: "I can't see me lovin' nobody but you / For all my life / When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue / For all my life."

This one's an oldie but goodie, and we predict this song's catchy beat will lure you and your boo right back to the dance floor after you're finished feeding each other cake.

Sweetest lyric: "What I got / full stock of thoughts and dreams that scatter / And you pull them all together / And how? I can't explain, oh yeah."

Before you roll your eyes, think of just how perfect it would be to blast this headbanger as you and your new spouse take a bite out of your newly married life together.

Sweetest lyric: "Pour some sugar on me / C'mon, fire me up / Pour your sugar on me / I can't get enough."

Romantic and nostalgic, this classic song is the perfect choice for vintage-inspired weddings and will definitely please your older guests in attendance.

Sweetest lyric: "Give me a kiss to build on / and my imagination will thrive upon that kiss."

It was hard to pick just one Beyoncé song for this list, but this romantic tune takes the cake. With its infectious '80s-style beat, this love song will certainly make the crowd feel the love (on top!).

Sweetest lyric: "I can see the stars all the way from here / Can't you see the glow on the window pane / I can feel the sun whenever you're near / Every time you touch me I just melt away."