In my 12 years of wedding entertainment, I have seen many family traditions. Some really sentimental, a few on the weird side, and some national traditions that are tailored to the family. Many Brides and Grooms may already be familiar with the Grand Cake March or Grand March. In all my years, not one family has performed the Grand cake march the same as any other. This seems to be one of those traditions that is tailored by the family over many generations. But by far, the Grand Cake March from the Mangino family has got to be the best yet. A key to this tradition is having a family member lead the march who really knows what he/she is doing. In the case of the Mangino family, Grandmother Connie was very excited to lead the Grand Cake March for Tommy and Danielle, as she has done for so many other weddings in her family. Like the pro that she is, she led the cake march around the dance floor making different patterns with the lines. She led the couples’ line into single file, making circles that surrounded the bride and then surrounded the groom, honoring them separately and then honoring their new union together. Hearing the crowd join in clapping to the music, laughing and enjoying the traditional march made us all feel like we were a part of the family. A favorite of this crowd was leading the family in a single file line around the tables parading through the reception, as the parade passed each table you could see the guests smile and cheer the wedding party on with clapping. Another great touch that the Mangino family used is a change in the music from “When the Saints Go Marching in” to “Here Comes the Bride” as Tommy and Danielle walked through a canopy of arms from the participating wedding party and family. The Canopy of arms leads the Bride and Groom to the Cake table, where they share the traditional first piece of cake.

From the entrance announcement to the traditional Cake March and the final dance, this crowd was a lot of fun. The night was truly a celebration for Tommy and Danielle’s new union. To end the evening we had all of the guests line up just outside the entrance to the building ready to see the newly weds off. Just as the couple exited the building smiling ear to ear in anticipation to the new adventures ahead, BAM! Fireworks lit up the sky! The surprise rushed through the crowd with excited Ooooo and Ahhhhhh’s. Wow, what a fantastic ending to a magical day!