Sweet Traditions

Sweet Traditions

It was nearly the Eve of Kate’s wedding day, and she was tired from the planning and coordinating but thrilled to be marrying her man. My mind envisioned the event as she spoke of the details; intimate nuptials in one of the gardens of a historic estate with only the closest of kin attending.

Years ago, I was graced with a wedding invitation at this very estate. It was in the herb garden at sunset. Just driving through the hillsides of this estate was dreamy but my emotions woke solidly when reaching the herb garden and walking through the bushes of rosemary and the patches of thyme. Being a gardener myself, I understood the magnitude of care and nurturing that went into making this garden spectacular. And spectacular it was! The only decorations were white candles scattered and hidden low throughout the green branches of life. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to and so I was thrilled for Kate when she told me that her wedding would be on the grounds of this very mansion.

Even with all the grandeur of this garden wedding, Kate would be missing something far more special than the dancing flame of a candle in an herb garden at sunset. Her family has a wedding tradition steeped in sweetness but because of the location of her wedding, they had to forgo it.

None the less, Kate delightfully shared the details of The Cookie Tradition.

Imagine with me walking into a reception hall, beautifully decorated with all the wedding style and bliss. There’s a lot to take in because there are so many things pleasing to the eyes but it doesn’t take us long to settle our gaze to the centerpiece of the room. There it is…a long table…ten or maybe twenty feet long with a floor length white tablecloth. On the table there are various pattens of crystal plates and bowls. Some platters are new and some are very old but no pattern is alike. And no matter what pattern or what type of serving dish, each one is beautifully adorned with homemade cookies.

Kate is from Pittsburgh, and in Pittsburgh they have a cookie tradition at every wedding reception. Well, maybe not at EVERY wedding but suffice it to say cookies are a great big affair for these particular yinzers.

Kate thinks this tradition started during The Great Depression. It was a terrible time in America’s history but this was the birth of the greatest generation, and victory gardens, and creativity. Someone living through The Great Depression thought to save the wedding day by suggesting that everyone share the expense of the wedding reception and bring a dish of cookies instead of paying for an expensive wedding cake…sounds pretty clever to me! Even more clever is that this tradition continues today with some.

Eighty years later, wedding guests continue the tradition by bringing cookies (scratch made of course!) to share with everyone at the reception and there are heaping piles of delightful cookies for people to take home and enjoy. In addition to the assortment of crystal dishes that gently hold the cookies, the cookies themselves are quite the competition between the guests. And there are so many cookies that the traditional wedding cake is secondary to the cookie table. Our Depression Era ancestors would surely be proud!

I was thinking that Kate’s cookie table would have been loaded with chocolate chunk cookies and maybe some oatmeal raisin or white chocolate and cranberry, but she quickly informed me that Pizzelles and Lady Locks are the mainstays. Fancy!

And I am beginning to get a tug at my own emotions thinking that Kate would miss out on such a lovely tradition.

Traditions can get us in the heart like that. We want to participate to keep them alive and honor those that started them. Maybe we even guilt ourselves when we can’t. But traditions are meant to be started and meant to be shared. While Kate didn’t have a cookie table at her wedding, she shared the story with me and now I share it with you. So, in her own way, she participated in the sweetness of this tradition, and I think it’s a fine tradition to be adopted by wedding parties all over the globe.

And to my beautiful friend who got married on a hillside at a beautiful historic estate outside of Nashville, I know that life will give you back much sweetness because you have shared your sweetness with us. We get what we give!

Side note: While researching, I found Depression Era cookie recipes all over the internet. Most of the recipes were simple with few ingredients. If you make some, share your thoughts in the comments. We would love to hear about it. And if you’ve been inspired to embrace this cookie tradition at your wedding, it would be a delight to see your photos.

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