What Is Your Method In Rushed Cake Cutting Ritual?

If flash recycle is an issue, I eliminated that issue altogether with my 420EX flash by using rechargeable NiMH AA's. They recycle about 5x faster and last about 5x longer than regular alkalines.

Best cake smooshing was my last wedding a couple weeks ago where he held her down and licked the cake off her face. Great pictures!

CP-E3 is compatiable with the 550EX and 580EX, recharge time becomes less important unless you're a "spray and prey" style photographer.

I'll disagree a bit on this one. I usually have a couple of instances every wedding where I get a cool shot, only to have a cooler shot appear a millisecond later. The fast recycle time of the CP-E3 means I don't miss those anymore. Also, the cake cutting and feeding sometimes happens really fast - again, I used to miss a shot or two in the sequence while my flash recycled, with the CP-E3 - no more. Another wedding moment when you need a responsive flash is the bouquet toss. Sure you line up and plan to catch it in the air, but then there's often a frantic scuffle by the girls to get th bouquet. CP-E3 means I can get the in-the-air shot and instantly capture the scuffle. Most importantly, with the CP-E3, I can go a whole wedding without changing batteries!

Another view: ambient light means no need to wait for the flash to recharge. Cake cutting and boquet toss are tough situations, I often use off camera flash with a CP-E3 on the slave for the boquet toss, that's as hard a shot as you'll get.

You also have to consider what happens when you point a camera + bracket + flash + CP-E3 + big lens at someone, as opposed to pointing a smaller camera at them. That comes down to how comfortable the people are with the photographer.

I also hate cords and flash, though flash has it's place I prefer to avoid it if at all possible. With cake cuttings it's usually essential, and the shots often look pretty average for it.

Interesting statements. The bouqet toss is the most difficult of all "quick" shots to me and its nice to read all these suggestions

I agree - I wish they made a wireless one of these! I am constantly bringing my camera to my eye only to have the CP-E3 cord caught in the front of my lens hood!

LOL I was shooting with my son, Brandon, and I have ID - the luggage type - on all my camera straps (I'm neurotic), but for me, it doesn't interfere too much. I'm used to it. He kept trying to keep it away from the lens and it would flop back every time he tried to take a shot. After about 10 minutes I get this, "Mom, can I take this yellow tag thing off the strap?" "Sure, son." As soon as he put it back into the bag, I put the tag right back on.

About cords, I did the shoot at the museum last Friday and without cords. It was fantastic. The only problem is, the 550 doesn't recycle as fast as the 580. Had to adjust and had to put fresh batteries in once.

The pros I've seen always pose the couple beforehand. Never I've seen it shot as a true candid.

Usually the cake is there at least 2 hours beforehand, so they set up the tripod, meter the flashes, get the framing... etc etc...

Then they call the B+G, pose them and shoot them as if it's a studio shot.

Never seen that done. Most people would cry to see their cake cut up before the reception, but then again, they don't have to use a piece of the real cake.

I do have shots of the bouquet toss, and let me just say, I have never seen 30 women avoid a bouquet before. It was hysterical.

That's a valid point Doc, and makes it easy to get the best cake shot. It falls in line with a traditional approach to photography, where much of the significant events are posed and lit professionally - leaving nothing to chance.

The trend right now is a more photojournalistic approach, however, and most of the couples that hire me usually express in our very first meeting that they don't want me to meddle in their day. The photojournalistic style doesn't lend itself very well to lightstands and umbrellas!

I tend to take a position somewhere in the middle. As soon as I get to the reception, I make it a point to introduce myself to the DJ and wedding coordinatior and ask them to let me know when they are looking to do the significant events (like the cake cutting). Usually I get to the cake at the same time as the B&G, and they're standing there looking a little confused as to what to do. I give them a brief tutorial on cutting the cake (seems like it would be common sense, but my very first mentor told me how to instruct them and the couples really like it), then I ask them to look at me and smile as they make the first cut. I get the shot, then the rest is completely unposed.

Yes, I agree. B&G's day. If they want everything done without posing first, I say, fine and they have to live with it. But the photographer sometimes knows that certain poses and certain angles work best. Should communicate with the couple and be non-intrusive, but convincing.

Most brides are open to a mixture of both. You can talk them into poses and suggestions early on in the reception as long as you are considerate of their wishes for candid shots when the cake cutting etc. actually happens.
At my mom's wedding her bouquet accidently broke apart in midthrow and everyone managed to catch a piece.