At one stage in the tradition, the wedding cake was made to bring good luck to all guests and the couple. It was a luxury item and usually a fruit cake, which would last longer that other types of cake. When I was married in the mid 80’s, the cake was cut and placed into small, specially made paper bags and distributed to the guests by the bride’s maids. As the cake was a wish of good luck, it was important that all guests had a piece, so if they did not wish to eat it immediately, they could take their portion with them safely in the paper bag.

When Bay Lovett was married in 1959, the portions of cake were placed in these little tins. Bay told me that the tins came in a little box with an address label, so that guests who were unable to attend the wedding could still have their little piece of ‘luck’ posted to them. Bay still has a piece of her wedding cake in one of the little tins (not one of the tins that she has loaned to the museum for display, however).

My mother-in-law, Peggy Montgomery, had an identical tin which she kept in her sewing kit with packets of needles wrapped in foiled paper, like the old Wriggleys chewing gum packets. These are still in the kit and used by her granddaughter Minnie.

Visit Us Today: Monday- Friday from 9am to 4pm. Saturday’s from 10am until 12noon. (Sundays by appointment.)

Nyngan is located on the banks of the Bogan River in Outback New South Wales. In 1990 the Bogan River flooded the township and much history was destroyed. The Museum was established by a wonderful group of locals wanting to collect local family history, relics and items of historical significance.