There’s a somewhat fine line between tradition and obnoxious cliche. Your cake reference is a perfect example of that and spot on. I never got that either. No idea how it started but I suspect a handful of people(and let’s be honest, Midwesterner white people not in particularly good shape) saw all these other wedding traditions like Jews smashing the glass, AA’s jumping the broom, etc and decided they just had to have something. It’s done once and then others have latched on to it like popular cliché phrases like “don’t go there”, “just saying”, GOAT, and so on. In the end, there probably isn’t a better way of announcing before family and friends that you probably won’t last as a couple and at least one of the participants is likely eyeing someone within the bridal party at that very moment. When the rumors of Joey banging one of the bridesmaids a few weeks after the wedding are confirmed, the list of speculation and “what happened” type gasped questions will be extensive. But anyone with a brain will know it’s almost absolutely linked to the cake-to-the-face incident and sadly, could’ve probably been avoided.