Susan, Last year we did a recreation of the first wedding that took place in this house in 1913. I did some reading then about wedding cakes and found that it could have been almost anything from a sort of fruitcake to a sponge cake. I also checked the local paper for descriptions of weddings from that period and that was how we decided to do a lighter cake rather than an fruitcake.
What part of the country are you in? Do let me know if I can be of any help to you. Good luck - we had a great time.