The tiny plastic bride and groom figurines which were popularised in the 1950s are now a far cry from the cake toppers which are used today. Some people believe that the trend of cake toppers started with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's wedding cake in 1840, upon which, there was a figurine of the goddess Brittania, blessing the newlyweds. Shortly after this, cake toppers began to be mass-produced in the 1890s. Modern cake toppers now come in a selection of ethnicities and materials, such as glass, wire, acrylic, resin and porcelain. Flowers, sculptures and large monogrammed letters are replacing the traditional bride and groom cake toppers.
Here are some ideas:
• Monogram or initial cake toppers in Swarovski crystals-not only do these appear in clear crystals but now can be customised with coloured crystals (eg in pink, red) for a co-ordinated look. Small wooden dowels are usually inserted into the bottom of each letter, to make it ready to be inserted into the cake
• Cake jewelry-these typically hang off the top of the cake from thin wires and are usually in the shape of hearts, birds, stars and butterflies.
• Figurines that represent your hobbies-eg a groom fishing for his bride or a groom golfing or playing football etc.
• Fresh flowers-this option is much more affordable than having sugar or gum paste flowers made and you can personalise it by having some of the same flowers that appear in your bouquet, appear on the top of your cake, or you can have the flowers that appear on your invitations (eg roses, calla lilies) appear as "live" versions on your cake.
• A walk on the wild side-Acrylic toppers in zebra and leopard print
• Birds-This year, natural motifs are very popular on cakes. Birds, in particular, especially handmade ones made from wood, porcelain, burlap and polymer clay are being seen.
• Fondant figurines-If you have a very skilled cake artist he/she can make customised figurines for you out of fondant icing.
• Themed-If you are fan of a particular cartoon or show, you can select toppers to suit, eg Disney or Star Trek characters.