By Georgina Clatworthy

Your wedding cake will be a major portion of your budget and the showpiece of your reception so do it justice by choosing from a range of equally fabulous wedding cake toppers to provide the crowning glory!

Traditional wedding cake toppers where small scale models of the bride and groom, sometimes designed to mimic the characteristics of the couple and the brides wedding dress.  Today though there is a world of choice for wedding cake toppers and you can find a topper to suit any wedding style or theme.

Have a custom made topper made from clay which will add a fun and whimsical touch to your wedding cake.  You can have them made to mimic a favorite pastime you may both share or you could be modeled doing your jobs, particularly good if you are in the armed forces or police force for instance.  You can also have them made to replicate your wedding oufits by sending a photograph of your wedding dress and suit to the model maker.

Fresh flowers are a traditional alternative to a model topper and you can ask your florist to make these for you as part of your wedding flowers.  You can also have faux flowers made from silk, fabric or paper or have them made from fondant icing or sugar craft.  A good cake decorator can make flowers from icing which will look just like the real thing!

Beaded crowns are a modern version of wedding cake toppers but they look fantastic and very glamorous.  Some online stores will stock ready made versions, but in general you may have to have them made to order.  This is good for you as you can then have them made to fit with your wedding colors and sized according to the size of your top tier.

A nice touch for your wedding cake topper is to use the one you parents used on their wedding cake.  Problems could arise however, should both sets of parents still have their toppers!  Check out websites like Etsy for some wonderful vintage cake toppers from many different eras.  You could also have one custom made in a vintage style if you wished.

Finally, there is a range of modern versions of traditional cake toppers.  Some of this are a little risqué and others are great fun.  Consider a bride ‘reeling’ her groom in on a fishing line or the bride standing patiently on the top tier whilst the groom climbs his way up the cake to her!