Thursday, April 7, 2011

To cake topper, or not to cake topper?

Thanks for weighing in on the whole receiving line thing. So far, it seems pretty evenly divided among people who did have a receiving line and those who didn't! I'll reveal the results tomorrow. But now here's my next detail dilemma: Do I get a cake topper or have no cake topper at all?

Personally, I think flowers decorating a cake are more than enough, and very simple yet elegant, kind of like my friend Christina's cake at her wedding last October:
But then I see really cute cake-toppers and I get all torn again. They're a great personal touch, can be creative and make for great photos. For instance, my friend Ashley made her cake-topper and it was such a great addition to their cake:

I realize it doesn't really matter one way or the other, but that didn't stop me from scouring the internet for cute cake topper ideas:

This one is cute, but it's not customizable and that doesn't look like Chris at all
smartyhadaparty.com
These birds are so cute!
www.thecakelist.com
This is cool, and I like how different and simple it is:
paperlaceconfetti.wordpress.com/
I think the clothespin caketoppers are sooo adorable!
blog.dlshdesign.com
There's also these paint your own, which bridesmaid Cassie has offered to do for me! I like these a lot, but my main concern is that they'll be too small for my large cake and will get completely lost on it! But right now, this is my number one contender.

These are pipecleaners!! How adorable and creative?!
Source

We could go more traditional:
www.weddingstar.com

Or go just for the good old "D" initial topper:

www.koyalwholesale.com
I think this is neat too!
Source

I like the penguins and they would be a homage to my nephew cat, Penguin!
simplyprettywedding.blogspot.com

 I'm gonna kick myself for including this one because this will be the one that Chris will want:
Source
This is not the direction I'm going for at all....not to mention it's $300!!:
blisstree.com
Or I could forgo the cake topper (and expense) and have our florist do a nice green and purple flower arrangement on the top of our cake...truthfully, this is what I'm leaning toward.

What do you think??

27 comments:

Rorie said...

I am not going to be much help because I also am trying to decide in what to do with the cake!! Hmm. I kinda am leaning toward a simple no topper and having flowers or some silver initials.

Mom said...

I like the idea of flowers but incorporate the "D" into the arrangement. I also like how you said the one cake topper doesn't look like Chris at all...as if the bride in that one looks like you. Lol.That was my least favorite of all. Either the "D" of the transformers or just flowers.Put the transformers on the groom's cake. Good way to start off the marriage!

Jessica said...

We're doing flowers. We never really thought about it until we went to the bakery and she suggested we use flowers on top of the cake. So that was easy haha

Anne @thefitbridesmaid said...

I wasn't going to do a cake topper, but I found this adorable one on etsy of college mascots! I just had to have it! http://www.etsy.com/listing/61515328/love-college-mascot-florida-gator

But we haven't told anyone about it. SURPRISE!

sandytoesbride said...

Toppers are hard - Mr ST. and I have two different opinions on what we want. We are ceratinly ordering from this site: http://www.weddingstar.com/ They have a TON of toppers to choose from. We just cannot agree on the one we want. haha.

Shana said...

It's a hard choice. I love the idea of flowers on top of a cake though. I think if you find a cake topper you truly love then go for it but don't get one just to get one.

The Sweet Life Blog said...

We used flowers on our cake but I do love a good cake topper. It is super adorable if it goes with a theme for the wedding too. We just coudn't find anything that really grabbed us. Tough choice. Let us know the outcome!

Unknown said...

The possibilities are endless, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Unless you have been completely WOWed by something, I would stick with the flowers. Simple. Classic. That is more YOU than any pipecleaner bride :)
By the way... if you make a groom's cake for your man, I think incorporating the name 'Salavtore' somewhere on it would be just perfect.

♥ cheryl elisabeth said...

Thanks for the comment! I'm now following you, and I'm so excited to follow your journey - it's coming up so quickly!

I love the paint your own cake topper, but my favourite is the simple black one. Maybe that's just a personal style, but if we were having a cake I'd be all over that!

Erica said...

I would definitely suggest looking on Etsy for some! Most of them are a tad pricey for custom made ones... but I found some really neat ones when I was looking!! :)

I personally like the idea of a cake topper, because it's something you can keep and display for many years (unless you hate clutter... then it's just that. Clutter.)

The Vintage Modern Bride said...

i personally love cake toppers that go with your theme and style of wedding. flowers are cute, but there's something about the traditionality of a cake topper...even if you pick a non-traditional one

Rebekah said...

The decision to have a cake topper or not was a hard one for me. I didn't find anything that I liked, so I had my florist make an arrangement for the top of the cake and it was beautiful! It was better than I could have imagined.

Heather said...

I honestly think either way is beautiful! We went with a custom topper from Etsy, along with scattered flower petals to top the cake.

Shannon said...

We did flowers on top of the cake which worked for me. I've never really been a big fan of people/animal cake toppers.

jacin {lovely little details} said...

our cake topper was just more decoration from the cake. but, i think if you find one that is sentimental it could be a great heirloom to pass on.

Unknown said...

My opinion... If you don't find one that SCREAMS Chris and Laura, then don't do one. It's an expense that can be left out if you don't really want it. We have one, but the one we have is SO us!! So... flowers might be a better option for you guys.

Nicole-Lynn said...

I felt the same way, it was either no topper or something that wasn't too inexpensive, and that I could potentially resell after the wedding. We opted for a monogram cake topper in a pretty script font.

Thanks for your sweet comment today! Glad you liked the first dance song!

Sara said...

We decided to opt out of a cake topper because I couldn't find one that was just perfect for us. So many cute ones on etsy that I swooned for (those penguins are aDORable!) but nothing that was just "us". We decided to have our monogram scrolled on the cake in icing.

TheParamedicsWife said...

I love the last one, actually! Are your colors purple and green? Those are mine, too (if so)! I like the idea of flowers on the cake, too.

Heather said...

I love the simplicity of flowers on top of a cake. I also kind of want the 1950s Barbie and Ken wedding day ornament to serve as a cake topper, since I grew up collecting Barbies, but I still haven't pulled the trigger on that. If I drag my feet long enough, we'll probably just end up with a big peony on top.

Jasmine said...

i was going to do a post about this very thing! i can't decide on a cake topper either. i love flowers on the top of cakes but sean really wants a topper... so we're torn!

Mrs. P said...

we're in the same boat...we bought a pewter mascot from our campus bookstore...we went to the same college which is where we met, so it would be cute to tie in that theme, but in a formal way (the pewter)...we might not use ti thought, and opt for flowers on top too...

i think you should choose your topper based on the formality of your event and the look of your cake...our totally would look better without it...it's a 4-tier with fluffy hydrangea in between each layer...a topper wouldn't do the cake justice.

Dancy said...

I was totally against (for myself) them until I saw ours in my bridal salon. I bought bling-ey letters for a monogram & my friend who was with my convinced me that we could also use them for anniversaries and on our Christmas tree.

Plus, my parents still have theirs and I remember loving it as a child. Not necessarily their cake topper itself (kinda old & *totally* 60's) but that it was a keepsake from my parents wedding that they displayed. So I caved.

steph c said...

I. LOVE. Cake toppers. Oh my gosh. You have to check out Etsy for them.. they have a bajillion different ones, and almost all are customizable!

Runner Leana said...

The Future Hubs really wanted a cake topper to have as a memento from the day so we went that direction. I can't believe how much some of them cost! We wound up going with some customizable love birds.

Unknown said...

I love this collection. The first one is really very nice in look. and I like another with traditional theme.
dean graziosi

Anonymous said...

Not sure but i dont think those are penguins....love birds, maybe?!