Jackson Free Press

Thanks to the popularity of TV shows such as “Amazing Wedding Cakes” (WEtv) or “Ace of Cakes” (Food Network), wedding cakes have become a focal point of modern-day weddings. From the simple and elegant to the mind-blowingly extravagant, these cakes often become the highlight of a wedding.

Sometimes it’s a small detail that stands out. Cake toppers have almost always been a part of the wedding-cake tradition, but the days of a plastic-perfect bride and groom standing stoically atop a seven layer bundle of buttercream seem to be waning. Modern brides are opting to express their personalities when topping their wedding cakes.

Some toppers are simple, such as monograms with the bride and groom’s initials. Some are trendy: silhouettes of the faces of the bride and groom. Lately, flowers, either live or made of fondant, have experienced a renaissance. Some toppers make a comical statement: a bride holding back a groom attempting escape. Some couples choose to go traditional with their toppers, while some choose to use none at all.

Personalized toppers, painted or sculpted to resemble the bride and groom, are hugely popular. No longer do brides have to settle for the generic figurine with barely matching skin or hair color. Toppers can be endlessly customized, with the correct hairstyle, flower type and even a perfect replicate wedding dress—sometimes using scraps of the same fabric. Clay, clothespins and little wooden dolls are all great starting material to build on.

Couples are using their cake topper to express their personality or interests in other ways, too, such as depicting reading a favorite book or wearing something other than wedding garb (Star Wars costumes, anyone?). Stylized toppers, such as a “Day of the Dead”-esque bride and groom are trendy as well.