At some point, cake toppers were knocked off their view-top tier in favor of some sleek nothingness. But times have changed (again), and now that modern is vintage – and sometimes vintage kitsch – toppers have returned as cuter, more personal and more homemade versions of their former selves.
Photo by Once Wed
touch wood
Photo by Star House
Etsy is ruling our topper world with the now ubiquitous wood couple, kokeshi dolls, lettered blocks and other wooden gems, including:
black and white dolls bordering on the abstract
the lanky couples with pipe-cleaner bods and smiley faces
the Tim Burton-bodied toppers with faces so sweet they belong in a children’s book on daydreaming
cut-outs custom created to accommodate your traits (like your already-burgeoned family or the life-form growing in your belly)
paper cute
Photo by Concarta
All it takes is one crepe-paper flower and you’re hooked. Keep on the paper trail with:
belongs-in-a-pop-up-book couple
paper dolls for the mature at heart (note their zero features and non-triangular bodies)
animal...
Photo by Sian
It used to be statues, but now a bird’s favourite place to perch is wedding cakes - makes sense considering how many mate for life, human-style. Show your love for all the animals in the animal kingdom with:
...mineral, vegetable...
Photo by Mark Brooke
50’s Barbies, exotic fruits, and replicas of famous sculptures like Rodin’s ‘The Kiss’ all make for unexpected, topper-notch beauty. Keep thinking along these zigzag lines with:
ribbon-tied flowers laid across the fondant
DIY ‘hupa’ toppers made of random toy-bin trinkets
a bunch of DIY flags huddled together
designer salt and pepper shakers like these white ones from Jonathan Adler. The Dadaist elements (pouty lips, moustache) balance out the neatness with a sense of humor
