Some couples still choose to adorn their cake with the traditional Bride and Groom Figurines although many are now opting for something more original and unique to themselves.
Perhaps the advent of the eBay trader is what got things moving but now there is a growing army of talented home-based workers creating these unique and whimsical cake-topping creations.
Where to Buy?
There are now quite a few people engaged in creating these little fellows but where are you likely to get the most satisfying result?
I've noticed a few enterprising individuals are now jumping aboard this bandwagon, and some of these may well offer good value. But four names always seem to get mentioned more than any others. These are:
The common theme that runs here are that they are all home-based businesses, custom cake toppers is what they do (it's not something that's added on to their stationery, tiara or whatever else business?), they only take-on orders that they can complete in time and, more importantly, they all have 100% customer satisfaction.
So What's Involved?
Once you've found a designer that you like, you need to send them a photo of the marrying couple together with any other information such as your occupations, hobbies, theme and so on. This will help your designer to create a cake topper which is unique to you.
You need to do this well in advance of your planned wedding day - especially at peak times between the months of March and September. Once you have agreed the look of your topper, it will be scheduled into the designers' diary for completion a few weeks before your wedding day. You will then be sent a photo of your completed topper before it is despatched.
Helen Waite from GooglyGifts said "I send out a questionnaire to get all the details together along with any photos that customers want to send". I'm busy all year round & sell hundreds of toppers to happy couples all over the world. My toppers appeared on Jeremy Kyle, which was pretty cool to see".
Helen added, "At any time I'm usually booked up for the next 3 months so people need to place their order as soon as they've decided they want to buy a googlygifts.co.uk topper. Details of outfits, poses etc, can be sent at a later date, but by ordering ASAP they secure their place in my diary early & that means they won't miss out on getting the topper they want!"
Sarah Shorter of Feats of Clay says "I only started in January, with a view to making toppers for Birthdays, Christenings, etc...but decided to make my first Wedding Topper in March, (more as an experiment to see if anyone would be interested) and since then I've been fully booked!"
With regard to ordering, Sarah says "If possible, during the summer, people would need to be aware that they need to contact me at least 2 months before their wedding? I'm already taking orders now for 2008!"
In summary, Sarah says "Overall it's been a great year. From being a 'stay-at-home' Mum to three children, I've found a job I love doing, am able to do from home, and have met some lovely people along the way!"
Cheryl Locke from Artlocke Designs says "I ask that people get in touch at least 6 weeks before their wedding as I have a waiting list throughout the year, although I will try to accommodate people who have less time".
"I try to send out the completed toppers 2 to 3 weeks before the wedding day and I send a photo of the topper before it's baked and afterwards, also, for final approval."
