I really wanted to make my own cake topper. I seriously considered putting two birds on the top of our cake – kinda of the Ann Wood style, and I found a pattern and some fabric that I could have made work, but my fiance really wanted to have a chicken and a dog on top of the cake (since he is year of the dog, and I am year of the rooster), and I just couldn’t figure out how to make a dog version of the bird. (Googling for “dog toy” wedding toppers also didn’t really help, and resulted in squeaky bones and other dog related toys instead. *sigh*).
I also thought about doing a polaroid style wedding topper, and while it would have been easy to pull off, for whatever reason it just didn’t get off the ground.
And then I thought, “hang it! I’ll just put some flowers on my cake!”
So what happened in the end? Well, the whole cake topper thing just didn’t quite happen. No bride and groom, no cute pair of love birds, and no flower petals. Just a plain ol’ cake. Ahh well… it tasted really good!
Don’t do what I did! You should try and get a cake topper, especially one that really shows your personalities. Personally, I loathe the porcelain bride and groom toppers, so here’s some unique ones that I approve of! (Clicking on the pictures will take you to the sellers/designers sites).
The easiest DIY method: Polaroid photos on some twisted wire. If you don't have a poloroid camera, it wouldn't take much work to whip up one in Photoshop (you can look online for "Polaroid brushes" to use). Photo Credit: Brooklyn Bride
If you love the bird look and can sew, here's some instructions for DIY birds. Hunting around the remnant bins at Jo Ann should provide you with all the fabric you need.
Aren't these bunnies super cute??! These are $50 on Etsy, but I don't think they'd be hard to make yourself. Just find a finger puppet pattern and modify it a bit. This seller also custom designs her toppers.
This DIY kit provides you with some paint and two sets of dolls that you can custom paint yourself ($13). If you're not gifted with a brush, they also sell half painted (clothes and hair only) and fully painted versions.
This one isn't actually a cake topper, and while there are no instructions, the designer has a lot of photos that you could use as a guide. Having a boy and girl version of this and attaching it to a base could work well on your cake!
Really, the sky's the limit with what can go on your cake! I love this gator couple! (the designer has plenty of other custom designs available including people, giraffes, bunnies, ghotsts, and gator-slayers)
Bunnies might be "in" this year - this Etsy seller was recently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings with these cake toppers (they range between $200 - $310)
If bunnies aren't your thing, perhaps you prefer squirels? These cuties are $165. (mice and bunnies are also available)
This Etsy seller creates custom birds for $130. Make sure you allow plenty of time if you go the custom route! It can take some sellers around 3 months to create one for you if they are in high demand.
These felted birds are only available as custom projects. This designer is really, really popular so you would need to contact her really early in your planning to find out if she could do a topper for you.
More birds! These ones are available on Etsy for $120. The designer also has a range of other birds in various patterns and colors.
If you're looking for really quirky custom toppers, this designer should fit that bill. ($350)
Here are some more wooden toppers that are completely custom designed ($135).
And finally, this topper was on my friend Amber's cake (the cake was designed by the bride and made by one of my cousins). Since she already had the lego pieces, it didn't cost a dime (and we enjoyed laughing at the lego girl since it looked as though she was wearing a thong 
)
How will you be doing your cake topper? And what will you do with your topper *after* your wedding?
