Wedding Planning Guide

wedding cake toppers

26 creative cake toppers that will make your wedding dessert stand out.

Your wedding cake will be one of the highlights of the reception and you can make it even more memorable by adding creative and personalized wedding cake toppers. While fresh flowers are always a nice idea, many couples are choosing something more unique and personal to top off their dessert. Having a rustic wedding in the woods? Top off your cake with wooden toppers in your initials, fashioned from twigs. Obsessed with squirrels? Place a pair of miniature squirrel figurines atop your wedding dessert. Love gaming together? We love nerdy cake toppers inspired by your favorite games and characters.

Need some cake-topper inspiration? We’ve created this guide to help inspire your own one-of-a-kind wedding confection.

RUSTIC WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Deer Figurines

If you're planning a woodland-themed wedding, we love this rustic cake topper idea: a pair of deer perched on the top tier. Add a touch of glam by painting the doe and buck figurines a pretty shade of gold or have them match your wedding color scheme.

Twig Initials

Top a simple, single-tier wedding cake with letters in the couple's initials fashioned from twigs. Display the wedding cake on a stand fashioned from a wooden stump to create a rustic dessert display. Consider placing some fern branches, wild berries, or pine cones on the dessert table to further complement the rustic wedding cake topper.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Bethany Small

Pine Cone Couple

These adorable pine cone cake toppers are dressed for the occasion: a handmade top hat and bowtie for the groom, and a swatch of lace to resemble a wedding veil for the bride. They could make great holiday ornaments in the future to remind you of your wedding day!

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Ben Yew

Mountains Silhouette

This "naked" (a.k.a. partially-frosted) wedding cake is decorated with fresh-cut figs, eucalyptus leaves, and a mountain-themed rustic cake topper with the phrase "Our greatest adventure begins." It's the perfect dessert for a nature-loving couple hosting a memorable outdoorsy wedding in the woods.

Wedding envelopes

Photo: Jordan Voth

Squirrels Getting Married

If you're looking for the perfect wedding cake topper to complement your rustic wedding theme, how cute are these squirrels perched on the top tier? The simple, three-tiered cake (which featured carrot cake and "death by chocolate" flavors inside) is also decorated with burlap ribbon, twine, and a custom pennant banner with the couple's names.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Emily Hannah

TRADITIONAL WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Classic Monogram

This marble-inspired wedding cake featured a different flavor on each tier—red velvet and lemon—and was topped with a gold acrylic topper in the couple's initials. If you are looking to create a unique wedding monogram for your wedding stationery, Minted has an easy-to-use generator tool!

“Love” Laser-Cut Stencil

Decorate your wedding cake with this "Love" topper laser-cut in a celebratory script. It's simple yet elegant, and would work beautifully with a minimalist or classic wedding theme.

Intricate Crown

If you're looking for something that's traditional and regal, we love the idea of incorporating an antique crown as the topper to your own royal wedding cake. Keep the cake tiers simply decorated in buttercream frosting so the crown truly stands out. Table centerpieces and party favors could also follow the same royal theme.

Your Last Name

If you've decided to change your last name, announce your new status with this statement-making, laser-cut cake topper. Also, how delicious do these funfetti cake tiers look?

FUNNY WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Dinosaur Figurines

Your guests will get a kick out of these cheeky cake toppers! Expect attendees to be snapping pictures of these miniature bride and groom dino figurines displayed on top of your elegant cake embellished with olive leaves. For added laughs, see if your baker can add little dinosaur footprints in the frosting on the top layer.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Perry Vaile

Feature Man’s Best Friend

Attention, parents of fur babies: If you're looking for ways to incorporate your pup into the wedding, we love this idea. Top your wedding cake with a custom cake topper showing your pet's seal of approval. A paw print or two in icing is always a fun extra touch.

Rollerblades

Love rollerblading? Celebrate your favorite thing to do together by getting your cake designer to create a customer topper inspired by your favorite date activity, like this gilded, edible rollerblade! Other funny ideas could include surfboards, a popcorn box (for the movies), or ski poles.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Ryan Ray

"Finally!"

Maybe it took the two of you a while to get hitched. Commemorate your epic love story with a funny cake topper that celebrates you both finally making it to the altar.

Gold Gorilla

We're bananas for this funny golden gorilla perched on top of this wedding cake. Depending on where you host your wedding, different animals may be a great fit. We have heard of a few weddings hosted at zoos, for which this idea would have paired perfectly!

MODERN WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Dried Fan Palm

If you're going for a more modern, desert-chic vibe for your nuptials, top your wedding cake with a sculptural dried fan palm. The look also works very well with a destination wedding hosted at a tropical beach setting. Sprinkle some plumeria or hibiscus on the dessert table.

Modern Acrylic Shapes

For this couple's wedding in New Mexico, they designed their acrylic wedding cake toppers to be a modern interpretation of the desert landscape. Other potential wedding settings that could inspire an artistic cake topper shape include a city skyline, wine vineyard, or countryside farm.

"Love is Love" Text

Make a statement with a cake topper that celebrates wedding equality, displayed on a beautiful cake decorated with a rainbow of edible flowers.

Modern Geode

For a modern look, top your wedding confection with an acrylic cake topper designed to look like a cut geode that has been etched with your wedding monogram. Save the geode for an elegant conversation piece to decorate the house or office.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Emilia Jane

VINTAGE WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Family Heirloom

If you're lucky enough to have your parents' wedding cake topper, wrap it carefully and give it to your cake designer to place it on top of the confection on the wedding day. Even if you don’t have the exact topper, perhaps you have a photograph of it that can be recreated by a local crafter.

Ornate Artistry in White

An all-white wedding cake is always elegant and romantic. This couple's confection features their initials stenciled on one tier, along with delicate sugar flowers and a vintage-inspired cake topper.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Docuvitae

Vintage Bride and Groom Figurines

Bride and groom figurines are a popular option for vintage wedding cake toppers. The darling little dolls, often created in the couples' likeness, have been popular since the Victoria era. If you love the look, you could try searching for vintage toppers online, at antique shops, or commission an artist to create your own. For additional clever vintage wedding ideas and themes, be sure to read our in-depth post.

NERDY WEDDING CAKE TOPPERS

Batman Theme

Top off your wedding dessert with custom figurines of the two of you dressed as your favorite superheroes. This idea is sure to start some conversations at your wedding!

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Moss + Isaac

Mario and Princess Peach

Skip the all-white wedding cake and ask your cake designer to create a confection inspired by your favorite video game, with your favorite characters to play as the cake toppers, of course.

Wedding cake topper

Photo: Megan Saul

Hardback Books

You're bound to fall in love with this wedding cake topper idea for a couple of bookworms: Two adorable (and completely edible!) hardback books with the couple's names on the cover.

Pixelated Image

This wedding cake topper is perfect for a couple of video-game enthusiasts. Have a graphic artist create some pixelated illustrations of the bride and groom which you could also feature on your wedding invitations, thank you cards, or menus.

Lego Configuration

Bride and groom Lego figurines are the perfect cake topper for a couple of kids at heart. Don’t shy away from also sculpting an altar complete with flowers. If children are invited to your wedding, you could also provide them with Lego kits to craft their own scenes.