A wedding cake topper is a small model that sits on top of a wedding cake, normally a representation of the couple in formal wedding attire.

A traditional English topper in ceramic, from 1959

History

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The wedding cake topper was dominant in United States weddings in the 1950s where it represented togetherness.[1] Today, these decorative figurines are often part of the couple's decorative theme or wedding reception style.[2][3]

While traditionally the bride and groom were in formal attire, with the bride in a white wedding dress, complete with veil, and the groom in black morning dress,[4] today there are many more designs available.[3] There are specific ones for the style and theme of the wedding, for instance, traditional toppers for a formal wedding, and for less formal ones, there are comical wedding cake toppers or ones depending on the couple's hobbies.[3]

In recent times, wedding cake toppers have reflected the growing diversity in marriages. Multi-ethnic wedding toppers are now available,[5][6] as are same-sex wedding toppers.[7][8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cele Otones and Elizabeth Pleck (2003), Cinderella Dreams: The Allure of the Lavish Wedding, University of California Press, pp. 124–125, ISBN 0-520-24008-1
  2. ^ Glossary Terms for Wedding Stationery Retrieved on 2009-04-29
  3. ^ a b c Allow Your Wedding Cake Toppers To Reflect Your Personalities[usurped], Donald Saunders, Buzzle, September 13, 2007
  4. ^ Unusual Wedding Cake Toppers Can Be Quite A Talking Point[usurped], Donald Saunders, Buzzle, April 28, 2007
  5. ^ Cake toppers break with cookie-cutter past, Michael E. Ross, NBC News, June 2, 2005
  6. ^ Multi-ethnic cake topper, Ebony, November 1, 2005
  7. ^ JOURNEYS; Mining the Gold In Gay Nuptials, Sarah Robertson, New York Times, December 19, 2003
  8. ^ Gay couples rewriting wedding etiquette, Sasha Talcott, Boston Globe, March 21, 2004
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