wedding cake topper

[flanneltrees]

I am getting married in July and I want to make the cake topper for our wedding. I am looking for any tips that you guys have including what kind of wood to use and patterns... I am new to wood carving so go easy on me. Thanks for all of your help.

[Claude]

Having been married for 41.5 years, I have a word of advice. I assume you're a guy, so ask her what she wants on top of her wedding cake. Guys have no decisions to make with the wedding plans. Period. Now, just on the off chance you're a woman, then what style of cake did you have in mind? Remember also, anything made of wood is going to be a lot heavier than what the bakeries would normally put on top so some support may be necessary.

Claude

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I would recommend Birch, a strong hard wood that will take very fine detail and is food safe or a hard Maple will work nicely as well.
Carl

[flanneltrees]

Thank you for the advice... I have some things to think about. I am man in the relationship and we are doing a great job at working together on the wedding plans. We are six months out (July 18) and have a good chunk of work done so I'm happy about that. Anyway... I hadn't thought about the weight factor but it is great to keep in mind. I am still looking for advice so keep it coming.

[Claude]

Weight...
From having watched FoodTV quite a bit (I like to cook), one solution is to place a thin stiff object between layers on a traditional stacked up wedding cake. For example, a thin sheet of plexiglas, or even foil-wrapped cardboard (to keep it water and grease-proof). Then a cake layer is placed on top of this, and 4 or 5 dowels (looked like 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch) were pushed through the layer to rest on the plastic/cardboard. Another sheet of plastic/cardboard was placed on top of the layer (resting on the dowels) and more cake added, etc.

The dowels acted as vertical supports for the next layer up, and were hidden within the cake. Standard birch dowels should be ok after washing, but an easy way to play safe and keep all the aunts and grandmas happy would be to wrap each dowel in some plastic wrap to isolate it from the food.

As to the carving, you're first going to have to determine a theme for the cake: if you're both outdoorsy, then perhaps a camping scene - couple of trees, tent in the background fire ring with pot suspended over it, the couple in camping clothes. If you both prefer rock concerts, then a little stage with the couple on it holding guitars, saxes, or whatever... So...give us some more info about possible themes, and then we can suggest some ideas for the carvings...

Claude

[flanneltrees]

Well... I was thinking something along the lines of just the two of us in the traditional pose but while she is in her wedding gown I would be wearing jeans and flannel shirt. That was my initial thought but I have to figure out some details so any input would be great. We are looking for a traditional wedding but maybe more of a traditional meets Al Borland. We want to find some way to incorperate trees into the wedding and even have the cake in some sort of woodsy setting.

[laine]

first off congrats to you and your bride to be
I have made several stacked wedding cakes and yes as Claude mentioned there is a layer of stiff whatever between each stack, me personally I like to use a thin board cut to the shape and size of the cake ---as for the topper, don't worry about the weight as the baker can place the wooden dowels under your carving as well as between each layer, the baker could also have the dowels go from the top to very bottom of the cake through each layer
and when I do my cakes I always use more than what would actually be needed, but I don't like to take chance on any part of the cake sinking

just one final word or two, try to have the carving in proportion to the cake you don;t want to have the carving or the cake over power each other you want one to compliment the other -- just my two cents worth

hope this helps

eLaine

[Mitchell]

Claude is a VERY wise man...... pay heed to his recommendations.

IF you decide to carve something, I recommend a relatively simple project such as a silouette cut from thin wood and lightly carved for details. You can then add paint for highlights.

You can do this from a photograph fairly easily and it makes the work (and learning) a lot easier.

[pallin]

My lovely bride and I were married in October. We had a cake topper that I carved from basswood. It was made to look like us, two old folks in non-traditional outfits. Here is a link to the photo in my gallery:

http://woodcarvingillustrated.com/ga...couple/cat/all

[tomrsey]

That's great!!! Great idea. Great carving. Great painting. Great occasion. Congratulations!!