The origin of the very first wedding cake topper dates back to the mid 1800s and were made out of simple materials such as paper, plaster, and wood. As cake toppers grew in popular early in the 20th century starting around the 1920s, they became commercially made products as opposed to the handcrafted pieces done by someone close to the bride or groom, and styles, designs and the materials used to create them grew in leaps and bounds.

Instead of the variety of simple poses couples were used to seeing, now they began having a real choice when it came to cake toppers, allowing them to better personalize this most special day.

Choosing a wedding cake topper may not at first seem like that difficult of a task in comparison to planning the rest of the wedding. However, when you factor in the incredible amount of choices to pick from, many couples often report having difficulty trying to decide on one particular type over another.

The first few things to consider are the size of the cake and its design, the overall theme of the wedding, and of course, the personal tastes of both the bride and groom. It helps if the couple are both interested in a certain hobby or recreational activity for specifically themed toppers, otherwise, choose from a variety of well known characters as well as larger items such as gazebos, castles, lighthouses, crosses, roses, doves, cherubs, and hearts.

- Edible: For those who aren't overly concerned with saving the cake topper, edible toppers can be enjoyed with the cake, or even saved and preserved along with the first piece.

- Ethnic: Pay tribute to your ethnicity by choosing a cake topper that reflects your heritage in some way. Besides African American, Asian, Latin, and Caucasian toppers, there are also those that feature biracial couples making it simple to ensure the cake truly reflects the bride and groom.

- Monogrammed: Instead of bride and groom figurines, some couples are opting for monogrammed cake toppers, using their three initials crafted from mediums such as plastics, silver, gold, crystals, and glass.

- Personal Interests: Consider your hobbies, likes and dislikes when trying to choose from the incredible number of cake toppers available. Interests such as sports, the outdoors, music, dancing, the arts, and animals and wildlife are just a few to consider.

- Seasonal: Seasonal themed weddings make it simple to choose a matching topper for the cake. For autumn weddings, choose from toppers featuring colorful leaves and trees, while winter weddings are perfect for snowflakes and sparkling designs, and flowers for spring and summer.

- Traditional: When all else fails, there are always a large number of traditional wedding cake toppers to choose from. Some of the choices you'll have to pick from are hair and skin color, tuxedo color, dress style, and poses. For the simple, understated cake, traditional toppers are a great choice as they blend in well with many different designs.

- Humorous: Funny wedding cake toppers are becoming more and more popular and are a great way to get big smiles from all the guests. Some humorous toppers feature the bride "dragging" the groom by the foot, or have the bride and groom pieces separate, with the man being placed on another layer as if trying to escape.

With the wide choice of wedding toppers available, there is sure to be something appropriate for your special day which will make your top table look great. Now enjoy the cake!