In honor of the new Star Trek movie, I have to let my geek flag fly and feature one Star Trek wedding cake and one Star Trek wedding cake topper that reader and friend oh_chris found on Cake Wrecks. While The Beard and I chose not to include the United Federation of Planets or Star Fleet in our nuptials, I can’t fault those who do because I harbor my own sci-fi fetishes (as does Twistie, I happen to know).

I especially like how nice a job the cake maker did with the Star Trek communicator tier. Sometimes themed cakes are done in such a slipshod way that you have to ask yourself why the baker even bothered to do anything other than stick a few of those pre-fab sugar thingies on. I’m guessing that the cake designer is a trekkie (or trekker, if you like) and was plenty pleased at that particular commission.

Though I’m not the world’s biggest wedding cake topper fan, since most of them are kind of cliched, but I have to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for original cake toppers, a la yesterday’s robot wedding cake toppers. So when I came across this DIY wedding cake topper kit from Goose Grease, I was at first smitten. It is, after all, only $8!

But then I started asking myself whether the individual components would be even less expensive and how well the toppers would turn out if the painter was less than painterly.

The seller will whip some up for you for $40, but honestly, I think I could do almost as good a job. YMMV where that is concerned. All in all, I like (not love or hate) the DIY wedding cake topper idea, but I have to wonder about the execution when one is using the above kit.

What say you?

Aren’t these cake toppers from The Builders Studio rad?

There are all kinds of cake toppers in the crafter’s Etsy shop, from elegant robots to secret agent robots to “Sky Captain Airplane Robot and Sexy Bride Bot Queen.” The only thing I did see was gay robot wedding cake toppers, but custom orders are accepted so it’s up to our homosexual brothers and sisters in matrimony to get the trend going!

Most of the time I focus on cake topper hate, just because I’m not a fan of the little generic plastic brides and grooms that come in flavors like white, slightly less white, and brown. But I can’t get enough of cake toppers that aren’t wedding cake toppers at all, but rather figurines or toy cars or some other thing that sums up the bride and groom in a quick, sweet way. A bunch of you ladies (and at least one gent) sent me the link to this traditional wedding cake with its most nontraditional cake topper of two daleks. (The red dalek is apparently the bride dalek.) Awesome, no?

Let that be a lesson to all the brides and grooms out there: Never let tradition dictate what, if anything, you put on your wedding cake — your wedding cake will be all the sweeter for being a reflection of you and your sweetie.

Photo by FrozenCapybara

I usually poo-poo most wedding cake toppers, but these handmade cake toppers created by Jennifer Murphy are just too cute.

From birds to bunnies, her wedding cake toppers are pricey, but you’re not going to see them duplicated on your best friend’s wedding cake six months down the road. Unless, that is, she loves your topper so much that she just has to order one for herself.

If these tickle your fancy and fit into your wedding budget, check out Murphy’s web site.

Can we talk about something? Yeah, this cake jewelry thing…I have to say that I’m not so sure about it. I mean, I’m down with brides wearing as many jewels as they can fit on themselves, so long as they like it and can afford it. That’s cool by me. I didn’t do it and probably wouldn’t, but that’s a very personal choice and I absolutely support those who choose a different path than I did.

But cake jewelry. Jewelry for cakes. Actual pieces of metal and crystal on cakes.

Okay, as a cake topper, that’s fine. Again, not my choice, but not a problem. Everyone expects a cake topper to come off the cake, and most couples just take the top tier (where the topper resides) away and save it for later, anyway. I’m fine with making that topper whatever the hell you like. Put a crown on top. It’s cool.

Even the ones done as picks, while I’m still not exactly wild about them, I can accept. It’s clear that they’re to be removed before eating and they’re really easy to see, and pulling them out doesn’t make a mess or really harm the look of the cake before it’s sliced. I’m thinking about something like this:

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I have a deep love for couples who take the time to really craft weddings that will be meaningful to them in some special way. Whether they stick with time-honored traditions because they love and believe in them or strike out into new territory by rejecting or adapting traditions that don’t suit them, they make the wedding fit them to a tee.

And that’s why I have to sort of love this wedding cake:

According to the article, this couple chose to have a superhero wedding. Why? Because they love comic books and superheroes. The groom wore a green tie and the bride a green sash to signify their mutual love of The Hulk as well as of each other. Standing next to The Hulk atop their wedding cake is Wonder Woman.

Okay, so I wouldn’t have wanted a bright green cake with The Hulk standing on top of it, but it seems to have worked for them.

Speaking of weddings that seem to have worked for the couple involved, here’s an article about a British couple who got married at work…in a grocery store.

As I said, these weddings are not for everyone. The important thing to take away is that there’s plenty of room for imagination and personal expression when you’re planning your wedding. Feel free to choose a theme that’s not exactly standard, an unusual setting, less than traditional vows, or an unexpected form of decoration.

After all, it’s your wedding. You should be clearly visible in it.