Wedding Planning|Wedding Planning & Wedding Advice

This is the second installment in a two part series about monogrammed items for weddings.

Last time we featured wedding cake toppers and provided you with some guidelines and etiquette for creating a monogram (Monograms Part 1: Let Me Spell It Out For You).

Today we feature everything else wedding-related you might want to monogram…

Wedding Invitations

Here is a wonderful example of modern monogramming on a wedding invitation, one of many amazing creations by Kate at weddinginvitationdesigner.com. (This is an example of one of my favorite wedding color schemes, too, by the way.)

weddinginvitationdesigner.com

Here is a another invitation that caught my eye – you can order it online and customize the colors to match your wedding theme. I have a weakness for cherry blossoms when it comes to weddings…

urbanitystudios.com

Cake Decorations

Monograms can be right on the cake rather than placed on the top layer as a wedding cake topper. Look closely at the cake below to see the monogram piped on to the second layer for an understated, yet personal touch.

ritzoflasvegas.com

Cookies, Cupcakes

Everyone knows I can’t resist a cookie, and these custom colored cake cookies are so cute I feel like getting married all over again.

beatricegiftservices.com

These cookies come individually wrapped in their own fancy box and can be ordered in various shapes and color. They look good enough to eat!

cookiesandcrumbs.com

The Cookie That Really Takes The Cake

Check out this lovely wedding cake and cookie combo by Melissa a blogger who also makes custom cakes and cookies (check out her site thegoodapple.blogspot.com – her work is right up there with those reality TV cake shows if you ask me!).

thegoodapple.blogspot.com

Cupcake Toppers

Here is another sweet idea – monogrammed cupcake toppers handmade by Etsy seller lilbooandco –  you get to pick all of the details for the design (monogram, color, circle, square, scallop, flower, etc).

etsy.com

Another option for wedding cupcakes: a monogrammed cupcake wrapper.

paperorchidstationery.com

This is the first in a two part series about monogrammed items for weddings.

Today we feature wedding cake toppers in the monogram style.

How Do Monograms Work?

Here are some guidelines for how to create a monogram for you and your fiance(e). The bride and groom should decide what letters will make up their monogram, and it is proper etiquette for others to ask before having any gifts or wedding items monogrammed.

3 Letter Style

Traditionally the middle letter is the first letter of the groom’s last name. The letters go in the following order: first letter of wife’s first name, first letter of groom’s last name, first letter of groom’s first name. For example, if John Smith and Roberta Aster marry, their monogram would be RSJ.

1 Letter Style

The letter used here would be the shared last name of the married couple (if appropriate). For example, if John Smith and Roberta Aster marry, their monogram would be S.

topperswithglitz.com

4 Letter Style

This style works for blended last names (for example brides who will hyphenate their last names or just keep their original last name). For example, if John Smith and Roberta Aster marry, their monogram would be RSAJ (first letter bride’s first name, first letter bride’s last name, first letter groom’s last name, first letter groom’s first name).

2 Letter Style

This is another option for blended last names, where you just use the first letter of each last name (beginning with the bride’s last name). In the example above, this monogram would be S-A.

shopbakersnook.com

Ampersand Style

For a more contemporary and less formal look you might choose to use an ampersand (that’s the ‘and’ symbol). In this case, you use the first letter of both first names (example: Roberta and John turns into R&J)

Heart Style

Another fun look – connect the two first names with a heart (example:  Roberta hearts John)

beau-coup.com

Last Names – Other Guidelines

Last names that start with an apostrophe or Mc (examples: O’Reagan or McDonald) still use the very first letter (in these examples: “O” and “M”).

Simply Elegant

Here is the classic monogram style for a cake topper. This style will work well with an ornately decorated cake. It would also suit an overall simple, understated look too if that is what you’re aiming for.

weddingfavours.ca

Classy Glassy

This engraved glass cake topper becomes a keepsake for your china cabinet after the event.

stellarglass.com

Crystal Clear

A sophisticated version of the Swarovski crystal monogram cake topper, available in a highly polished gold or silver finish.

weddingaccessories.net

Or glam on the glitz with a glittery Swarovski version like the one below (available in all of the colors of the rainbow).

beau-coup.com

A topper with Swarovski accents is a nice look, too.

beau-coup.com

White Wedding

Another simple look that is surprisingly effective – white letters.

goodthingsweddingfavors.com

Modern Bride

These silver-tone metal toppers are perfect for the couples who are anything but old-fashioned.

stuartscreations.com

stuartscreations.com

I was recently in a candy store that had an old collection of PEZ dispensers on display and saw a PEZ version of a bride and groom, which I thought would make an excellent wedding cake topper for the couple with a sweet tooth.

Here is an example of a bride and groom PEZ couple.

Good luck getting this one on your cake, the original sells for about $3500 now according to an article at money.cnn.com.

You can get re-issues of this PEZ design – check ebay or pezcollectors.com – as of writing this article they both had a set available for around $20.00.

In fact an entire sweet theme, would be kind of – well, sweet.

Set up a candy station

You can select candies that match your wedding colors and let guests fill up their own goodie bags as tasty wedding favors!

Visit ohnuts.com for great tips for how to set up your own candy station.

ohnuts.com

Personalized Sweets

An Australian company will make you personalized candy (the candy below says Ben ‘hearts’ Renee).

sticky.com.au

Or use candy as the centerpieces for your tables instead of flowers

www.wanderfuls.com

Check out this candy wedding cake

The perfect foundation for a sweet wedding cake topper, from the very talented people at Cakelava. Check out their blog for a taste of all the great cakes they make!

Favor everyone with a kiss

Another wedding favor idea – a large Hershey’s Kiss at each place setting. At under 30 dollars for eighteen kisses, this is a very affordable wedding favor.

candywarehouse.com

Another option from Hershey’s…

wrappedhersheys.com

Gifts for the wedding party

Dylan’s Candy Bar has yummy jewelry at their online store. Here are just two examples to whet your appetite.

dylanscandybar.com

dylanscandybar.com

It all started with a previous post, “Fairy Tale Weddings Part 2” and this image of a wedding cake topper of a bride and groom on a tandem bike:

Since then, I’ve received so many questions about where to buy this tandem bicycle wedding cake topper! The problem is, while I found the image in a few different places online – no one had credited it with a source so I have no idea where you can buy one! I just tried again and still, no luck, but I did find some appealing alternatives:

Vintage Style

This bicycle built for two is handmade in France. It is only 2.5″ tall so may not be appropriate for all cakes (it would still make a great gift if the newlyweds are bicycle enthusiasts). You can purchase it online at fancyflours.com (based out of Montana).

fancyflours.com

Motorcycle

For motorcycle enthusiasts, a hand painted porcelain topper:

weddingdesigner.com

Personalized

You can order personalized figurines to top your cake from magicmud.com (based out of Toronto, Canada). These wedding cake toppers can include lots of details unique to the wedding couple, including pets.

magicmud.com

Happy Trails

For the mountain biking couple, you can buy this cake topper at ebay (for the next 23 days). If it’s not still there, contact the seller (maybe she has more?).

Built For Two, Just For You

I have also found an Etsy member who will build you a custom made tandem bicycle like the one below. You can contact her through her Etsy store.

qtiff at etsy

Inspiration

If you’d like to incorporate your love for pedals, spokes, and all things bicycle into your wedding – I have found some great examples during my search for the elusive wedding cake topper…

Go to “Handmade Weddings: A Last-Minute Article About My Last-Minute Wedding” for details about two Etsy employees who celebrate their wedding surrounded by friends, bicycles, and paper airplanes.

etsy.com

Or, read “A Handmade American Wedding” - writer Katie’s account of her sister’s wedding. The couple saved up all summer to buy a tandem bike as their wedding gift to each other – and used it to get from the church to the reception!

www.makingthishome.com

Related articles

• Unique Cake Topper Is The New Trend For Cakes Now | Cook Kit (cookkit.net)
• “Unveiling Weddings” Book Launches (myweddingideas.net)
• Amazing Theme Cakes (bizarrebytes.com)
• Getting Our Birds in a Row (weddingbee.com)
• Tips to Personalize Your Wedding (myweddingideas.net)

Other Takes on the Wedding Cake

Before I actually began planning my wedding I had all sorts of exciting ideas for wedding cakes (or substitutes thereof). However, when it came down to it I decided to go with a traditional tiered cake – a decision based on my plans to only get married once so I figured it would be my only chance to do it the traditional way. Should things not work out, here are some of the options I had considered and might go with the next time around (just kidding, honey!).

These  cake alternatives would also be wonderful for an engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, or stag/stagette.

For the Hostess With the Mostest

I love this idea – it’s cute, it’s fun and it’s made up of some of my favorite treats! The cake pictured below was crafted by Phil Delaplane, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America (and, incidentally, also the groom!).

hostesscakes.com

This type of cake would also work well with a cartoonish or funny cake topper. Here are two that I think would work very well, both from weddingstar.com.

weddingstar.com

A Cheeky Topper

"The Love Pinch" weddingstar.com

The Cupcake Cake

This choice is actually becoming very popular. It’s great because it’s self-serve!

Some couples have both – a traditional cake as well as a tiered cupcake tower.

affordableutahweddings.com

Flowers are a great wedding cake topper for a cupcake wedding cake. I also like this option from topperswithglitz.com.

Modern Monogram from topperswithglitz.com

The cupcakes can also double as wedding favors as well if you supply something to take the cake home in, like this large gold frosted to go box – the perfect size for a single cupcake.

alloccasionsgiftware.com

And if you’re wondering where the saying that something “takes the cake” comes from, check out this explanation from phrases.org.uk:

As early as the 5th century BC the Greeks used ‘take the cake’ as symbolic of a prize for a victory. In 420 BC the Greek Aristophanes wrote ‘The Knights’, which was a criticism of the powerful Athenian politician Cleon:  ”If you surpass him in impudence the cake is ours.”

The same site also talks about the American tradition of:

…cake-walk strutting competitions [where] couples would be judged on their style in the ‘cake-walk’. The winners were said to have ‘taken the cake’, which was often the prize.