When planning a wedding, one of the biggest mistakes a couple can make is waiting to the last minute to choose a wedding cake topper.

Normally relegated to the bottom of a bride’s checklist, wedding cake toppers should never be an afterthought. For several professional wedding planners, the wedding cake topper holds more importance than any other wedding memento.

While most bridal gowns go into storage and wedding books gather dust inside some drawer, the wedding cake topper has earned the coveted title of “most cherished wedding keepsake.”

Often displayed on bookcases and mantles, wedding cake toppers are often the only wedding memento ever seen by houseguests.

I even know a few married women who’ll privately admit that they’d rather show off their wedding cake topper than their wedding ring. You know who you are.

The increasing diversity of wedding-cake toppers can often leave engaged couples feeling overwhelmed. The new trend has moved away from plastic dolls to custom designed wedding cake toppers using photos of the bride and groom.

In fact, several bakers no longer stock the traditional plastic figurines version of wedding cake toppers.

I’ve even attended a few weddings this past year where the couples opted not to use a wedding cake topper, and instead adorn their cakes with a bouquet of flowers or fresh fruit.

But for the betrothed who dream of nothing but a personalized wedding cake topper, there are plenty of options.

The important thing to consider when choosing a wedding cake topper is weight. Cake and icing are soft, so the heavier wedding cake toppers will need added support in the cake.

If a wedding cake topper does fall over, it can cause a considerable amount of visual damage.

Cake Decorators have been known to charge large sums to fix cake mishaps caused by cake toppers. So, stick with a wedding cake topper that is designed with a low center of gravity!