Wedding cake toppers have been with us for a long time. In the western world, it's customary for such a cake to be served to the assembled guests at the conclusion of the wedding ceremony. And, usually, at the top of the multi-tiered ceremonial cake, sits a "sculpture", or wedding cake topper, which represents the personalities of the just married couple.

You may hear wedding cake toppers also referred to as Icingtons - so named because they're made of icing sugar. However, you'll find that more modern wedding cake toppers will be made of materials such as crystal, glass, metal, or other long lasting materials.

Traditionally, this "sculpture" is represented in the form of a formal dress attired bride and groom in black tuxedo. But, nowadays, couples have a much more diverse variety of toppers to choose from.

Of the between two and three million weddings that take place every year in the U.S. many couples will take advantage of the many wedding cake topper design choices to show their creativity. The choice of wedding cake toppers is one of the more enduring ways that a couple can express their individuality. The photos of the wedding cake and topper will be forever captured, reminding the couple and their relatives of their beautiful wedding day. And the topper itself will be a keepsake that can be passed down from generation to generation.

One reason that the number of variations of wedding cake toppers has exploded over the years is simply the presence of the Internet. Today, more than 77% of couples planning a wedding will use the Internet to research and purchase some of their wedding ceremonial needs. The Internet gives a couple thousands of more choices to choose from than a couple 10 years ago would have had. And the choices are right at their fingertips.

These days, you can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $1,500 for vintage wedding cake toppers. Of course, custom wedding cake toppers will be more expensive. But considering that this is a very special occasion, a custom or unique wedding topper may be the perfect way to go.

Over 15% of couple's planning weddings today will use the help of a wedding planner or bridal consultant. If this is the case, you can save yourself a lot of work by simply having them bring your wedding cake topper vision to life.

Many couples take the choice of a wedding cake topper as a challenge to their creativity. Some of the more unusual wedding cake toppers involve the inclusion of their favorite pets, sports, movies, hobbies, and so on. At the height of the Star Wars craze, you could find Star Wars wedding cake toppers with the bride shown as Princess Leia and the groom as Hans Solo. Similar themes can be found revolving around the many Star Trek characters.

If the couple loves football or another major sport, a stadium theme can be incorporated into the topper. Or if they are music lovers, the figurines may involve miniature musical instruments and so on. Beach lovers can have fun with an ocean motif at the top of their cake. The bottom line is that with wedding cake toppers, you have free artistic reign to create whatever you want. The only limitation is the skill of the wedding cake design artist that you're working with.

More humorous wedding cake toppers may involve the groom being attached to a "ball and chain", figurines of the bride or groom talking on a cell phone, the bride lassoing the groom, or the couple in a sexy embrace. Let your creativity be your guide.

Basically, your planned wedding will have a certain tone or theme to it. And your wedding cake topper of choice should more or less reflect that theme. The cake topper should not cause a sense of cognitive dissonance with your wedding theme. In other words, if the entire theme of your wedding is respect for tradition, then a humorous wedding topper might be out of place.

Planning a wedding is hard work and takes a lot of time from all involved. But planning a wedding should be part fun as well. Use your choice of a wedding cake topper as a chance to add a touch of your sparking personality to the proceedings. If you do, you'll form lasting memories that will stay with you forever.