How to make your own cake toppers using wooden dolls

I finally got around to our cake toppers. I wanted something fun, so I came up with a cute mini versions of us — and our furry baby, of course! Let's not forget the baby.

To show you how it was done, I am going to separate the project in two: the dolls and the base and arch (optional).

What you will need:

• Wooden dolls (can be purchased here or here)
• Acrylic paints
• Fabric for the veil(s)
• Pencil
• Small pointed brush
• Small square brush
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• A little bit of patience
• A steady hand

Select your design: You can customize the design to match you, your fiancé, and even your lovely pet(s).

Mark design: Lightly mark your design on the dolls in pencil. Don't worry, you can erase any mistakes made — I did it a few times. Just make sure you like the design before you move to the next step.

Paint the wooden dolls: You certainly need to work slowly and carefully. Leave that glass of wine until your painting is done. Pour your choice of paint on a plate, remember to wet your brushes first and then dab on some paint. Test the brush before touching the surface of the dolls. Remember to wash your brush before moving onto the next color. Apply a second coat if needed — mine did. Tip: If you happen to paint on the wrong place, dab your brush in water and apply onto the surface you want to clean, then use a paper towel to dry.

Let the dolls dry.

Apply accessories and have fun. Use hot glue to attach them to the dolls. Tip: If you glue that lovely headpiece on the wrong place don't worry, you should be able to easily remove it. Just wait until dried. I speak from experience 😉

Congratulate yourself for the great job done!

The base and arch (optional):
In our case we decided to go with a wooden base of 6″ diameter to match the rest of the décor of our wedding, but there are plenty of other options. In fact, you don't even need a base at all with this type of cake topper.

We went hard tech and used a laser cutter (technology that uses a laser to cut materials) to cut our wooden base, but I recognize not everybody has access to one. If this is your case, you can use a Dremel tool and/or hack saw and some sand paper. Make sure you take the proper safety precautions when managing tools like these.

A variant of this is build the base using a styrofoam disc of your desired diameter, which you can buy at craft stores. Cover the disc with paper or fabric. You can also decorate with ribbons.

Tip: Whatever material you decide to use for the base make sure that it is sturdy enough to hold the toppers but not that heavy that it could potentially weigh down your cake.

Have fun making yours!