Sculpting Custom Wedding Toppers: A Special Commission
Posted by Mary in 
Since I’m just starting out with this portfolio site and blog, I figured I’d write about some of the projects I’ve posted so far and the process that went into making them. I’ve done a lot of small sculpture work in the last few years, but I feel that one project in particular really stands out among my recent work: matching figures created for a couple to use as wedding cake toppers on their special day.
The clients approached me a month before their wedding to ask if I could create toppers for their wedding cake. I’d already discussed the possibility with the clients earlier in the year, so the official commission was not entirely unexpected, but the deadline given definitely presented a challenge. I’d just finished up some other projects and knew I could fit it into my schedule if I worked diligently, so I accepted the commission.
The bride, also an artist, gave me some concepts to work from in creating the toppers. The images she gave me depicted figures in the likeness of herself and the groom seated on top of a tiger and a lion respectively. They were to be made to fit on the top layer of the cake, which was to be 6″ in diameter.
Concept images by Angrboda.
Over the course of the month leading up to the wedding, I worked on the toppers and presented several checkpoints to the clients, each of which were approved in turn. I made the figures on a paper base cut to the size of the top layer of the clients’ cake to make sure they ended up the right size, and I kept the provided concept images on hand to match both the look and feel imagined by the clients.
The figures were ultimately finished and delivered on time. They delighted both the couple and their guests at the wedding – I even received a few comments after the event about my work. It was wonderful to hear that something I made added to such a special day in my clients’ lives!
These wedding toppers were the largest sculpted project I’d ever taken on at the time, and completing them for a tight deadline was no small feat. Even so, I knew I was up to the task and was proud to present a finished product that matched the client’s vision. The figures not only lent a personal touch to the clients’ wedding but will continue to be treasured as keepsakes and reminders of that day.