9: Top O'the Cake to ya!

So because I am incredibly cool and have so much of a life outside of this wedding (sarcasm alert), I have joined several online communities dedicated solely to wedding planning. These are venues in which women far and wide come to discuss their weddings, to bitch about their future inlaws and to agonize over critical decisions with other brides across the nation (“Should my centerpieces be 37 inches or 25 inches tall? What about their width?”).

There is even a fancy lingo that you must know in order to be accepted as a true bride-to-be planner. Acronyms such as “FH” and “BM” float around these threads and are used without a second thought. For any bride who is considering getting into this line of planning, I will share a guide with you so that you aren’t lost:

FH = Future Husband (just when I figured out how to spell fiancé correctly!)
MOH = this one is pretty straight forward and means Maid of Honor
BM = not what you think, this one means Bridesmaid
BM = confusing huh? This is a contextual one, it could mean Bridesmaid OR it could mean Best Man, pay attention to usage and the pronouns associated with it
GM = Groomsmen
FMIL = Future Mother in Law
FBIL = Future Brother in Law and so on (though every time I see this, my brain automatically names that individual Bill, I just can’t help it.
STD = This is by far the best one for obvious reasons. I mean, seriously, if there was a good reason not to go trough with a wedding, you'd think it'd be that. I saw this one floating around the forums so many times that I wated to get up, go wash my hands and see a doctor. But all was ok my loves because as it turns out, that acronym means Save The Date!

I encourage you to bookmark this and check back frequently for reference. (don’t fall behind).

Here’s one that has stumped me however, and because I don’t want to be seen as a noob (and also because I am too lazy to bother) I haven’t yet asked for clarification about this. Some girls say FI in reference to their FH’s (check the reference guide for a refresher on what FH stands for!). What on Earth does the I represent? I have no idea. Advice anyone?


So the other day I was perusing one of these communities when I saw what is perhaps one of the cutest things of all time ever (and that’s saying a lot because I have seen Ryan (aww) but more accurately, I have this as my desktop picture):



What did I find that could possibly top that?

The answer, my loves, is handmade cake-toppers that are designed to look like the bride and groom.

Yes, you read that right, your eyes are not deceiving you, something THAT CUTE does exist. And it is because of the fact that I have very little life outside of these wedding communities and the internet that I was able to find them. Thank God.

These cake toppers are done by Nicole Clark, an artist who I believe is working out of Ontario. She is amazing and can even include pets in the cake-toppers for a small additional fee. Our birds, for example, would only cost $5 extra per bird, a price that I consider to be quite the bargain (and which is only a mere 8.33333% of what we spent per bird in the first place when we bought them).

I emailed her an excited and enthusiastic message last night praising her work and asking for more information. Afterwards, I literally fell asleep with visions of mini-Groom Ryan and mini-Bride me standing atop our cake.

My dreams came true this morning when I awoke to a friendly email from Nicole in my inbox. She explained the procedure and assured me that I am not, in fact, emailing her too soon because she is booked through March of 2008. This made me proud of myself for being ahead of the game and being able to snag her services before she is booked. (Not to mention that I am more than a little excited to brag about this in my own post in the planning community; brides with weddings before March 08 shall turn green in their pretty white gowns with the envy they feel when they see my precious cake toppers).

Now, somehow (and the reason for this eludes me completely), not everyone shared my total enthusiasm for this part of the process at first. For example, this morning while visiting my parents, I asked my father if he wanted to see the cake toppers. He replied instantly and almost without hesitation a brisk and firm “No.” and then quickly tried to leave the room. After a whine and a bribe (on my part), I was able to convince him to come take a look. Cuteness prevailed my friends because at first sight, my father was swayed.

With a laugh he commented on how cute they truly were.

He then asked me if we were going to have versions of he and my mother made for the cake as well – aren’t we a family after all? What about his two dogs?

Clearly this was the part of the process where I ended the conversation.

Nevertheless, the point is that we have found our future cake toppers and I can cross another crucial item off of the list in my massive bridal planner (where is that thing anyway?). I know that you will all rest easier with the knowledge that I will not have a barren and depressing wasteland of a cake top at my wedding.

So with that I venture off to another day of working and planning and never fear, I will keep you all updated. I know how anxiously you await the next portion of this journey.

love and cake-toppers (is there a difference?),

Rhian