We do more than just wedding cake toppers here at http://www.creationmetals.com We also can make custom toppers for Birthday cakes, Anniversary cakes, Graduation cakes and on and on. Ask us about cutting custom letters out of metal, wood, or acrylic for you. Your imagination is our only boundary. Here is a link that might be useful: Creation Metals

I did wedding cakes for 25 years but one of the neatest ideas I suggested to a gal who was on a VERY tight budget was this: I baked a 2 tier cake for her & the groom to cut-a small 10" with 6" top tier on seperator posts, for the cake table. Then for the guests-(she had 100 guests seated at 10 tables-) she purchased 10 8" double layer cakes from the grocery bakery-all simply iced and a top & bottom border. She paid about $6 per cake. She borrowed 10 pedestal cake plates from friends & family and placed one cake on each table-and she added a small fresh rose (fully opened-not a bud), w/baby's breath in a flower vial (bought at a florist shop) & put in the center of each cake. By adding a little greenery at the cake plate base and a few rose petals scattered around each plate-it completed a nice table presentation.Each guest table could cut their own cake-they loved the novel idea! Got away with the entire thing for around $100. The caterers provided the cake plates, serving knives, etc. for each table.

Plectrudis (viridiflora), I am surprised that you were told it wouldn't do well in the heat. Ralph who bred this rose lived about 45 miles south of me. While I am a tad bit hotter than he was in the summer, our temps are still like the surface of the sun on a summer day. That goes on for weeks on end and it may cool off at night to the 80's or so for about three seconds (give or take). Right now, mid February it is 80 degrees here! A bit unusual but seems to be the trend for the past couple of years. I had to wait about 6--9 months to get my rose on its own root from Burling. I then had it in a pot for over another year before I finally put it in the ground. It wasn't much more than three twigs at that point. I am glad that Burling told me it takes a very long time to develop on its own root. It has been in the ground for a year now. It is about a foot to a foot and a half tall. Slow is the operative word but I am still glad to be blessed with three of them. Here's hoping they will double in size this year. Third year, they should start to leap (keeping fingers crossed). Also, since the flowers last so long on the "bush", it is rarely without flowers even in our heat. Flowers in the heat last about a week and when it is cooler, about two weeks. A long time for a rose bush. I am glad to know there are others who want and like this unusual rose.

I am very happy to be able to share this special experience with all of you. Sara-Ann, I definitely had Mother Nature on my side to produce 300 perfect blooms from 35 bushes on the day I wanted them. Even though I did put a lot of planning into this, if it has been much warmer or colder or windier I am sure it would have been very different. I couldn't have hoped for any better weather the last few weeks. I feel like a blessed gardener!