How Far in Advance Should You Order a Custom Cake Topper?

Our Standard Turnaround

Every cake topper we make is handcrafted from foam clay, one at a time, in a home studio rather than a factory. Because of that, our standard turnaround is 3 to 5 business days from the moment your order is confirmed to the moment it ships. That's true whether you're ordering a simple two-figure topper or something more elaborate with several details.

We recommend building in a little extra time on top of that turnaround for shipping, so the topper arrives with days to spare rather than the morning of. We know that can feel like a long wait if you're used to grabbing a plastic topper off a shelf the day before a party, but it's the tradeoff that comes with a piece made entirely by hand rather than pulled from a mold.

Wedding Season Means Longer Waits

If you're planning a wedding, order earlier than you think you need to. Between late spring and early fall, our queue fills up fast, and popular months can push turnaround closer to a week or more. We'd rather tell you now than have you stressing about it two weeks before your big day.

Saturdays in June and September fill up especially fast, so if your date falls on a weekend during peak season, we'd encourage reaching out even earlier than our general guideline below.

• Order 6-8 weeks out if your wedding falls between May and October
• Order 3-4 weeks out for an off-season wedding
• Reach out early if you need design revisions or a color match to your florals

Rush Orders: When They're Possible

Sometimes life happens fast. A proposal comes together in a week, or a birthday party gets planned later than anyone intended. We do accommodate rush orders when our queue allows, but they aren't guaranteed, especially during busy stretches like the holidays or peak wedding season.

If you're in a time crunch, message us before you order. We'll tell you honestly whether we can make your date work, rather than taking your order and hoping for the best. We've pulled off same-week turnarounds more than once for last-minute proposals and surprise parties, so it never hurts to ask what's possible.

Give Yourself Buffer for Shipping

Once your topper ships, standard shipping typically takes a few additional business days depending on where you're located. We package every piece carefully since foam clay, while durable, is still a handmade material that deserves gentle handling in transit.

If your event date is firm, consider requesting expedited shipping so the topper has plenty of time to arrive and be unpacked before the big day.

We box every topper with extra padding around delicate details like wands, crowns, and thin banner pieces, since those are the spots most likely to shift in transit.

A Simple Timeline to Follow

If you're not sure where to start, here's a good rule of thumb for any celebration:

• 6-8 weeks out: weddings and any custom design with lots of detail
• 2-3 weeks out: birthdays, showers, graduations, and most other events
• 1 week or less: message us first to check availability before ordering

When in doubt, ordering early always gives you more room to make changes if your vision shifts. And if your date changes or gets pushed back after you've already ordered, just message us, we're generally happy to adjust as long as we haven't started sculpting yet.