She Collects The Other Bride and Groom At The Wedding

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Judith's introduction to wedding toppers began several years ago when she picked up a German Bisque bride and groom from the early 1930s in an antique shop. Pretty soon, she says, she bought "another one and another one."

The oldest one she has is from 1868 (she verified the time period from an old confectioner's catalog), and she bought it on eBay. "It's made out of sugar paste, and shows a cupid standing at a forge, foraging two hearts together. It also has a horseshoe with gold leaf lettering that says 'Good Luck.'"

According to Judith, the tradition of topping wedding cakes with figurines began in England. Floral wedding toppers have been the fashion for about the last 20 years, but now, the bride and groom are back in style. Older wedding toppers are made out of sugar paste, plaster, fondant, or chalk. Newer ones are made out of plastic.

"I love all my 'little people,'" Judith says. "I often wonder where they were, what happened to the marriages, and how come nobody wanted these - although I am glad they didn't."

What is her most unusual topper? "It's amazing how many different types there are," she says. "An unusual one is a bride and groom on a Harley motorcycle. It is contemporary, but very different. I also have several military ones from WWII that are hard to find."

In addition to wedding toppers, Judith has 50 vintage wedding gowns (her oldest is from the mid-1800s). The wedding dresses are so small (most are a Size 0), that Judith has a problem finding mannequins that are small enough on which to display the dresses. Her collection also includes wedding ephemera (photographs, invitations, and other paper collectibles), silk embroidered wedding nylons, lace hankies, men's embroidered suspenders, menus, wedding fans, marriage licenses, engagement books, gloves, wax bridal tiaras from the turn of the century, and just about anything associated with a wedding. "You name it, I got it," she says.

"One of my favorite things is a pre-nuptial agreement from 1824 that I found on eBay," she continued. "This was the woman's second marriage, and she wanted to protect her property in Ohio and Indiana for her children."

Judith's wedding museum, which houses her collection, is located inside of Ellie's Dream, a Victoriana antique shop in Cambria. "People love seeing these things," she says. "The items recall a lot of good memories. They look at the wedding toppers and say to each other 'I wonder what happened to ours.'"