FROM the familiar married couple statue to icing figurines, wedding cake toppers are an important part of anyone’s big day.

But technology expert Steven Dey offered his friends Emily and Carl Osgathorp something extra special as a gift – their own ‘3D selfies.’ Thanks to a scanner, homemade for £250, and a 3D printer, bought for £1,200, the newly-weds had themselves displayed in miniature on top of their cake at their Blenheim Palace reception on Saturday, January 11.

Sales manager Mr Osgathorp and his wife, who have four children between them: Frankie, 15, Charlie, 12, Freddie, three, and Eliza, one, tied the knot at St Peter’s Church in Cassington after meeting five years ago.

Mother-of-four Mrs Osgathorp (née Johns), from Cassington, told the Oxford Mail: “He said to me wouldn’t it be cool if you could have a little 3D version of you and Carl?

“It was great. When it was on the cake everybody was like: ‘Oh, my God’ that is you. It was so instantly recognisable that it was us.”

Mrs Osgathorp, a marketing manager at Cannelle Beauty in Summertown, Oxford, added that the 90 guests who attended the wedding were impressed and said: “I don’t think anybody has had themselves on their wedding cake in the UK before.”

It took just 20 seconds to scan the couple and two hours to print their miniature copies in plastic.

Mr Dey, 47, from Cassington, said he created his scanner using the same technology as the X-Box Kinect and a motorised turntable.

He bought a 3D printer kit and constructed it himself and it is set up in his living room.

The object that will be printed is scanned into a computer, which communicates with the printer.

The printer prints in 0.1mm thick plastic threads in layers to create the 3D object.

Mr Dey, who is father to Joban, five, and Tara, three, said: “I did it for fun.

“There is an interest in 3D selfies. After doing my friends and their kids, other people have started asking for it.

“Doing 3D selfies is a new thing. There are not many places in the world doing it.

“I haven’t seen anywhere in the UK doing cake toppers.”

Of the wedding cake topper, Mr Dey, who attended the wedding, added: “It caused quite a stir. I guess it is something a lot of people haven’t seen.”

Mr Dey’s wife Nav, 35, said: “This is absolutely cutting edge, which people in Oxfordshire are pretty lucky to have. Pretty much anyone can be scanned and printed.”

Mr Dey is now pursuing 3D printing as a business and he believes it can prove useful in a variety of situations.

He said that he helped a friend, who had broken a screw on his lamp and could not find a replacement, by using 3D printing.

Mr Dey said: “He gave me the broken plastic screw and I 3D printed it for him and it fitted perfectly.”

s For more information about the technique, call Nav on 01865 882 487 or email sales@thinksee3D.com