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Every celebration needs a cake, especially a wedding, and adding flowers just takes it to that next level. Every cake artist has a different style, and different preferences when working with flowers, just like every florist will have a different style.
So what are your options?
Fresh flowers are one of my favourite forms of cake decorating - there are so many different looks and styles that can be achieved by adding fresh or dried flowers and foliage! It’s so easy to match your cake to your wedding theme and bridal bouquets, or create a stunning masterpiece that stands out on its own.
It's important to know that many fresh flowers are not edible, and can actually be poisonous, and for those that might be safe, if they’ve been grown commercially, they may have been sprayed with chemicals such as pesticides. But don’t let that put you off - there are lots of safe options available!
Fully edible flowers
Some growers specialise in edible, organically grown flowers that are a great choice for a rustic, relaxed wedding vibe. These flowers will have been grown specifically for consumption, and are completely safe for your cake with no prior preparation.
Beautiful, food safe flowers include roses, calendulas, nasturtiums, hibiscus, and violets, as well as herbs like rosemary, thyme, and chamomile.
Flowers that aren’t edible but would be safe on your cake include carnations, Queen Anne’s lace, primroses, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, day lilies, peonies, freesias, gerberas, marigolds and cornflowers.
Please don’t worry about this - your florist and cake artist will be well-versed in using fresh flowers on cakes, and will be able to make non-toxic flowers food-safe by wrapping and dipping the stems, so no contaminants can get into your delicious cake!
Silk flowers are a great alternative to fresh flowers, without having to worry about contaminating your cake!
Your cake artist will still wrap and dip these flowers as they would fresh flowers to make sure everything is food safe.
There are some incredibly realistic silk flowers available, especially roses, and you often can't tell the difference between these and real flowers. Silk flowers are a great option if the flowers you want are out of season - peonies are a prime example of this - they only bloom for a few weeks of the year but are such an amazing flower and perfect for weddings.
Dried flowers are a great addition to fresh
or silk flower decoration - they add a lovely romantic softness to the flowers, and can come in all kinds of colours, perfect to complement your style and theme.
Sugar flowers are the epitome of wedding cake making skill - they are stunningly realistic works of art made from sugar paste. They are completely edible, although they tend to be pretty hard, and they will keep for a LONG time, which means you could have them as a keepsake for many years to come.
Sugar flowers are more expensive than fresh or silk flowers, because of the level of skill and the time required to make them. Unlike fresh flowers, they won't wilt, they are never out of season, and they are completely customisable - if you want to add a fully gold rose, you absolutely can!
So how do you decide what's right for you?
Personal preference is the initial thing to think about - some people don't like the look of sugar flowers, or silk flowers, and that is absolutely fine!
Cost is also a factor in your decision - think carefully about your budget, and how you can use it most effectively to make your cake stand out.
Style should also be something to think about - if you have your heart set on peonies but you're getting married in January, it's definitely worth thinking about sugar or silk flowers.
The most important thing is that it is right for you - this is your day, so let's make it perfect!
As ever, I’m always here to answer questions and chat some more - just pop a comment below!
Happy wedding planning!
Miss Helen x