There is a long-held tradition of placing real flowers on wedding cakes. In fact, you spend any time on Pinterest looking at wedding cakes, and many brides and grooms will be flooded with images of wedding cakes using real flowers
I don’t use real flowers on the wedding cakes I make, and there are important reasons why I don’t:
- Some Flowers are toxic:: All guidelines on using flowers on cakes have dramatically changed in the past few years, and in the interest of protecting consumers, they are a lot stricter. Many flowers and foliage are toxic or deadly, and as a result should not be anywhere near your wedding cake. You will be absolutely gobsmacked when I tell you what some of these flowers are… as you will see them on loads of images of cakes: Gypsophelia, Ranunculus, Eucalyptus, Ivy, Chrysanthemum, Hydrangeas, and Delphiniums, are all commonly used wedding flowers and foliage, and can often be found on wedding cakes (in the US), but are toxic, and can poison your guests. (insert photos of flowers) I love all my clients, and prefer to not poison them, nor their loved ones, on their special day – it is as simple as that.
- Flowers are sprayed with pesticides: :Even if a flower is not toxic, many have been sprayed with pesticide. Even if I do wrap the stems in clingfilm, and tape, and place them in a flower posy, the petals, covered with pesticide, still touch the cake. I do, however, know of a local bio flower gardener, who grows flowers for food (insert name). They do an amazing job, and produce some beautiful, edible, flowers. I am very happy to use them. However, when it comes to weddings, most people have a theme, a colour scheme and aesthetic in mind. Edible flowers, like any vegetable plot, are dependent on the weather and season, and what is available etc, so to use them for your wedding cake, you need to relinquish all concept of colour and aesthetic, to be able to take what flowers are available to be used the week of your wedding. If that is your style – no problem!
- Flowers fane : Its no secret, we all know it, flowers need water. When they are stuck in a cake, they are deprived of water. It’s a little like your button-hole flowers. They look lovely at the beginning of the day, but by the end of the evening, they can often look like a shrivelled, old, grape. It’s the same with flowers, deprived of water, in cake. Most cakes are cut later in the evening, so just at the moment, when you want to take THAT photo of you and your loved one, cutting the cake, the flowers just look a little bit dead.
Silk Flowers or Sugarpaste flowers will keep for years:: Its always nice to have a souvenir from your wedding. If you decide to use Silk Flowers, or Sugarpaste flowers, they will keep for years. I make most of my flowers from sugarpaste. Yes, it takes time and skill, but the result can be epoustouflant. What better way to make your guests go “wow”, when they realise that the flowers have been handmade from sugarpaste.
Not only that, but you can have any type of flower or foliage on your wedding cake, at any time of year, AND, most importantly, they will not poison one of your loved ones! Here are some sugarpaste flowers I have made:
Many of my clients keep the sugarpaste flowers in a vase after the wedding, or even frame them in a frame box, and as long as they are not in direct sunlight, they will keep for years and years. I have flowers in my workshop which I have had for over 10 years, and I once met someone who still had her sugarflowers from her wedding over 20 years ago! I encourage you to think about how you would keep your sugarpaste flowers as a souvenir.
I am Emma, of Madame Spoons Cake Design, and I have been making wedding cakes professionally since 2021. I pride myself on delivering a high-quality experience with an elegant and refined wedding cake, with handmade sugarpaste flowers, that results in a cake that is not only beautiful to look at, but also delicious to eat. I still have availability for 2024 Weddings, so if you like my style, send me an email to: hello@madamespoons.com with the date or your wedding, and we can set up a meeting to discuss your wonderful day.
