Flowers have the power to transform any gloomy space into something cheery and welcoming. It is no wonder that these beautiful elements of nature have a prominent place in weddings, and are found everywhere from bouquets and centerpieces to bridal hairdos and wedding cakes.
Wedding cakes decorated with real flowers have an endearing charm. It is an easy way to match your wedding cake to the rest of your wedding theme. So, here we will look at all that you need to know about wedding cake flowers and how you can use them to make your delicious wedding dessert look fantastic.
How to choose the flowers
There are basically two ways in which you can use flowers for cake displays—crystallized or freshly picked. Master cake maker, Fiona Cairns, who is famous for decorating Prince William and Kate’s wedding cake, says that crystallized flowers can be used on cakes to create masterpieces. In this article on the Daily Mail, Cairns suggests using edible blooms such as rose, pansies and lavender and leaves like mint and sweet geranium for crystallized decorations. These can be crystallized with a sugar and egg white coating well ahead of the wedding day, and will not spoil.
When using fresh flowers, the decoration should be done just hours before serving, as they can wilt. Here are the list of factors you have to consider when choosing them.
- It is important to ensure that the flowers used are not toxic and haven’t been sprayed with pesticide.
- It isn’t necessary to decorate your cake with only edible flowers. You can also use non-edible flowers for decoration, but make sure that these are removed before serving.
- If a flower is edible, you can serve it to your guests and leave it to them to decide whether they want to try it or not.
- Choose flowers that do not wilt easily, especially if your wedding venue is warm.
Things to remember when using flowers as your cake decoration
The best person to guide you on which flowers are suitable for cake decorations, is your florist. Ask your wedding florist to thoroughly clean each and every flower which will be used on your cake.
If you want the beauty of the blooms on your wedding cake, but are worried about how hygienic it will be, choose a cake design with tiers that are separated and flowers placed between these tiers, so it doesn’t touch the cake.
There are various arrangements you can consider for your floral wedding cake. These include, but are not limited to the following:
An arrangement on the top tier alone, where a spell of colorful blooms will occupy the center. They can be placed on a divider that separates them from the frosting.
Bright colorful flowers that richly deck the layers of the cake. This can be done with the same flowers or a multitude of varieties, depending on the theme.
Small flower arrangements at different locations and also on the edges to add a pop of color.
For more spectacular cakes with floral accents in both fresh and candied versions, take a look at our cake gallery on Best for Bride.
