I've tried searching for the answer because I'm sure this question has been asked time and time again but I can't seem to find the info I need.
I am doing a wedding cake for a family member and she's given me a bunch of silk flowers to put onto it. I've created a topper that has a base and will sit on top of the cake with no issues. The part I'm not sure how to do is the rest of the flowers. She would like flowers cascading down from the top at an angle to the bottom of the cake. How to I attach these flowers? I'm leary of just poking them directly into the cake (even though they've been washed) because there is wire in the stems and I don't know if it contains lead or not. I've done small clusters of flowers at the base of tiers and used straws to put the stems in but it just seems like a whole lot of straws to get the fullness she wants. Any suggestions?
You could wire them all together into a cascade and then just use wires inserted in straws at different points along the cascade to attach it to the cake. It's really tricky to make a big gumpaste flower cascade, but silk should be much easier to wire together (don't have to worry about the flowers breaking as much).
She wants the flowers to cascade down the front of the cake so doing one level at a time doesn't seem like it would work. I'll try to attach a picture she liked.
One of the cascading wedding cakes in my photo's (blue & purple) is made from taping together 4 or 5 roses plus leaves and making floral picks out of them. I think it worked well. I just bent the flowers around a little until I got the fullness I wanted. You can see some of the extra picks around the base of the fountain. Oh yeah.... I used drinking straws so the wires didn't touch the cake.
One of the cascading wedding cakes in my photo's (blue & purple) is made from taping together 4 or 5 roses plus leaves and making floral picks out of them. I think it worked well. I just bent the flowers around a little until I got the fullness I wanted. You can see some of the extra picks around the base of the fountain. Oh yeah.... I used drinking straws so the wires didn't touch the cake.
Thanks for the tip, your cakes are lovely! I was looking at your Autumn Wedding cake and the way your flowers/leaves cascade is pretty close to what she wanted. I realize you did yours out of gumpaste, but did you wire a cascade for those too? Or were you able to carefully place them on top of the fondant?
This cake is vexing me! When she first described what she wanted I was all excited because fall is my favorite season. All the pictures she gave me were along the lines of the colors you have in your Autumn cake. Then I asked her to send me a paint chip of the color she wanted and she sent me three very orange samples to go with her already orange/red/yellow fall colored silk flowers she gave me. I did up a sample with an extra 6" I had baked but broken. I think it's growing on me but it's still not the colors I would have chosen.
Perhaps some can advice on this route.....I've read on here that some just dip the wires into chocolate and after it has hardened into a shell over the wire, just poke into the cake. It that kosher?
Perhaps some can advice on this route.....I've read on here that some just dip the wires into chocolate and after it has hardened into a shell over the wire, just poke into the cake. It that kosher?
That's what I'm planning to do with the gumpaste stars that I'm putting on a cake later today. I'll let you know how well it works 
Perhaps some can advice on this route.....I've read on here that some just dip the wires into chocolate and after it has hardened into a shell over the wire, just poke into the cake. It that kosher?
I don't know if it's Kosher but after wrestling with these things I think I'm going to go this route! Thank you for suggesting it. The pics are coated in plastic and I've washed those. It was the raw end where I'll trim them that had me worried (exposed wire). I was trying to figure out how to cover them, chocolate will work!
Happy now. 
One of the cascading wedding cakes in my photo's (blue & purple) is made from taping together 4 or 5 roses plus leaves and making floral picks out of them. I think it worked well. I just bent the flowers around a little until I got the fullness I wanted. You can see some of the extra picks around the base of the fountain. Oh yeah.... I used drinking straws so the wires didn't touch the cake.
I was looking at your Autumn Wedding cake and the way your flowers/leaves cascade is pretty close to what she wanted. I realize you did yours out of gumpaste, but did you wire a cascade for those too? Or were you able to carefully place them on top of the fondant?
No, I didn't have to wire a cascade for the autumn cake. I put one straw in each layer and stuck the lily's wire inside. Then I used buttercream to glue each fall leaf into place. I think the cascade was actually a little easier to do.... not so many individual pieces to try and keep in place.
Another reason I like to use straws with wire is that it adds stability. If the flowers are heavy (like the lilies or flower picks), the straw helps hold the wire in place and keeps them from ripping through the cake. But I guess if you're using silk flowers.... their weight wouldn't be an issue. Besides, any reason to melt up some chocolate is definitely a good reason!!! hahaha 
Good luck!
At this point I think I may go swim in some chocolate! Ever have a cake you just aren't into? Of course that's the one that causes all the issues! I took a big divet out of the bottom layer. I fixed it but now I know right where the flowers are going! lol As my husband said, they're getting a cake practically for free, if they don't like it we can always throw it at them. (It's close family so I only charged the cost of supplies) I may be done with this whole wedding cake thing until my own kids get married.
I think we all feel like that at some point when we're making a big cake, especially one that we're not getting paid for. When it's all done and delivered, you'll like it a lot better.
I hope so because I have another one in three weeks! I think part of it is not being sure the bride will like what she picked out. But I've decided I'm not going to stress over it. I've poured myself into it and that's all I can do. Thanks for all the help with the flowers. I think I have a game plan for tomorrow and hopefully it'll turn out beautiful.
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