Ok, so I took my courses with the Wilton Method, and they don't teach to make gumpaste/fondant roses with wires. However, I have learned how to make them on wires. Well, the problem is, I can make them on the wires but I am unsure how to attach them to my cake. My instructor spoke about wires and mentioned that you should never put wires in the cake, but then how do I attach the flowers? Do I cut the wires short and use butter cream or royal icing? Or do I insert the wires into the cake??? Please help!!! 
I've never used wires in a cake yet. But I have read on here that you can put royal icing on the wire then slip it into a coffee straw. Then stick the straw in the cake. That way, the wire makes no contact with the cake!
You can also tape the flowers into sprays and use a flower spike or two.
I was told to make them on short wooden skewers, basically long toothpicks. They tend to hold better in the cake that way. The problem I am having is getting the powdered sugar off the flowers. I have steamed them over a pot of water and it gets off the flowers quickly, but they are left shiny and the wedding cake I am making for next weekend doesnt look good shiny. Any hints would be great. I don't have an airgun but maybe I can use a mister with pure alchol in it, but what kind of alcohol. So many questions, so little time.
I was told to make them on short wooden skewers, basically long toothpicks. They tend to hold better in the cake that way. The problem I am having is getting the powdered sugar off the flowers. I have steamed them over a pot of water and it gets off the flowers quickly, but they are left shiny and the wedding cake I am making for next weekend doesnt look good shiny. Any hints would be great. I don't have an airgun but maybe I can use a mister with pure alchol in it, but what kind of alcohol. So many questions, so little time.
Roll the gumpaste out on cornstarch rather than powdered sugar. It's easier to get off of the finished flowers. You can paint them with vodka. Steaming will leave a shine but the shine disappears in a few days if you're using cornstarch to roll them.
Wooden skewers don't work for all flowers...I like to hang my roses upside down to dry and so wires work best for them, so you can bend the wire to hang them up.
I disagree with dipping the wire into melted chocolate. This doesn't make the wire food safe. If the wire flexes and the chocolate breaks off, you've just got some lead-leached chocolate stuck in the cake. It is MUCH easier and safer to simply use coffee stir straws, drinking straws, bubble tea straws, or flower picks in the cake to house the wires.
I make most of my GP roses on cocktail skewers and it's certainly easy enough to hang them upside down to dry using a styrofoam cake dummy that is elevated on something tall and skinny. I just use a coffee can and a 10" or 12" cake dummy.
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