Question about flowers on a wedding cake...

Is it okay for them to touch icing that people will eat? Will the color from the flowers change the color of the icing? I imagine they will have to be in water picks or they will wilt before the end of the day. Do I have to place them on the morning of the wedding or can I put them on the night before? Anything else I should worry about?

Thanks all!


 

many flowers are poisonous and should not come in direct contact with the cake. use floral picks that can hold water and rice paper or elevate them in an elegant gumpaste vase or something like that. fresh flowers are kind of like ice cream... the melt (or wilt) quickly. some are more sturdy than others, but definitely do them the day of and keep them in water until you are ready to use them.

Here is a list of poisionous flowers:
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowersnot.htm

You can use a plastic disk under the flowers and cover it with icing (I use the clean plastic lids from cool whip type containers and push the lid down into the cake top to keep it smooth). Any reputable florist will tell you prior to the cake baking what you should do to keep the flowers from touching the food or if they need to be kept away from the cake.

If the flowers are cascading down the cake, then that is an issue which must be addressed...those flower vases with water will cut through your cake and there could be a possible disaster of cake pieces falling out...that is why I make the gum paste flowers when they cascade.

Hope that helps a little.

Question about flowers on a wedding cake...

Are the flowers chosen toxic or non-toxic ?

Are they certified - no pesticide, fungicide or no chemicals in general ?

Are they non-allergenic?

Are they supplied by you, or the florist?

Are you or the florist placing the flowers the cake? [do they know/understand your design?]

Does the florist know how to do it? [food safety practices]

All flowers wilt. Ask the florist.

All flowers are poisonous that have been sprayed.

I tell my brides to make sure the get pesticide free flowers. Then I make them sign a waiver that I am not responsible if they turn out not to be. I tell them I simply don't trust the florists. I've actually had florists not be able to answer that question. So I don't trust them.