I'm making a wedding cake in Aug. for a bride who would really like orchids, calla-lilies and roses on her cake. The orchids really do look great on the photo she showed me and I'd like to use them, but I've heard that the orchids and lilies are poisonous. How do I get around that? I've checked my local craft stores for silk flowers, but orchids are a bit hard to find. Can I use the actual flowers and candy them or something? What have you seen done with these? Thanks for any sort of suggestion you can offer!

I am not sure about the poisonous facotr but my initial response is NO WAY!!!! Do not use any flower on the cake that might compromise the safety of your food. Somewhere here is a link to a post about safe flowers. I would read that. I would also call a local florist that you are used to working with and ask!

http://www.cakecentral.com/article18-List-of-Non-Toxic-Flowers-for-Garnishing-your-Cake.html

Here's an article with a list. I also have a couple of lists from the internet .... one for toxic and one for non-toxic and orchids are not on either of them.

Use silk or gumpaste. Do not use real ones!! Explain to her it is not possible to put a toxic flower on the cake. This site has inexpensive flowers that look great:

www.wholesalesugarflowers.com

You might explain to her that the stamen would possibly drop the pollen onto the cake, or the cake table. Who would want a piece of that?? Good luck with your challenge.

Thanks for the listing and suggestions! I'm hoping to just find silk flowers I think. Maybe I'll have to buy a potted silk plant to get the orchids or something, but you're right: it's no good to put the flowers on there that would harm someone. Thanks everyone!

http://www.cakecentral.com/article18-List-of-Non-Toxic-Flowers-for-Garnishing-your-Cake.html

Here's an article with a list. I also have a couple of lists from the internet .... one for toxic and one for non-toxic and orchids are not on either of them.

If you decide to use gumpaste flowers instead and want to purchase them, here is a link to a good site that has them inexpensive: http://www.discountsugarflowers.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=4

here's a humorous explanation of how most orchids are not just edible -- but delicacy.

in fact often used for garnish on foods in trendy restaurants.

and

we have orchids to thank for a favored flavoring:

vanilla!

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/orchids/msg1111293112286.html

Maybe you've already decided to look for silk flowers, but I'm pretty sure orchids are safe. See here:
http://www.alohafriends.com/Hawaii_weddingatmosphere.html
I had orchids on my wedding cake. And I've had orchids decorating my food at decent restaurants too.

Then again, I _know_ calla lilies are toxic, and I had those on my cake too! This was before I knew anything about toxic vs. non-toxic flowers. I didn't even request calla lilies on my cake, the florist just used them! No one got sick, thankfully.
If you do use fresh flowers, you have to make sure to get ones that aren't sprayed with anything, because chemical sprays can be very toxic too.

more on orchids being edible:
yes....
http://www.thinktheearth.net/thinkdaily/news/news-detail-356.shtml

but....
http://www.brucezimmerman.com/greennotes/GREENNOTES_FALL_00_PG4.htm

reminds me of parsley: all show, no go

You can probably call a local farm that also sells edible flowers. Try the specialty or organic farms. There are several types of orchids that are edible and can be put on cakes. MAny florists would even have them. A gourmet market will also have them and be able to tell you what is edible. (like a whole foods)
http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
This site has some good info and lists too.

um, you CAN remove the stamens. I do that when I display them in the house in a certain room because otherwise I risk staining a light colored sofa.

Roses, orchids and some lillies are edible.

Now, the problem is that -unfortunately- very few are grown for the purpose of being eaten, and the fertilizers and pesticides used on them are highly toxic.

Unless you can get them from a trustworthy organic grower, it's a risk.

I know you've gotten a lot of responses. I too have used orchids and calla lillies on cakes, no problems. The calla lily petal is huge keeping the insides in, so it's not a big concern that you're going to have pollen all over the cake. But the only thing I was going to ask was, did you ask the bride if she wanted you to replace the flowers with silk ones? Silk orchids look pretty fake, so she may not want them. I would consult the bride before searching for silk orchids.

It looks like I'll be needing to chat with the bride before purchasing anything. Thank you for your listings on sugar flowers at a discount. I may even use those because the just look so beautiful. Ideally I'd just be able to make them myself, but I've not tried that before. It's also good to know that orchids (if grown w/o chemicals) are edible. That's worth checking into. I'm so glad you've all responded, as I had no idea that there were so many options. Thank you all!

I know you've decided against it, but wanted to put this in case someone else was curious...

If you allow poisonous flowers to be put on the cake and someone gets hurt, or God forbid dead - YOU are responsible and can be held legally and CRIMINALLY liable!