I've been reading and trying to learn as much as I can lately and 2 things kind of puzzle me...

I know that some homemade flowers are 100% edible, but I've seen a few tutorials that use floral wire and tape, and I'm just wondering what the benefit would be to crafting these time consuming florals individually by hand if they can't even be eaten...why not use silks?

Also, I've read that fondant decorations have to dry before placement...I'd like to know if this makes them too hard to eat...would most people you serve pluck them off?
Along the same lines...how hard is a dragee?

I'll try to answer the best I know how from my experience.

Regarding using silk flowers or handmade flowers - I definitely would not want silk flowers on my cake. Handmade flowers can be made to the size desired and in the color desired and personally, I think they look much better than silk. Other people may disagree and that's fine. When I look at someone like Sylvia Weinstock or Ron Ben Isreal, their cakes would just not have the depth and beauty if there flowers were silk, in my opinion.

Not all fondant decorations have to dry, it depends on what they are. Flowers or bows, yes, you would want them to dry. But other decoration like cutouts or ribbons, you would put on while still fresh. They will dry a little on the cake but fondant will not dry out completely usually if it is on a cake.

Regarding removing decorations before the cake is eaten...hmmm. If I put silk flowers or real flowers on the cake, I will remove them before I eat the cake. I personally don't like icing (too much of it in 20 years) so I scrape it off. So, removing fondant or a decoration I don't want to eat, that is not a problem for me.

Dragees are hard and can break a tooth if bitten. I read on CC yesterday that silver dragees have been outlawed in California.

Didn't mean to make this so long. Hope I helped with my point of view, now maybe someone can provide another view.


**edited to correct spelling

Regarding fondant...I was specifically talking about (sorry I wasn't clearer) little figures (bears for example)...would children be able to bite through them easily...would it even be tasty since I know you have to add something, (can't recall the name right now) to the fondant to help it harden.

Is it possible to make dragees out of royal icing and silver paint? I really like the look of the real ones, but they sound dangerous.

Should you tell people eating your cake...the flowers are somewhat edible, but watch for the wires...how would you handle that situation?