I am doing the attached cake for an acquaintance (she chose this design, it is NOT mine). I have done fake roses like this before, but she wants real because they have looked around and the only fake ones they like are way too expensive. I am not experienced with making the flowers so that is OUT.

How long will the real last?
Is it best to assemble with roses on site? I planned on that.
How do I avoid sticking them into the cake?
How do I do the topper without sticking nasty stems in the cake?

Get my drift? I have so many questions. ANYONE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...I am BEGGING NOW! Please give me some advice. I posted this in another thread but got no answers.

I have not worked with them directly, but I did have fresh flowers on my wedding cake (which was over 20 yrs ago). The bakery that made my cake delivered it to the venue and the florist came in behind her and placed the flowers on my cake. The baker/florist set up around 2PM and the reception started at 7PM. The venue was air conditioned.

I hope this helps until someone with more experience answers.

Since the roses are btwn tiers you could place a very shallow dish on the top of your separator plate on the top of each tier. Then use some oasis floral foam that has been soaked in water and allowed to drain off any excess and put it on the dish. Then the flowers can be poked right into the foam and will stay fresh from the moisture in the foam. then place your next cake tier on top.

Or you can use floral tape to wrap each rose stem, covering the bottom of the stem so it's sealed. The tape comes in green, brown, or white. It sticks to itself as it stretches so you gently stretch it as you wrap it around the stem and then just tear off when you're done. The tape will hold the moisture in the rose stem and keep them fresh for several hours at room temp and a couple of days when refrigerated and misted with water occasionally . (think corsages) You can wrap them the night before and store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator until you need them. Then you can just lay them on the separator plate btwn your tiers.

For the topper you could use wrapped roses dipped in chocolate so you can poke them into the cake without the stem or tape touching the cake just the chocolate coating.

Hope that helps

Thanks so much! I am just so nervous about the real flowers. I was hoping for silk so I could have then in advance and know exactly where everything would sit. I think she might change her ming and go with silk...again. They keep going back and forth and I just got an email saying fake now! UGH! I dont think I could do this professionally like so many on here.

If I was doing this cake, I would simply purchase a thin, square styro block at the craft store., then wrap it in plastic wrap.

If you are using an sps or double-plate system, make sure the block fits in between the pillars. You can also lay a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper on top of the bottom tier where the block is going to be positioned.

Insert your cut stems into the sides of the styro block. I would do this at home - it is better to have the time to fuss with it now, than at the venue site! Using your plates or cake boards as a guide, check for the proper fit. Both "inserts" can be finished at home and packed for delivery.

Take cake to venue site in separate boxes, to be assembled on site. Once the base cake in on the table, place the bottom arrangement in place-position the next tier, then adjust the roses as necessary. Repeat for the next tier.

For the top arrangment you can do the chocolate-dipped idea, wrap the stems, or what I sometimes did: cut the stems fairly short. Take a small ball of fondant- usually colored the same as the roses, and use it like a piece of "oasis" -place it on the top of the 6" cake, then insert your silk flower stems and arrange them in it. I would sometimes do this at home the nite before so the fondant would harden, keeping the flowers in place. Works like a charm!

For flowers on top of a cake, I use a hollow plastic support (like the ones from Wilton) and push that into the cake and leaving open and level with the top of the cake. You can then insert the flower stems down into the support and they won't touch the inside of the cake.

WOW!Thanks so much ladies! I dont know of a 2 plate system, and I dont have SPS. For these, since I have done one similar, I use the wilton hidden pillars and the plates that go with it. I think I plan on using the styrofoam and wrapping it. I am hoping now for fake flowers because I will be able to arrange at home.