Is fresh the best?
Are fresh flowers for cakes a good idea, or is there a better option out there? (and yes, I might be a liiiiittle biased.)
Sometimes (though it pains me to say it), you’re gonna need fresh flowers for your cakes (even though I still totally vote for sugar flowers every time!)
But when using fresh flowers, there are some things to keep in mind.
Mainly — make sure you don’t choose any toxic flowers! Just like you’re not supposed to let your cat eat some of your houseplants, there are a few blooms out there that us humans shouldn’t consume either.
And if you insist on using fresh flowers for cakes, there are some best practices to consider.
Make sure you are choosing organic flowers that aren’t treated with pesticides or any other nasty chemicals that you don’t want leeching into your wedding cake! Not only would that not be very safe, but I doubt it would taste very good either.
And at that point, you might have more of a weeding cake, ya know? (groan)
These Flowers are definitely not edible
This is a list of some flowers are totally bad for putting on your cake:
- Anemone
- Azalea
- Belladonna
- Calla Lily
- Crocus
- Daffodil
- Foxglove
- Hyacinth
- Larkspur
- Lily-of-the-Valley
- Rhododendron
- Baby’s Breath
Flowers that can be Edible (check your source!)
And these flowers are edible, but again, take care that you use an organic variety of these fresh flowers for your cakes!
- Bachelor button
- Chrysanthemum
- Dandelion
- Gardenia
- Hibiscus
- Lilac
- Pansy
- Roses
- Sunflower
- Violet
Another thing to remember is that you should make sure your fresh flowers are wrapped or placed in floral spikes so they don’t leak their stem juices all up in your cake. Sure, rose water is totally a flavor, but this isn’t really the best way to achieve that!
Your vendors’ opinions on fresh flowers for cakes matter, too.
If you have more questions on the safety and viability of using fresh flowers for your cakes, make sure to run them by your florist and your baker. And make sure they have each other’s contact information, too! I’ve been in this industry long enough to see plenty of gorgeous cakes just dying for flowers on them, but no one told the florist!
If you want to learn more about what information you need to give your baker when booking your wedding cake, I wrote a blog about that too!
Learn More About Other Flower Options for Your Cake
If it turns out that fresh flowers won’t work for your cake, you can still have a garden-inspired edible masterpiece!
I wrote a blog explaining the differences between gumapste flowers, royal icing flowers, and buttercream flowers to help you decide which one will work for you. Click here to read it next!
Sugar flowers can also be saved as keepsakes!
Fresh flowers can wilt, and you never know if the variety you want will actually be in season + available for your wedding date.
Sugar flowers, on the other hand, are made to last! So you can have hellebores in October or dahlias in March.
And after the wedding is over, your sugar flowers can be preserved and can last for years! I have one client who still has her own wedding sugar flowers from thirty years ago! (I didn’t make those of course but it is a testament to how long sugar flowers can last.)
Check out this blog post to learn more —
Sources to learn more about fresh flowers on cakes
- Are Fresh Cut Flowers Safe To Use On Wedding Cakes? @ Floral Shop Network
- How to use fresh flowers on cakes @ Craftsy
- List of Posionous Flowers @ Wikipedia
- Why fresh flowers do not belong on a cake @ CakeFu
- Seasonal wedding flowers @ Brides.com
More Blog Posts about Flowers on Wedding Cakes
- 5 Tips for Styling Your Wedding Cake with Sugar Flowers
- What’s the difference between sugar flowers, royal icing flowers, & buttercream flowers?
- 5 Mistakes People Make with Sugar Flowers
- Don’t Use Sugar Flowers in These 4 Situations!
- Checklist for wedding planning – the cake
What’s Next?
If you are going the route of using fresh flowers on your cake, make sure you run it by your baker and your florist first to make sure they’re only using food-safe, pesticide-free flowers.
Alternatively, don’t you think sugar flowers are a much sweeter option?
