Flowers on the Cake!!

Unless you have a very unique design, adornments give a cake that extra pop.  It ties the cake in nicely with the rest of your reception and puts the final touches on it, bringing the cake to completion.  My personal favorite adornment...flowers!!  There is something about flowers that softens the look of a cake and just makes it...beautiful!  There are 3 "types" of flowers one can use.  Here are a few pros and cons to each: 

Fresh Flowers: I'll be honest, fresh flowers are always my favorite.  I love them because they are natural.  They tie in with the bouquets and centerpieces perfectly because they are the same thing!  The colors are gorgeous!  The smell is marvelous!  And, you can manipulate them (something those decorating the cake appreciate).  You can place larger flowers in certain areas and then fill in the gaps with smaller flowers or greenery.  You can also fold or bend a flower to fit into the spot you need, making everything fit just so.  Some brides are concerned with the pesticides used with flowers.  My opinion, I'm not concerned.  Flowers are kept in clean water in refrigerators.  If there are any pesticides used they have been washed off by the stems soaking in water for hours and the spritzers florists use to keep them fresh at the venue.   

Sugar Flowers: These are great options for the bride who wants the 100% edible cake. Bride's who select sugar flowers can easily get a sugar high from all those sweet beautiful adornments on a cake.  Additionally, brides can rest assured that the cake will be completed all at once by the baker who is delivering the cake as they are the only one providing cake items.  One drawback from sugar flowers is that they break very easily.  I always bring extra with me.  But, if one falls or the table is bumped and the flower cracks it cannot be replaced.  Also, sugar flowers cannot bend.  So, you cannot manipulate a flower to fit.  Therefore, they do tend to stick out a bit and the flow of the flower placement isn't as smooth.  The last "con" is expense.  Sugar flowers are hand made.  The materials to create them aren't cheap...and the time it takes is even more costly.  So, if you are leaning towards sugar flowers be prepared to increase your cake budget.

Silk Flowers: For those looking for an alternative to fresh flowers, but don't want the cost of sugar flowers, silk flowers are a great way to go.  The brides cake photographed above chose burlap flowers to match the burlap in other areas of the wedding.  It was a great way to tie in the cake.  Silk flowers can somewhat be manipulated to blend in with the cake, but it depends on the type of flower.  One thing to consider when choosing silk flowers is the size of the cake.  Many silk flowers are huge, and they can't be sized down.  So, if you are having a smaller or thinner cake and place a huge flower on it, the look is a bit off.  Definitely consult with your baker when choosing silk flowers to make sure you are purchasing the right thing.  While you don't have to worry about the flowers breaking, or pesticides...the cleanliness of a silk flower is less than desirable.  Next time you are at Hobby Lobby just notice all the people touching the flowers (especially kids).  And when they are dropped on the floor...no worries, a sales rep will nicely place them back in their display to be sold.  At the very least, I recommend wiping the flowers down before placing them on the cake.