10 replies to this topic

[Gwhit]

Hello. I am making my nieces wedding cake and will be using real flowers. I have done this before and find the flowers stand up quite will if I stick them directly in the cake. However, I am wondering if anyone out there that does this for a living could advise me. The wedding is a 3:00pm and the reception starts at 5:30pm. They will be serving the cake for dessert so probably around 7:30pm. I can deliver the cake from 12:00pm onward the day of the wedding. My dilema is can I put the flowers in the cake around 1:00pm and will they last in an air conditioned room. I may also be able to leave the cake in the fridge at the hall. Or would you suggest I rush to the hall after the service and do it then. I am a little nervous about doing it after the service because the flower design she wants I have not before and it may take a little while for me to get it right. It is four teirs and she wants the flowers cascading down all the tiers. I am using mainly roses and orchids with some other small filler flowers.

The wedding is tomorrow, 17 June so I know this is late, but I am just starting to panic a little bit. I had initially intended to do it after the service but that is starting to stress me.

Thanks for any help you can give me, everyone here is so great.

Gayle

[Tweety69bird]

Ok firstly, don't panic. You will be fine. Second, maybe you want to call your local florist and ask about the time frame... they will have a better reply for you.
Are your flowers pesticide free? They shouldn't be touching the cake otherwise. (Sorry to stress you out more). Wilton sells flower picks that you can put a bit of water inside, and then stick the spike into the cake. Also, you can get away with putting the stem of the flower in a straw and then poking that into the cake. Or putting a piece of parchement or wax paper under the flowers on the cake where ever you can. I think if you end up putting the flowers on early, you'll be better off with the cake in the fridge, like they are kept at the florists. Good luck, and post pictures!!!

[K8memphis]

Hmmm, seven hours is kind of a long time for flowers out of water to be at their best & perky in the summer. Roses & orchids probably would be ok. Hydrangea's would not last that long probably.

And I mean one factor is the unknown of what condition the flowers will be in when you get them. If they are nice & fresh & hardy--probably no problem--will the sun shine on the cake through a window during that time frame? So many variables. Will the air conditioner kick it out & keep it chilled in there the whole time??? I've gotten some flowers that were hardly breathing when I got them so they were half doomed to begin with.

On your cascade, choose your prettiest largest blooms & place them from the bottom up in key central locations. Fill in with the rest--you'll be fine--you'll be surprised how easy it is and how fast it goes.

If you are secure with the sun issue and air conditioner issue and the flowers will surely be nice & fresh --do it in advance. If not--do it later in between things.

For example a big hotel will have cold air on all the time. A lodge or single wedding venue type place like a church or chapel may not keep the air up on high for that long. The caterer may prop open the doors for delivery & zap the temperature & humidity.

Seven or eight hours is kind of a stretch without florist oasis or the flower spikes Tweety mentioned. Not to mention the icing.

Florist oasis is a whole 'nuther learning curve that is too late to consider I think on the day before. You have to cover the cake with plastic under the cascade & reinforce it with dowel 'cause the wet oasis is heavy--don't even try it. It's rarely done for a cascade anyway.

You will be fine with the flowers. Check at your seven hours in advance & see if all looks good to go--check condition of room, windows & freshness of flowers. If in doubt, wait. But you could prep them at that point so you can just slap 'em in there later. Pick out the biggest to smallest main flowers, trim. So all you have is slap 'em in later.

You'll be fine. Come back & tell how it all went.

Umm, the icing could pick up any smells in that frige if you put the cake in there.

Edited by K8memphis, 16 June 2006 - 06:50 AM.

[Gwhit]

Thank you for your very quick replies. Well I have just finished icing the cake, with no piping as yet and it looks pretty good. My sister actually made the cake so I had to do some fancy trimming to make the layers even. A few of the layers were different heights, though they were supposed to be the same, and the 14" kind of caved in a little in the centre. Luckily I could use some of the trimmed pieces to kind of fill in the hollow part so it is now all level. It is a carrot cake and she used pineapply pieces so cutting it was a little harder than normal, but all is ok so far.

The room is air conditioned all the time so that is good. I confirmed I do have the use of the fridge, but as you mention Kmemphis I don't want my cake to smell like onions so I will see what goodies the cake will be sharing space with. I got the flowers from someone here in town that advises no pesticides and they have really good quality so that should be ok.

Thanks for the tips on how to do the cascade. I think that I will do as you suggest and get them all organized and ready to go before hand and then when I drop off the cake make the judgement then. If the fridge is good then I will put them on the cake ahead of time, but if I have to leave the cake out I will put them on after the ceremony. It is family, and my sister has said just to do whatever works best she no pressure there. I seem to only do these cakes for family and friends and I am invited to their weddings which makes the timing hard.

Next week I am doing another cake, this time for actual money and am not going to the wedding so I should be a little more relaxed.

I will try to post a picture if I can figure out how to. I know there are instructions on the site somewhere.

Thanks again and wish me luck.
Gayle

[Sugarella]

I realy hope you read this before tomorrow......

Please don't stick the stems directly into the cake.

Florists' water, which your flowers will have soaked in at some point, is laced with formaldehyde to help keep the flowers fresh. Formaldehyde is toxic to humans, so you will inevitably be getting some into the food you'll be serving. I know that many people who do wedding cakes like Martha Stewart say to put stems directly into a cake but they are just plain wrong.

Please just put the flowers atop the cake, with something between the flowers and the cake like parchment, so whatever leaks out of the cut stems can't come in conact with the food.

[K8memphis]

I wish you the very best of luck!!! And lots of blessings!!!

And one more thought to making that cascade. It's a four tier cake.
Check your flowers and just do the math.

X = how many major beautiful roses divided by four tiers*

X = how many orchids divided by four tiers

It's real easy.



*If using fresh flowers for topper then divide by 5.

Edited by K8memphis, 16 June 2006 - 04:39 PM.

[Gwhit]

Thanks for your best wishes. Hopefully I have enough flowers, I have 14 roses, and several stems of the orchids, berries and fresia, as well as some leaves for filler. If not, I can just run to the florist one more time because they are just around the corner.

It is cloudy here now, but the sun is supposed to come out so it should be a wonderful day.

GO

[K8memphis]

... I can just run to the florist one more time because they are just around the corner.

It is cloudy here now, but  the sun is supposed to come out so it should be a wonderful day.

GO

How cool is that?!!!

Happy Wedding, Gayle!!!!

Edited by K8memphis, 17 June 2006 - 06:09 AM.

[Gwhit]

I have not downloaded our wedding photos yet, but I thought I would practice trying to post a picture. This was the shower cake I did for my niece. I copied it from you on the back of one of my Fine Cooking Magazines.

[Gwhit]

Well the photo worked,but it went on top of my message. Will have to keep practicing. I mentioned that I had copied if from a cake on the back of one of my Fine Cooking Magazines.
I will post the wedding cake once I get it downloaded.
Gayle

Edited by Gwhit, 20 June 2006 - 05:17 AM.

[K8memphis]

Pretty pretty shower cake. Can't wait to see the wedding cake!