4 alternatives to sugar flowers for wedding cakes
Hello I'm back again and today I'm going to give you some tips about wedding cake decorations. To be exact I'll tell you about what alternatives to sugar flowers for wedding cakes you can choose from.
1. Fresh flowers vs sugar flowers for wedding cakes
First and very obvious choice is fresh flowers. Aside from matching with the rest of your wedding flowers, real flowers for your cake are the cheaper option. It doesn’t necessarily mean they are inexpensive, but you aren’t paying for the custom work that sugar flowers require. If you’re trying to save a few pennies, placing a few carefully selected flowers on your cake can help—while still looking beautiful. On the down side, real flowers are a bit more high-maintenance than their fake alternatives. Certain real flowers—like baby’s breath and hydrangeas—are toxic when ingested, so they shouldn't really be put on cakes. Common wedding flowers, like sunflowers and roses, are safe, but you should always make sure to use pesticide-free arrangements and the flowers are not in direct contact with the cake. You should also consider the weather. For example, if it's a hot day real flowers aren’t ideal as they will likely be wilted quickly.
2. Dried flowers
If you love floral wedding cakes but want a cake a little more unique and different, a fabulous alternative are wedding cakes with dried flowers. They are suitable for a lot of different weddings with different styles: a romantic feel, industrial, modern, boho, rustic. They can be used in a lot of different ways, with a lot of different designs.
What I would say to think about before you set your heart on these trendy beauties, is that they can be very fragile. Which isn't an issue if they're used as centre pieces and stand alone decorations. Although if you're planning to use them for your wedding boquet and as buttonholes they may become a bit messy as they can shread. Personally I don't think it would ruin anything on your wedding day but because my blog is about pros and cons this had to be included :)
3. Artificial flowers
While there are many types of artificial flowers, silk is one of the most life-like. To the touch, they are soft like real flowers, and are designed to replicate real flower blooming patterns. Silk flowers look like the real deal without the risk of wilting. They are less sensitive to the weather (although they aren’t impervious). Plus, there’s no risk of toxicity or allergies with silk flowers. Because they’re likely to last longer than the reception, you can even save a few for your wedding memories. While high-quality silk flowers look real, they can also be more expensive than real flowers. This is especially true if all your bouquets will be silk flowers, too. Silk flowers also don’t give off any floral scent. So, if you’re looking to complement your rose-flavoured cake with a subtle rosy aroma, silk flowers aren’t for you.
4. Wafer paper flowers vs. sugar flowers for wedding cakes
Wafer paper flowers are the newest craze in the cake world. As the name suggests they are made of wafer paper which is made of potato starch, oil, and water. Yes, it is like communion wafer so it is edible. It has no flavour and it dissolves in your mouth. This edible ingredient is safe to use on cakes but wafer paper flowers just like their sugar flower alternatives may contain inedible elements like wires. So it's best to assume that they shouldn't be eaten. This new form of cake decorating ingredient can be turned into the most delicate, life-like flowers. Wafer paper flowers - unlike sugar flowers for wedding cakes - are lightweight and less breakable. The petals stay flexible even when they're dried. They can be kept for a long time after the wedding if they're stored correctly.
I hope you enjoyed reading. And now, that you know the 4 alternatives to sugar flowers for wedding cakes, you may want to look at my wafer paper flower gallery should you not have come across wafer paper flowers before.
Happy browsing and happy wedding planning :)
Hajni
*Photo by BGS Wedding Photos
**Flowers by Wendy Goodliff floral designer
***Faux flowers provided by Moss & Bloom