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My dream cake looks something like this…I love the lace applique and the green stripe along the edges. Basically, I love this cake because it’s simple and elegant.
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On my quest to DIY my wedding cake, I thought that this cake would be pretty simple. (I’ve obiovusly watched WAAAAY to many wedding-cake based reality TV shows.) I love that this cake uses real flowers, but two things that you have to consider when using real flowers are: (1) Flowers are grown with pesticides, which can be dangerous, so you have to make sure the flowers are grown organically. I have no idea if that’s even possible in Costa Rica; and (2) Flowers don’t hold up that well in the heat. These two facts got me thinking about fake flowers.
Then, I found these great Etsy stores that make floral accessories for an affordable price. According to these lovely ladies, these flowers can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year. Not poisonous? Check. Won’t wilt? Check!
The problem with this discovery is that now I am pretty sure that I could make these…hehehe. I am so excited for a spring filled with fondant and gum paste!
Does anyone else find that Etsy feeds their delusions of grandeur? Has anyone ever worked with fondant and gum paste? Please tell me if I’m being totally ridiculous. How much money would I have to spend on fondant and gum paste before I got the hang of it?
I LOVE that cake!! And I bet you’ll be able to find organic flowers in Costa Rica - I was there earlier this year and most of the food was organically grown - I think they’ve been way ahead of the curve.
I was totally going to make gumpaste roses for our cake. But…well I think I got distracted with another project 
Good luck to you if you go for it though!
Are you planning on making your cake when you are in Costa Rica? That seems kinda risky and stressful to me!
Costa Rica is very green. So far ahead of us. Maybe you can check with your (future?) wedding planner? Beautiful flowers though! I bet they would be fun to make. At first I thought they were made out of clay. Then I realized it was sugar 
OMG girl good luck. I actually do know a blogger that made these waaaaaay back and I feel like a lot of bees did this for the ornament exchange this year, so I feel like it can be done..
A bucket of fondant is around $25 and that will make you hundreds and hundreds of flowers so you will have plenty to practice with. Get the Satin Ice brand, it works best and dries nicely.
You’re not being ridiculous! I’m happy to see a motivated cake bride! I too want to learn how to make these lovely beauties so I can make them ahead of time and adorn my cake with them! I asked for a Wilton gum paste flower kit for Christmas, so I’ll have to wait and see how it goes!
I just got done taking a class at Michael’s where we learned how to make fondant and gum paste flowers. They really aren’t that hard at all after you practice a little bit! I highly suggest the class at Michael’s if you have time (once a week for a month), but if not just try watching some youtube videos. The only thing I would be concerned about is traveling with them. Gum paste flowers are VERY brittle and are can also be sensitive to high humidity. Good Luck!
I specialize in gum paste flowers on my cake that I make at work and home.
Fondant is not the way to go. When it dries, it is super fragile, super susceptible to humidity and heat and you can’t get it thin enough to look somewhat like a real flower. But if you are more comfortable with fondant, it can work, just be careful. Do trial runs with both fondant and gum paste.
Gum paste is the way to go. Also, for some flowers, it is easier to slick wires in the individual petals and then use floral tape to attach all together. This also allows the flower to sort of dance a bit and look more real. Before starting, decide on the final color you want, it is sometimes easier to tint the gum paste first and then when it is dry, apply more color. Cake stores sell stuff called luster & petal dust. It looks exactly like powder eye shadow. These allow you to give your flowers more details. I have actually used eye shadow on some flowers. Clean make-up brushes work perfectly with theses dusts if you don’t have paint brushes around. To get a more concentrated color (ie straight line, fine dot) just mix a drop or two of clear alcohol with the dust to get the desired color. Why alcohol and not water? Alcohol dries faster, evaporates and will not affect the gum paste as much as water.
This totally happened to me two weeks ago. I saw a post about how you could buy the edible flowers online. Then saw some prices and decided to see how hard Wilton said they were to do. Turns out my flower(calla lilies) are one of the easiest flowers, so I bought the stuff and tried my hand at fondants & flowers. They actually came out good, some people even thought I bought the cake. So I am planning on practicing more and possibly decorating the cake with my own flowers. I want a cake similar to that, just with colored frosting, a ribbon thats one of our colors and then white calla lilies. I can’t wait till my semester is over so I can make lots of trials, lol.
I have always kinda wanted to experiment with gum paste, but I’ve never gotten around to it. If only you were near me, I’d suggest a gum paste evening!
[...] DIY Cake Part II: Edible Flowers (weddingbee.com) [...]
[...] DIY Cake Part II: Edible Flowers (weddingbee.com) [...]
You forgot to mention the tastiest of all edible flowers…Crystallized Flowers! Crystallized Flowers are real (Yes from soil) edible flowers that are candied and preserved in a recipe of meringue and sugar making them non-perishable & giving them a shelf life of one year! Flowers aren’t just for salads anymore:)
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Mrs. Pancakes, New York/Costa Rica Age and Occupation: 26, Law School Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Latin American Policy Analyst Engagement Date: March 12, 2010 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Casa Punto de Vista About Me: I’m a perfectionist with a big heart. I love a good laugh and firmly believe no one has ever regretted being prepared! My motto is “go big or go home.” I am incapable of doing anything in moderation, especially when it comes to shopping, TV, food and travel, and some would say wedding planning! The other half of this nearlywed team is a laid-back, adventure-loving, accident prone, sweetie from LA. He makes me laugh, is always down for an impromptu dance party, and totally indulges most of my hare-brained schemes. Now, in my final year of law school, we’ll be spending the spring abroad in Amsterdam and planning a DIY, whimsical, detail-filled destination wedding in Costa Rica!
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