How Can I Make My Own Wedding Cake and Flowers?

Making the cake and flowers for your wedding can be inexpensive.

Saving money while planning a wedding is a must for some brides. You can cut costs by making items instead of hiring a professional to do the work. You can make a wedding cake and flower arrangements yourself or with a friend's help if you have the right materials, saving hundreds of dollars in the process. You can select the design, flavor and cake topper for the cake, as well as the colors, type of flowers and arrangement design for the flowers.

Things You'll Need

• Wedding magazines/cake decorating books
• Cake pans
• Box cake mix
• Icing
• Spatula
• Decorator tips
• Cake topper
• Flower nail no. 9
• Disposable icing bag
• Cardboard box
• Flowers
• Bouquet holder
• Bouquet stand
• Floral wire
• Floral tape
• Wire cutters
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Glue stick
• Vases
• River rocks

Instructions

Making the Cake

1. Choose the style of cake you want by looking through wedding magazines or cake decorating books. Choose the colors of the flowers or accessories you are using on the cake. Decide if you want the cake to have tiers and how many levels you are going to make.

2. Choose the flavor for the cake and the type of icing you like. If you are making a tier cake, decide if you want each cake to have a different flavor.

3. Choose the pan sizes, and gather all the ingredients for the cake. Set aside the icing, decorator tips, accessories and cake topper.

4. Bake the cakes, and allow them to cool. Remove all the layers from the pans, and frost the cakes according to the design you chose. Set each layer aside once it has been frosted.

5. Decorate the cakes with the decorator tips and icing if you have chosen to use edible flowers. Spread the icing along the top and sides of the cake using a spatula, pushing toward the edges and making sure you don't touch the surface of the cake to prevent crumbs from mixing in with the icing/frosting. Rotate the cake, and repeat the icing process until the entire cake is covered.

6. Spin the cake slowly and hold the spatula upright with the edge against the icing, smoothing around the entire cake without lifting the spatula to achieve a smooth look.

7. Create the flowers on the cake using decorator tips and flower nail no. 9. Hold the decorator tip with the wide end aimed at the nail's center and approximately 1/8 inch above the nail's surface. Squeeze the bag lightly as you simultaneously move the tip out about 1/16 inch and turn the nail with your other hand, allowing the spin to create the petal. Loosen up on the bag and lift away.

8. Repeat Step 7 three more times to create four petals. Add the center of the flower by applying a dot of a different color.

9. Box up any cake toppers or accessories needed to assemble the cake. Box up any artificial flowers if you chose to use them, and add them to the cake once you have arrived at the wedding venue to avoid ruining the frosting.

10. Wrap up the cake layers. Carefully load the cake into your vehicle, and drive to the wedding location.

11. Assemble the cake exactly where it will be during the reception. Attach any flowers or accessories to the cake, and secure the pillars with wooden dowels if they are being used in the design. Add the cake topper to the cake last.

Creating the Flower Arrangements

1. Choose the flowers you want to use for your bouquet, based on personal preference and color scheme if there is one. Decide if the flowers will be real or artificial.

2. Purchase enough flowers for each bouquet. You will need large flowers to serve as the main flower and smaller flowers as well as greens for the rest of the bouquet.

3. Place the bouquet holder in the bouquet stand to arrange the flowers.

4. Cut the stems of the flowers to six inches or less, and insert your main flowers first. Arrange at least four of the main flower around the outside in each bouquet, and place the greens behind the main flower, mixing them in with any other flowers you are adding. Insert a large main flower in the center of the bouquet so it sticks out a little farther than the rest of the flowers.

5. Add accessories, such as ribbon, beads, or bows, to the bouquet using a hot glue gun. Glue ribbons or lace to the center bottom of the bouquet so they hang down.

Creating the Wedding Centerpieces

1. Purchase small vases and a few bags of river rocks. Use the same types of flowers for your centerpieces that are in the wedding bouquets. Clip the stems of the flowers so they are at the appropriate height to fit the vases.

2. Dump river rocks into the vases so they are one-quarter full. Fill each vase with water so it covers the rocks.

3. Insert two or three flowers into each vase so the stems are sunk into the river rocks and water. Add a green or two to each vase to create additional color.

4. Place a small mirror in the center of each table, and place the vase in the middle of the mirror.

Tips & Warnings

• When creating your bouquets, arrange the flowers a few different ways before you secure them to find the perfect arrangement.

References

• Wilton: Forget-Me-Not
• What's Cooking America: Peggy's Baking Corner: Decorating Wedding Cakes With Fondant Icing
• Wilton: Icing Cakes Using a Spatula
• Piece of Cake Wedding Planning: Create Your Own Wedding Centerpiece