Advice needed please!! Fake vs Real...

Rentajetski

Struggling with which way to go... my wedding is an indoor/outdoor wedding taking place in August, meaning I'm sure it will be hot! I hate to spend lots of money on flowers to only see them wilt and die before the ceremony. Do you fake flowers look cheap and tacky? Are other people doing this nowadays? Does it save a bit of money? (always thinking about the budget!) What are some ideas for centerpieces?! any and all info is helpful!!
THANK YOU!!!!

JennniferNoel536

I've been struggling with this issue myself and have finally come to a decision.  I'm doing a mix of silks and fresh flowers. 

I'm using silks for most of the flowers/decorations: guest book table, alter centerpiece, reception table centerpieces, the grooms and my Dad's boutionners, as well as the rose petals the flower girl drops. I will be carrying the bible that my mother did when she got married and will be using silk flowers attached to ribbons as memorials to both of my grandmothers and my best friend that have passed away flowing from it.

I will be using fresh flowers for the MOH bouquet (my 7 year old neice), as well as the corsage for the 6 year old flower girl (since they both LOVE flowers), I also will be carrying to small bouquets of a few long stem roses for both my mother and my future mother in law to give them during the ceremony. 

I haven't decided if I will be doing an arrangement on the food/cake table, but if I do I will probably do that as fresh flowers.  I'm having a silk tossing bouquet made, and silk replicas of the MOH bouquet and FG corsage so that the girls will have them long after the real ones wither and die.  I will also have a silk bouquet made for me as a keepsake. 


I'm doing a really neat idea for centerpieces that I found on Pinterest!  The idea was to wrap lace around mason jars and then spray paint the lace, so once you removed it, the lace was still there.  I LOVED the idea, except I'm going to change it up a bit and tie the lace and a ribbon in my colors (navy blue) to the mason jar and fill it will silk hydrangaes (sp).  Were getting married in an 1800 Victorian House that's now a museum so I was going with a more vintage romantice theme. 

I have a good friend that is doing my siks, and she does AMAZING work.  I have two arrangements that she's done on my desk and the office and unless your right up on them, they look real! Silk flowers have come a long way! 

Congratulations and best of luck with the planning! 

AddieCake

I think it depends on the quality of the silks. Some silks do look cheap and obviously fake; others are so close to the real thing that you can barely tell the difference. I think you get what you pay for with them, and sometimes, you may find that to get quality fakes, you may as well have spent that money on real flowers. 

Jessa617

This has been my dilemma lately as well. I'm running out of funds and just don't think I can afford real.I thought about going wholesale but I know nothing about putting together bouquets, and you have to do them last minute- what if I screw up? With silks, I can do them ahead of time and also if I don't like the way it looks I can redo it and not worry about damaging the flowers.

Amsdragonfly

I decided to go wholesale with real flowers- found a place near me and in the end it would be cheaper and I'm artsy and feel confident about putting together my florals (and excited!) so that's the way I'm going. I bought some fakes a while ago to see how I felt, and they're nice enough but I felt that int he end I wanted real.

crysspears

IMO, flowers wilt and die, but if you bought fake ones youre going to be left with those in your house until you decide to throw them away. Just depends what you like better because I've heard silk flowers are pretty expensive 

LAM524

Wow ladies!

I have been contemplating real vs silk flowers so I ordered 1 hydrangea silk bouquet (in cream) from afloral for $12.99. I figured what did I have to lose but $12.99 plus shipping! WOW WOW WOW!!! I am sooo pleasantly surprised and satisfied!! They look so real! Def. classy!!!! I "tested" them on my fiance and he couldnt believe they were fake!!! So now I will def use this vendor and order many more for my 11 bridesmaids brooch bouquets I will be making!!!! I am now thinking I will also use them for my center pieces!!

Sooooo excited!!! They are def better then anything Ive seen at Michaels or JoAnns!!!! I highly recommend this vendor!!!