real vs fake

nickandbrittany2013

Real vs fake flowers... I have seen some fake flowers that look very real (the latex ones) and I believe they are very similar in price to real ones. What are other peoples opinions on real vs fake? I had always assumed I would use real flowers in my wedding, but then they die and I am not crafty enough to have them preserved or anything like that. I am also considering doing all of my flowers myself, so using real, everything would have to be very last minute. Using fake, I could do things over the course of the next year. I just need other people's opinions on what they used and what the final result was. Could you tell the difference in your pictures? If you used fake flowers, where did you get them and what kind?

casyme

Personally, I detest fake flowers.  You can always tell they're fake, even the really good ones, and the really good ones are very expensive, thereby defeating the purpose.  And fake flowers violate my Rule of Tackiness:  If you're trying to duplicate something that's normally expensive by merely relacing it with something that's cheap, it's tacky.

It's better to save money by not trying to duplicate the expensive thing at all,  and instead going a different direction altogether.  For example, make bouquets out of grasses, branches, moss, leaves, or fruits/berries.  Or do origami flowers or pinwheels instead.

Or, just decide to spend money on real flowers!  I doubled my flower budget once I found my florist and saw all the amazing artistic creations she comes up with.

kisskiss30

I agree.  Silk flowers are great for bouquets, bouts and corsages.  Centerpieces are best using other things other then silk flowers like candles, etc.  lovetheblooms (all one word) on etsy.com has beautiful bouquets at great prices.  Like fresh flowers arranging silk ones is not very easy, leave it to a professional and save on the stress.  Hope this helps.

reppunzel

I love, love, love fresh flowers.  Yes, they don't last, but on the other hand, I have a bridesmaid's bouquet from a friend's wedding (paper flowers) that's still sitting in a box somewhere because it feels disloyal somehow to throw it out, and yet there's really no use for it, so "lasting" isn't a virtue in and of itself.

I'm choosing hand-tied styles of bouquets for me and my maids and simple centerpieces because we're on a tight budget.  I'm excited about them, though -- just a few blossoms (probably roses or callas) in silver or pewter vases with twiggy things, lavender and rosemary as accents.  It's amazing how the beauty of the individual flower comes though when there's just one or three of them.

We're also thinking of buying and potting some spring pansies in my colors, and then using the pots in baskets with some moss as part of the reception decor -- inexpensive and not a lot of last minute fuss.

It's really personal preference, though, and the look you're going for.  The peacock feather-and-silk arrangements in PP sound very lovely and I've seen fascinating pictures of bouquets done with leaves, shells, branches, etc.  If you want the "look" of real flowers, though, go with real flowers.

alexaharris

It depends on your taste and situation. For example the real high end silk flowers are great for brides with allergies or destination weddings. My sister used Silk Flowers called real touch flowers for her destination wedding. That way she did not have to worry about what her flowers will look like when she got to the Bahamas or hassle with the florist there. I am also planning on using silk flowers (Real Touch Flowers..not the ones from Micheals...they look like cloth). Check out www.kreationsbykayonline.com she is based in Florida but ships wordwide and her prices are reasonable.