FI wants real flowers but fake are way more budget friendly

KelaRenee

Hobby Lobby has wonderful realistic calla lilies for $2/stem (so $1/stem whenever they are on sale)  so I was thinking I could buy a bunch and make all centerpieces, bouquets, and centerpieces myself (well, with my MOH and her mom's help because they are way more artsy than me!).  

However, the other day FI said that he thinks the bouquets and boutonnieres at least ought to be real flowers.

If we did that I would NOT want to go with calla lillies because they are super expensive but they are my favorite flower. 

Any thoughts?  Should I just try to work him around to the idea of the really nince fake ones? 

I'm Kela by the way.  

graysquirrel

Have you considered buying real flowers in bulk? They are pretty cheap and you can still save a ton by DIYing. Even if you do save some money, silks often do look really fake in pictures. Would this be an issue for you?

I had a similar problem with my flowers in that I really wanted antique green hygrangeas, but they are pretty expensive. I decided that I could buy a few to put in my bouquet while leaving the centerpieces to be mostly roses (which are less than a dollar each). That way I get my favorite, but don't pay through the nose.

KelaRenee

The ones at hobby lobby aren't silk--they're plastic.  I have a few vases of them at home and people have thought they were real before--going so far as asking me if they need to be watered!

Even in bulk calla lilies are more than $3 a stem for real flowers.  Plus I couldn't DIY it ahead of time.

I don't have to have calla lillies, but it seemed like a good idea for the price.

MrsH8611

a friend just had a wedding and did the same thing you want to do. They did not use silk, but the rubber ish ones (hobby lobby kind). There was a supplier her florist guy went through to buy really realistic calla's (but fake) and her grandma and aunt even thought they were real after they touched it and attempted to sniff it haha (humor there) but i plan on using callas here and there in the bouquets and I will be using the ones from afloral.com or from hobby lobby too. They look real and are budget friendly I think if you compromise with using other cheaper real flowers and fake callas it should be good!

Phil&Panda

I agree with the post above. If you love calla lilies go with the fake ones, and maybe mix in some less expensive real ones. This is similar to what I did (my bouquet was half real and half fake flowers from Hobby Lobby and all the  boutonnieres were real flowers). You could not really tell in person, and you definitely could not tell in the pictures. Plus, after having gone through the whole wedding process, I can say that it's not the flowers that your or other people are going to remember most. So, come up with a good fake/real compromise and save your money for the aspects of your wedding that are most important to you! No reason to break the bank!