Real vs. Fake Flowers

Maladroit · April 2010

A friend of mine used rubber flowers for her and her bm's boquets, instead of real flowers. She said it saved her A TON! I'm on a tight budget, so I'm considering it. Thoughts and Opinions?

thereal thing! · April 2010

Can you imagine carring rubber flowers!! I would go real for sure!

pavingtheroad · April 2010

You can go either way... you can do real flowers for cheap if you DIY and depends on the type of flowers. Fake flowers can cost just as much as real flowers if you get ones that look real (cant remember the name of them)

Catwoman708 · April 2010

I'd have to have a very compelling reason to use fake flowers for a wedding, like an allergy, or shortage of time and help. The main plus to fake flowers is that they can be done in advance, and can be redone if you don't get it right the first time.

Unless you are planning on using very expensive types of flowers, using artificial ones don't really save you much money. Your best bet if you want to save money is to DIY the flowers, use simple designs and cheaper flowers, and shop around to buy in bulk. And keep your wedding party small.

If you have a Sam's or Costco membership, they have excellent prices on flowers, and even have wedding packages (but cheaper to just order them in bulk). Just make sure you practice a few times first, or have some reliable help. They can be done the day before the wedding, and kept cool and in water.

girl2bewed · April 2010

Silk flowers can often look just like real flowers, visit your local craft store to check them out and see how they look to you. If you hate the look of them once you see them, then check out localally owned florists as they are likely to be a lot less then the chains. Like PP Said, costco & sams club also offer discounts in bulk. The DIY board can probably offer advice on the silk flower arrangmenets.

jeanna85 · April 2010

Silk flowers (the kind that actually look real) are often the same price as real flowers. I would only do them if I had an immediate family member with an extreme allergy to flowers or something. If you want to save money, consider buying flowers in bulk and putting together the bouqets yourself.

juldar09 · April 2010

I am using artificial flowers. I am not sure how much money I am actually saving, but I would imagine its quite a bit. All of the flowers I bought for bouquets, bouts, centerpieces and alter decorations plus any misc were all 50% off because I waited for them to go on sale at Michaels and Hobby Lobby.
The main reason I did artificial is so that I can have all of the flowers done before the wedding. I think they look very real and I am almost done with all of my arrangements with 3 1/2 months to go

Don't get me wrong...real flowers are, of course, beautiful! You just have to do what works best for you!

Victoriatx · April 2010

i am all about the fake flowers for the wedding! for one i want them done ahead of time and sinc our wedding is 4 hours away from home it will save us one more errand we need to run. Also my aunt is an ex florist so she is making the bouquets with fake flowers and i just have and issue spenind money on bouquets and then having them die, or throw2ing them away. i like that i can keep my bouquet .

elizajanehayes1 · April 2010

i'm considering it as well, but really don't know what to do at this point! I have a friend that used Harris Teeter for their flowers. I called them today and seem to have really good prices. They will do the live bouquets for you and will work with your budget. Not sure where you are located, they may not have one in your area...

romi_ullo · April 2010

I too have the same dilemma. Cant decide which way to go! I know my seamstress will be able to get me great flowers made. But they will, no matter what I think or say, not be real, and fresh! But, I also know that you dont get a great variety of flowers in India to match the occasion. And in December, when am getting married, the prices just simply go high high up! So...am just wondering what to do....I have one good point 'for' made flowers that they will remain long after my wedding day!!!!

I still have time to decide..... I think I may slant towards 'made' flowers..as I can then have just the kinda flowers I want, in the colours I fancy!

(Did I just make up my mind??? ......... lol)

CA2MT4EveR · April 2010

For those with fake flowers- what the heck are you going to do with them afterwards? Your BP does not want to keep them, and no one wants to take home your centerpieces and decor.

emmy82087 · April 2010

real flowers are always nice and look nice in pictures. did you price the rubber or silk flowers compared to real flowers? i would look at the difference between the two and decide based on that.

juldar09 · April 2010

I am only having one BM and a junior BM and my junior BM actually would like to keep her bouquet...she loves to play dress up
As far as my centerpieces...I am going to let anyone take one that wants it. I also thought about putting them on Craigslist and offering them for a very cheap price or even free so I can help another bride that needs some help.
They are hot pink gerbera daisies in 10" tall vases. I know I am going to keep a couple for my own place. (They will look great on each side of our TV). They are great for sping and summer decorations. I have also thought about keeping one centerpiece to put in the master bath. I am, however, not going to offer them as favors, but will let friends/family that are around the day after the wedding take them home.
My sis-n-law did the same thing with her fall themed centerpieces and quite a few people were happy to take them off her hands!
There are a lot of things from our wedding that I don't plan on keeping...and if I had real flowers, I wouldn't be able to keep them either

dixieonny · April 2010

I'm using artificial flowers for my wedding. Biggest reasons: They look great. We're getting bundles online for low cost. My mom is doing arrangements ahead of time, and bringing them to my wedding in TN from Michigan, so we have major reasons for doing so. The arrangements she's done so far are GORGEOUS! and.. NO worries on my part about flowers that don't turn out right, or the flowers I want being in or out of season!

Maladroit · May 2010

Thank you for all your opinions! I never imagined how many responses and such a variety of responses I'd get on this topic! I am so pleased! I will be doing pricing. My FMIL informed me that I WILL be using REAL flowers....awesome! grrr....anyways, this is OUR wedding and my fi and I will have the final decision...if she wants me to get real flowers, she can pay for the real flowers...humpf!

TinaBrunck · May 2010

I debated the fake and real issue myself, I even put together a center piece I wanted at the wedding.The problem was it wasn't much cheaper to do it myself. Also on the wedding day thats one more thing you have to worry about getting to the venue. I have gotten a great deal on a florist, so I'm leaving it all in his hands. The ideal of the flowers dying afterwords makes me sad, but I have decided to donate my flowers to a local nursing home after the ceremony. Good luck with your flower issues.

trinalo · May 2010

I'm doing fake flowers because it is saving me lots of money and I can do them ahead of time.

After the wedding I'll probably take them to Goodwill or sell them, along with all the other decor stuff I won't need anymore.

tkalaurie · May 2010

I'm with you guys. I would prefer to use real flowers and do it myself, but I'm afraid it will be too overwhelming trying to get them all done myself the day before. Where are ya'll getting your silk flowers at? I have been to Hobby Lobby and did not find anything that looked real enough to use. I'm pretty set on simple bouquets and centerpieces of just plain light pink roses. My mom is thinking we can have a florist do the bouquets (I have 11 BMs, so there's a lot!) and we can do the centerpieces on our own. Let me know where you guys are getting the good silk flowers!

Thanks!

Kelsey1982 · May 2010

I am not a fan of fake flowers, I think you can always tell if they are real vs. fake. If you are trying to cut back on expenses why not look at doing very simple, simple arrangements. You can pick flowers that are bigger (like hydrangeas) for BM or centerpieces that are not as expensive, are full and therefore you do not need as many. Either way fake or real make sure that it does not cause you additional stress

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