Real vs Fake Flowers

[lyonsgirl]

So I'm starting to, in case you haven't noticed, plan our wedding! (whee!) I've come across the idea of brooch bouquets, which seem to be gaining popularity. I've found them online for $$$$$$ & I don't really like them anyway. So, I'm considering making my own.

But at the same time, I'm afraid I'll be sad if I don't have a bouquet of real flowers. (Dunno why... but I feel like I might be.) So, pros/cons to fake vs real flowers? What do you guys prefer? What are your thoughts on fake vs real flowers?

[lucybelle]

I love real flowers, but mostly because they smell good. You can get really nice silk flowers that look almost identical for much cheaper.

[Trethsparr]

There are pluses and minuses to real versus fake. A lot of it depends on whether you decide to DIY the flowers.

A friend of mine went the fake route (pretty fake, too, as they featured blue roses -- but they matched her color scheme really well and she was able to purchase them inexpensively on the Internet) She was able to put them together months ahead of time. My friend loved how her flowers came together and it made preserving them easy-peasy. I caught the bouquet, and I still have it over six years later in a keepsake box.

When I was planning my own wedding, I was told repeatedly by others not to do my own real flowers because they're a) pretty time-consuming, depending on how involved your displays are and how much help you have on hand and b) time sensitive, meaning you'd have to do them right before the wedding or else they'd wilt. With the other stresses that occur right before the wedding, I can see how the experience would just be one more thing the bride would have to worry about. Pluses... flowers might be less expensive if you buy them in bulk? But that depends on the season and the kinds of flowers you choose.

I personally went with hiring a florist, which worked well because they were right next to the church; they just had to walk the flowers over. By the time the wedding arrived, I was really happy I didn't have to worry about putting them together myself. I didn't have a ton of flowers -- I had a bouquet for myself and my bridesmaids and boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, ring-bearer, and parents. We did flower petals for the tables and for the flower girls. We also had two vases of flowers at the altar.

If you decide to go the "real" route, check on packages where you can pick out what elements would be most important to you and that might be less expensive in the long run. Plus, sometimes spending a little money is worth relieving your stress level. You don't have to blanket the entire church with flowers if you don't want to, and everything can still look wonderful.

[Zephii]

We didn't do a lot of flowers. I carried a book for the actual ceremony, but had a bouquet for tossing at the reception. It was fake flowers, and I put it together myself. The bridal party carried little elemental representations to be used at the beginning of the ceremony, so they didn't need flowers. I left the ceremony decorations up to my SIL, who used a lot of cheap fake roses, and they did the job. Other than that I wore the corsage Obi gave me for my graduation ball, but added a couple of fake red roses to it, and then used a spare matching rose for his boutonnie. The grooms party all had white roses for their boutonnieres - the florist at the silk flower shop put them together for us, and it was pretty cheap. I probably couldn't have done it myself as well for the price.

Fake was the way to go for us, because those flowers needed to be able to go on planes, and boarder control are strict about real plants. Plus, real flowers are just an expense you don't really need.

I think if we ever have a vow renewal, or I get married again for some reason, I'll want teddy bears instead of flowers. The bridal party can carry teddies in the wedding colours etc.

[D.4C]

real flowers are great for the smell...but with fake ones...it would be kinda cool to make your own bouquet...

[rubydissolution]

As a florist, I've seen and made real and fake wedding bqts. Fake bqts no matter what sorta of silk flowers you find never EVER compare to the beauty of real flowers. Not only do real flowers smell nice, but they are gorgeous. I find silk flowers so tacky and the idea of a brooch bqt...blek. Although, my friend who recently got married did brooches for the grooman instead of bouts. That was actually kinda cool.

So, real flowers hands down! My maid of honor bqt from that wedding is drying in the basement as I type this. ^^

[stephanieaz]

Our wedding will be small and I don't plan on having a lot of flowers, so bridal party flowers (including my bouquet, etc.) will be real. I may do fake for centerpieces. Personally, I prefer the look of real flowers. I haven't seen a bouquet of fake flowers that I thought came close, without having to spend $$$. That being said, if you have any pictures of gorgeous fake bouquets that you made yourself or had made for you, I would love to see them!

[lyonsgirl]

All great points, and great ideas! Like I said, I'm not 100% on them. But if I do go the silk flower route, I'm definitely not going to purchase them online unless I see them in person.

And yea, I definitely prefer the smell of real flowers vs fake () but it's not like I'm going to be mushing my face in my flowers all night long, you know? (I guess my sense of smell isn't the greatest, because i have to get pretty close to flowers to be able to actually smell them.) and, tbh, i'll carry it down the aisle and back again. and then put it on our table at the reception, and then leave it there all night until we leave. i guess i just would rather put more $ into food than flowers Nix & I are both huge foodies, so I guess in the end it's up to everyone what is important to them!

[garnet]

I went fake. Once I get home from Tucson I'll post a picture from my Vegas wedding. I'm sure that just made them sound worse, but they were beautiful. The quality varies greatly!!

[princessmeg1328]

I'm doing real flowers for my wedding in May 2013. My bouquet, tossing bouquet, 2 bridesmaids' bouquet, boutonnieres, and 10 centerpieces come included in our venue package. I'd much rather do real flowers than fake. Although, I'm thinking of seeing if they can do a fake version of my bouquet so that I can take it to England with me and have it forever.
It all really depends on what you want and what's important to you. If flowers aren't super important to you then do fake flowers. It's a lot cheaper, and depending on the quality, can still be really nice.

[Jazi]

I'm going for fake flowers, I love the vintage look of some of the handmade flowers..

I also actually plan on MAKING my own flowers, we will see how that goes! lol. Our centerpeices are cute little globes (they don't have stands, just a small ring they sit on to keep them from rolling) and glasses with a selection of 2-4 fake flowers in each. I will be carrying a bouquet and I might make my SO a boutonniere also.

All in all we won't be having a HUGE amount of flowers.. and I like the fact that I can slowly make the flowers overtime without worrying about fresh flowers right before the wedding. Also works out to be cheaper ( I hope )

[MissButterfly]

I love real flowers, though I can see why fake ones would be more practical, I just really want to be able to smell them and they always look so pretty to me

[13000km]

I'm one of those people who don't care for flowers at all, but I still wanted to hold something as a bouquet. I ended up making pompoms and attaching them to brown paper-covered floral wire to look like the pink flowers from Horton Hears a Who, bunched them together and put a big burlap bow in front. Actually, most of the credit should go to my soon to be sister in law. I showed her a picture from the movie and she came up with everything else. It was a lot of fun making the bouquet 2 months in advance, and not having to worry about it getting destroyed before the big day!

[Anyaheirkoya]

My flowers are going to be paper roses! My best friend became a master origami rose maker! Wanna see some prototypes?





I loves them...<3

[SmileyK]

I like the idea of paper flowers - they're longer lasting, for a start - but then again, I've never really been a flower person =P I do love reading and craft, and my greatest passion is writing, so I'm sure that's an influence! I just love the idea of a bouquet of flowers made out of pages from your favourite novel