What's a wedding without flowers? Even if you're more into the greenery or prefer more of an interior design approach, florals will pop up a few times on your wedding day (most commonly in your bouquet and boutonnieres, as well as in centerpieces or as altar decor). But just because they are a popular choice doesn't mean wedding flowers don't come with their own set of questions. Questions like are faux flowers cheaper than real ones, what stems are in season or what to do if someone is allergic are all good questions when it comes to deciding on what florals to have and to use real or faux.
Many brides-to-be have contemplated if they should use real flowers or silk flowers for their wedding.
Maybe in attempts to try to save money and not spend most of their wedding budget on flowers. Perhaps the stems they want for their bouquet can be hard to find or may not be in season. Or they may be confused about which is the better choice for their grand vision.
Your decision to use fresh or artificial flowers can depend on a variety of factors. You may be surprised by what you learn about silks vs. real.
We are here to help lay out all of the faux flower facts you need to help you choose real or fake flowers for a wedding, including:
which types of flowers are more budget friendly
reasons to have real flowers at your wedding
reasons you may want faux flowers instead
Why are flowers so Important at a Wedding?
Flower have played an important role in many of life's major events for centuries. Your wedding day is no exception. Flowers are the backdrop of your wedding and set the tone for a momentous experience and memories that will last a lifetime.
Wedding flowers represent.... joy, happiness, and celebration and add color, texture and a special feeling to your wedding day.
Flowers are an important part of creating the ambiance or mood you want for your big day. The flowers you pick show your style, whether its elegant, whimsical. or bohemian.
Is it Cheaper to Have Real or Fake Flowers for a Wedding?
One of the misconceptions people have when planning their floral budget is that faux flowers are less expensive. Sure, you can find cheap, low quality artificial flowers. But beautiful faux flowers that look real usually cost more than their fresh counterparts. That's due to the fact that artificial flowers that look like the real thing are made of silk, or other high-quality materials that give them a life-like appearance, which can be be more expensive that fresh flowers. Depending on the types of flowers you use, silk flowers may coast from one to five dollars more per stem than real. When you consider...
Bouquets
Boutonnieres
Centerpieces
Wreaths
Pew Decorations
and More
.... those costs can really add up.
So, if you're trying to save money by deciding between fresh or artificial flowers for your wedding, choosing silk arrangements is not going to help you. The best way to save money on your flowers is to make every arrangement multi-use. Flanking the altar with big arrangements? Put one on the escort card tble and use the other to adorn the bar. Have a dozen bridesmaids? Ask your florist to set out empty vases as part of the centerpieces, then stick a bouquet in each to dress up your tables. Scattering bud vases throughout cocktail hour? They can jazz up a mantle or decorate the cake table, or you can cluster a few together for a composed alternative to a single large centerpiece.
Is it better to use real or fake flowers for a wedding?
Deciding between using real or fake flowers for a wedding is a personal choice and can depend on many factors. Let's explore some reasons you may want to opt for real or fake flowers below:
3 Reasons To Choose Real Flowers For Your Wedding
#1: Real Flowers Add a Special Touch
Of course, we believe that real flowers add elegance and a level of class that can be hard to achieve with faux.
The fragrance of fresh flowers alone is enough of a reason to choose the real thing for your wedding. Imagine your guests lingering at their tables while enjoying the fragrance of peonies and freesia or walking through the front doors of the church and being enveloped by the scent of roses and gardenias.
We know that scent, memory and emotion are all intertwined. Wouldn't it be great to be transported back to one of the happiest, most important days of your life simply by catching a whiff of a blossom that was part of your wedding design?
That's just something you cannot get from artificial flowers.
#2 Florists Do All the Work for You
Some brides may have a vision of saving money by purchasing silk flowers and creating arrangements themselves.
We already debunked the myth that faux flowers are cheaper than fresh, so let's look at it from another angle.
Couples face an endless list of things they must do to prepare for their wedding day, adding floral design as another one of those tasks does not seem very attractive of a notion.
Not only is it time consuming, but what if you don't have the talent for arranging flowers? Can you imagine spending all that money on silk stems and then having your bouquets and centerpieces look awful when you put them together? How embarrassing.
Your florist will take care of the...
sourcing
design
delivery
set-up
... of every element of the floral design for your wedding day. That's one less thing for a busy bride to have to worry about.
#3 Someone in your wedding party has allergies.
Some brides steer away from fake flowers because they or someone in the wedding party being highly allergic to certain types of blooms. After all, no one wants to have their ceremony interrupted by loud sneezing and blowing of runny noses.
However, if this is your concern, you should know that certain flowers are hypoallergenic and less likely to cause a reaction. These include:
Calla Lilies
Orchids
Tulips