Silk Flowers vs. Real Flowers

Silk don't always photograph well, they're bad for the environment (they just get put into landfills), and sometimes they look cheap. Sometimes. However, they're more affordable, easy to take care, can be done in advance.

Real can be costly, fragile, and are more difficult to do (but not impossible) yourself. However, you can get affordable flowers in bulk or at the grocery store and do them yourself if you're good.

I went real. I only used flowers for bouquets, so I went to a grocery store, got $70 worth of flowers, floral tape, and ribbon. I put the flowers in buckets and kept them chilled outside. The morning of the wedding, we (bridesmaids) worked on the flowers, making 4 bouquets. I found it easy to do, but flowers were never in my "image" of the wedding so I didn't get all style crazed - I just got pretty flowers that looked good together. I didn't want fake because I would end up spending more because the nicer fake ones are more expensive. Plus they collect dust.

I love real flowers!! They smell nice, look great in photographs and can be donated afterward!

I'm a bit concerned with real flowers because there is no way I can to them myself, I have a large bridal party, and our ceremony is outdoors. However silk flowers don't always look the best to me.

I'm 90% sure I am getting Real Touch flowers. They are fake but better quality than the cheap silk ones. But price wise, the real touch flowers can cost just as much a real flowers.

Reasons I want fake

*Can be made up way in advance

*I can set up the decorations at the reception the way I WANT the night before not someone else the day of the wedding

*I can save my bouquet as a keepsake

*My FH has allergies

Ok maybe it'll be helpful if I actually told you guys what flowers I want LOL. I would like red roses, Jasmines, and Violets.

I've seen those real touch flowers before. Are they good?

I'm using both; silk for the bouquets and real for the reception.

I was going to go with silk flowers because a, they're cheaper and b, they'll last forever. But in the end, I decided to go with real flowers because a, they're muuuch prettier (in my opinion), and more importantly b, I can hire someone to make exactly what I wanted.

I've heard horror stories (from people I actually know and brides on WW) about how long it takes to assemble a bouquet or centerpiece themselves. So, I decided to let the stress be passed on to someone who makes their living doing just that. After meeting with my florists, I was sooo happy I did. Just by a few emails passed back and forth, they knew exactly what I wanted and provided a sample photo that makes me smile every time I look at it.

So, if you want your silk flowers to decorate your home, then that's the way to go. If you have the money, definitely go with real.

Hope that helps!

It doesn't really matter to me if I keep them or not, but I don't want to have to assemble them myself. Do florists do artificial flowers?

What's the average price for bouquets?

I'm doing both.. We have silk hydrenga for centerpieces and will use one as a base for my real bouquet. My florist was awesome about working in a budget and she said if I bring silk hydrenga she will build around it in real flowers and it was a fraction of the cost! I was going to do fake but after I met her I couldn't pass up having a pro do it and not worry about them!

@#1 Lady, my florist worked with my budget. I told them I just wanted it to be pretty, not necessarily huge. I got my bouquet to be BM size which helped. I think in the end, mine is about $150, and they're throwing in a free "toss" bouquet that looks almost exactly like it. The BM bouquets are $45 or $50, which I will gladly pay to save myself the trouble of making them myself (not to mention the fact that they'll look so much better). Haha.

The florists probably don't do fake flowers unless your bring them your own, I'd imagine. I'd look into it.

Honestly....i personally do not think it is worth spending hundreds on real flowers. it is smart if you want to do flowers, to get them from costco or somewhere that you can get bulk for cheaper. my photographer said that both look good. I am probably doing farmer's market ones. they are cheap and beautiful!

Fake! although I love flowers but I'm not spending that kind of money when after my bridesmaids walk the aisle by end of the night those bouquets will be tossed somewhere and prob half dead!

There are several online sites that do have some real nice quality flowers and quite honest when I look at weddings that brides are posting I cant tell and I've seen some real flowers look quite ugly or just too much. Here's my inspiration its becoming popular its called bridal bouquet cuff!

I think it depends on you! Yes, real is more expensive unless you have someone that can make them for you! Silk can also get expensive (have you looked at the price of silk flowers recently?) I had silk at my first wedding. I'm having real this time. My real ones cost about $550 but my sister is doing them. Bottom line......what do you want? ;-)

I wish I knew what I wanted lol. It would make this so much easier. I only know what flowers I want for my bouquet. Everything else I'm pretty much clueless about

Definitely real. I hate fake flowers and don't understand the "they will be dead the next day" sentiment. Of course the will..but the whole wedding is over in a day and people still "waste" thousands of dollars on them! I would never have silk flowers in my house, so they too will be gone/thrown away after one day lol.

Anyways, if you decide to go the silk route, I know in my area there is a very talented silk flower florist...but she is almost as expensive as a regular one. Good luck!

I want real. I have yet to come upon an artifical flower that looks as well as a real one. We did a lot of shopping around for florists and finally found one with good work in our price range. I suggest you do the same.

ETA- the pros, I think, with silk is that they're less expensive and you can hang onto it.

I would like to be cost effective and elegant. I have a large wedding party 36 in total

I made my bouquets of silks. It's hard to find really good looking ones but I was able to make all myself and store away til I need them. I am also doing my centerpieces and decor as well ( somewhat if a control freak). They were not cheaper then fresh. But I will either save and make.a arrangement for my home and sell the centerpieces to another bride.

I'm thinking I'll only need flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres and some ceremony decoration because I don't think we're doing floral centerpieces.

You have to know what you want for when you go to any florist (whether for real flowers or for fake flowers). And they're right, the good quality fake flowers would cost just as much as getting real flowers from a florist.

The flowers I want are $8 each and I need 8 to make a full bouquets - pretty expensive for smthn that's not real but they look good and photograph nice as well. Went to a florist and he said with real flowers you can keep them in the fridge or in water. he said the fridge would be better bc u dnt have to worry about them dripping. We're getting married in a hotel room the morning of, so having fake flowers would just be easier for me. The place we went to would put together the bouquet, they can even add pearls or crystals on it if we want him to.

I'm not big on flowers though and would only be having bouquets for me and my bridal party. I honestly could careless about it. And I doubt I'll really keep it afterwards.

Like Terry's bouquet looks good.