Silk Vs Fresh

Fresh all the way for me.

I dont really see the point in silk, what are you actually going to do with them after the day?!

Plus i think people call ALWAYS tell if the flowers are not real, i know i can and for that reason fresh for me

I considered silk flowers to try to keep costs down - some of them are utterly fantastic and although you can usually tell if you're up close to them, so far as the bouquet is concerned, only you and your BM will probably get that close to it unless you're throwing it.

For some reason though, even though my head told me it was way more sensible to go with the budget option my heart just wanted real flowers and I couldn't quite believe how sad I got at thought of having fakes. I'd say it's up to the individual to think how you'd feel about it and where you'd be happy economising.

I am going to buy foam flowers and make my own bouquets , they look so much more realistic and its much cheaper, but there are some fantastic realtouch flowers i think they are latex and they are stunning but exspensive

http://bloominggorgeous.net/default.aspx [ thats the right link ]

Karen.x

I was saved the dilemma by H. When I mentioned to him that I was thinking about silk, he threw a mini hissy fit and insisted on fresh!!

I have bought silk! not only for the ease but i can get them before the day and not have to worry about wilting plus cost as I am on a rather small budget!

10 buttonholes, 2 corsages, 1 brides bouquet, 3 bridesmaids posies grand total of £65! which i thought was pretty good!

I would have loved to have fresh but we couldn't afford it, but in the same breath i'm happy with the flowers i have!

I went for silk so that I could keep them afterwards, MIL is going to buy a nice vase for them to go in as a late engagement present.

Also, I thought silk would give me more flexibility, as you're not restricted by seasonality. And I like lillies. But lily pollen can make a heck of a mess and I'm very clumsy so that could have been a disaster waiting to happen if they were real!

Also you can sell them on afterwards and get some money back !

Thanks guys, my wedding colours are pale blue which you cant get in real flowers and I have found so much more inspiration on silk flower websites.

I think for me, rather than budget, its the ease that is tempting. You know exactly what you are getting, you can order and view them before the day, you dont need to worry about freshness or seasons and florists turning up on time and flowers wilting before all your pictures are taken!

Because my centrepieces are to be twigs rather than flowers I figured the only flowers that will really feature in the wedding will be the bouquets and buttonholes.

Is there an unfair stigma attached to silk wedding flowers do you think?

Laura

Laura, my colours were pale blue and silver. I had ivory flowers with pale blue ribbon wound into the bouquet. I don't have a good photo of it, but this should give you an idea:

HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE silk flowers, think they look tacky. IMO.

Im not having flowers but im having something like thisin ivory with a couple of black feathers coming out oif it and crystals and lillies coming out of it!

Wow Kirsty your organisation really scares me! Would love to see pics when they arrive ?

I'm a florist so I'm biased, but it's fresh all the way for me. I know they're perishable, but I don't think you can beat the look of real flowers on the day. Nor do they necessarily have to be a more expensive option than fresh; just be honest with your florist about the kind of thing you want and the money you have to spend and you might be pleasantly surprised!

Its each to their own on this subject, especially if you have to consider budget, alllergies etc. My personal opinion is you can't beat fresh flowers. I've heard some of the silk ones look quite realistic but at the end of the day I think you can still always tell. I love flowers and would never have considered fake ones.

Silk for me - cheaper, look pretty good (better than you see on the high street etc) and didn't want the hassle of sorting out flowers at the last minute. One less supplier to worry about and live at a distance from the venue. Plus I have saved loads by making the bridemaids bouquets myself with fake flowers.

I'm having fresh, but if I wasn't I don't think I'd try to 'copy' the fresh flowers using silk. I think I'd have something totally different, like this perhaps-

Fresh for me! I looked at some silk flower bouquets and they really were good......but I asked OH and he said he wanted fresh....wouldn't entertain the idea of silk. At the end of the day it's each to their own!

Fresh for me too. i always *always* have fresh flowers in the house, so silk flowers were never an option for me. i've seen some silk ones that look great, but conversely, i've seen some that look cheap, tacky and rubbish.

you can get cheaper real flowers by getting seasonal flowers, more greenery than flowers, and by being creative (e.g. using a FG posy as your cake topper, using bouquets to decorate the cake table, using flower arrangements from the church/ceremony room to decorate your reception room, use one type of flowers (economies of scale), etcetc).