Artificial flowers?

We've gone for artificial - it was 1/4 of the price of real! While we do want flowers they weren't a top priority for our budget so just couldn't justify the price difference - basically £2k vs £500. When I went into the studio I was amazed how real the artificial ones looked!! The lady explained to me that often they only look fake if you ask for colours that the kind of flower you're after wouldn't naturally be (e.g. teal roses never exist in nature).

Lots of photographers have said you can't tell the difference in photos either.

Be wary as some florists write into their contracts that they must be the only flower arranger - typically I found artificial florists don't be but for real they do! Might not be an issue in your area but something to watch out for.

Other nice thing is that artificial bouquets are yours to keep, so nice keepsake for you and the bridesmaids as they will last unlike real flowers

If it helps for reference, our quotes covered: moongate flower arch, bridal bouquet, 3 x bridesmaids bouquets, 9 x buttonholes, 3 x corsages

Here is my take on artificial flowers.

You are not limited by colour,

They are not affected by seasonal supply and availability .

So many times I have seen brides stressed because the flowers were late being delivered, you can get the artificial months in advance.

They will not get bruised / floppy or loose any heads from being snapped off during the days use

They do not attract wasps - bees and flies.

You can keep them forever.

Some real flower bouquets can actually be quite heavy to carry around all day, artificial ones are very light weight.

In the photos you can not tell that they are artificial. And actually I have been fooled at first glance when seeing them during bridal prep shots, some are really very good.