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Use silk/fabric flowers for centerpieces?

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So_happy

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I found some really cute looking (and very affordable) centerpieces that fit my colors (lilac and silver) on ebay.....but they''re silks. Furthermore, they would take out the worry factor out of using real flowers AND they come prearranged in thier own cute silver vases. Yes, I am (most likely) going the DIY route for my flowers.

But they''re silks.

I''m sure some can be really lovely......but I guess I''m worried about what guests will think. And I try not to do that with this wedding planning and all but for some reason, this is getting me lol.

What do you all think?
 

sarie_j

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Hey there -- Just wanted to throw in my opinion, and the only time I even think twice about flowers being real or not is when they are over the top or really huge - Like say a 3 foot high hydrangea bush in the middle of the table or neon purple silk roses (which I actually saw once and was not pretty). On the flip side I have seen really poorly arranged or chosen real flowers which were just as bad. If the arrangement looks nice and fits with your surroundings then I think definitely that silk is just as good, if not better for some situations.
 

JulieN

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Date: 1/29/2007 2:51:25 AM
Author:So_happy

I''m sure some can be really lovely......but I guess I''m worried about what guests will think. And I try not to do that with this wedding planning and all but for some reason, this is getting me lol.
This is what your guests will think: "oh, it''s fake"

And then they''ll think of something else.
 

anchor31

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Date: 1/29/2007 6:45:55 AM
Author: JulieN
This is what your guests will think: ''oh, it''s fake''

And then they''ll think of something else.
And then two days later they won''t remember what your centerpieces looked like.
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sumbride

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Date: 1/29/2007 8:02:06 AM
Author: anchor31

Date: 1/29/2007 6:45:55 AM
Author: JulieN
This is what your guests will think: ''oh, it''s fake''

And then they''ll think of something else.
And then two days later they won''t remember what your centerpieces looked like.
2.gif
Exactly!

Do what''s best for you. If they look glaringly fake, reconsider, but if you think they look really nice and the only downside is they''re silk, then I think they''ll be ok. And if you want to keep them, have somebody watch for them at the door! I guarantee at least one person will attempt to swipe one!
 

fatafelice

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I agree with everyone else! If they look nice, why not! Any chance you could post some pics? Just don''t post the link or other info, so no lurkers will try to outbid you!
 

hopefulheidi

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I'm wondering about the silks as centerpieces thing myself.

I'm planning on a Fall themed wedding and I impulsevly bought a (few) bag(s) of pretty realistic looking silk flowers and autumn leaves. I did a quick mockup of a "wreath" and took a few photos.

In regular daylight, no flash, the flowers actually look like the real thing.

In darker lighting, with flash, the flowers have that obviously fake look about them....very disappointing.

Instead I'm thinking of nixing the flowers altogether and going with real, cut, branches.

This way I can still pre-gather the materials, and do so in an affordable way, while calming my fears of the fake factor. Of course this means I'll have to worry that people will be weirded out to find dead tree branches on their table hehe

It's all a matter of your taste.

If the idea of people noticing the arrangements are fake bothers you, you might want to consider using something else.
If you don't particularly care, and want to use silks for all of the positive reasons you've already mentioned, I'd say, go for it.

~Heidi

ETA: And don't get me wrong, I *will* find some place to use my artificial flowers but perhaps somewhere that the guests won't come in as close contact with....lining the ceremony arch, decoracting the mantlepiece behind the sweetheart table etc. Silks definitely have their place ;-)
 

caligal

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I was going through the same debate myself. Here is what I decided: Our site offers several different silks free to use and once I saw them on the table- I liked them. Yes, folks may look at them and say- those are fake, but they photograph beautifully! And I''m still keeping my DIY real flower order the same, but using my vases (go Michaels- $1.50 a piece on sale) and florals on the cocktail tables instead. I''m also taking the opportunity to use more of the real florals as arrangements throughout the reception site.

Overall- I think we brides notice WAY more details than anyone else who attends the wedding.
2.gif
 

dmamsquared

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Make sure you offer your guests premium licquor. After a few stiff ones, they won''t even notice. But scrimp on the booze, and you''ll hear about it tout suite!
 

So_happy

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caligal~ I bet you are right. And it would do me well to remember that lol. I have to keep reminding myself that my family members are not the criticizing type that I am anxious about. Altho I think my own sister, because she has been in a few upscale weddings in her life, only has to wrinkle her little nose at something I suggest (like silks for centerpieces) and I find myself ditching and doubting the idea altogether. She did this with my save the dates when I told her I was just going to go to vistaprint and pick a generic non-picture-of-us type postcard and send those out and I was briefly annoyed but then I researched getting others and I did. So everyone ended up getting a picture of us and my sis (and I am too, admitedly) happy :)


I want to go find pics of them and post them.........
 

So_happy

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Here''s a pic of the SILKS in thier cute little silver vases. They are a 9" tall which works well for my cocktail tables. (I''m having a cocktail reception)

silvervasepleflowers.jpg
 

fatafelice

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Hmmmm...if I am going to be honest, I think they are cute and could certainly work, but I personally have issues with silk flowers that are not natural colors. Could you perhaps make some yourself using different flowers for a comparable cost?
 

sumbride

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hmmm... I''m with fatafelice here. I think you could do those yourself with more realistic flower colors... or even real roses. Those julep cups aren''t that expensive, and with just a few roses in each, it would be a bargain to do it yourself.
 

So_happy

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Julep cups? See, now that''s what I need! Terminology!!! lol

Do you know of a place I could get them? Some internet site or chain store?

Thank you!!

I would like real flowers more.....I was just nervous about putting them together and having them look nice. Do you think one kind of flower would look okay.....so I dont'' have to worry about what fillers etc go with them?
 

monarch64

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We had an on site outdoor ceremony in September 2003. We used real floral for the bouquets, bouts, corsages, accent floral outside, etc., but inside my mother designed beautiful fall centerpieces comprised of eucalyptus, fall silks, faux berries, etc. and arranged them in pretty decorative boxes (think Hallmark ones with lids). We had about 12 tables to deal with plus the head table and my mother made it look fabulous! They photographed well, and honestly we didn''t care about people knowing they were fake or not because they obviously were. My MIL still breaks out our centerpiece for fall and fall/winter decor before Christmas...it''s something that can be used for years and years...if you like that sort of rustic chic look. I actually have one of the centerpieces myself and just love it not only because it''s from our wedding, but it goes with the colors of our house and is just something fun to pull out and place around the house in the fall. You could really get away with them during any season, I think. It was a money saver, we didn''t do favors, but we did (like another poster mentioned) serve top shelf liquor and kept the bar open the entire duration of the event, so I''m sure that helped people get over their "silks are cheap" mindset, LOL!
 

Blenheim

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If you just google "julep cup", a ton turn up. Just stick away from the sterling silver ones if you're trying to save money.
1.gif


I think a bunch of the same flower could look really pretty -- both of these look pretty easy to put together, too (although I'm inexperienced with flower arranging so don't trust me on this):

158_normal.jpg


Link, $7 apiece

bevfabriccrafts_1933_56465314


Link, $10 apiece

Others for $7-9

This was just from 5 min of searching -- I'm sure that you could find a lot of other ideas as well!

ETA: Not the right colors, but hopefully it helps you get an idea of how it could look.
 

So_happy

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Thank you for the links!! I checked ebay and I can buy them in bulk for pretty cheap, too. That''s good news. A local florist has already quoted me $20/centerpiece for a small and simple design for each table so I''d have to be able to do this on $10 a table to make it worth the savings. That may sound like small potatoes, but it is adding up!! We aim to save LOTS on flowers, invitation, and DJ to even out where we splurged.

The all night open bar was definitely one of those splurges I''m talking about (grin) !!! FI and I had the option of doing just beer and wine and we looked at eachother and said "Do WE want to drink just beer and wine at our own wedding?" uh.............NO. We don''t like either. So.....we''re doing it up right :)

We''re happier for it because we felt like since we''re having a cocktail reception and not a sit-down, that people may need a little greasing to get over the horror of it all lol.

BTW.........the tulips in the julep cup look stunning!! I wonder how many and for how much I could get at my local florist the day before the wedding?? Thank you for that idea!!!
 

sumbride

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Roses are usually less expensive than tulips (as long as it isn''t Valentine''s day!) and I think all one flower would look great! Even better without the filler! If you arranged the roses a few days ahead they would start to open up and fill out a bit, but talk to a florist about that if you can. You don''t want any wilting! I helped a friend with flowers for her wedding and we were able to order roses from a wholesale florist for about $1 a stem. If you''re not getting long stem, it might even be cheaper. She wanted long stem. Since these would go into short vases, there would be no need for that.
 

caligal

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This honestly is not a hard arrangement if you want to give a try yourself. I have seen those julep cups in Michael''s too by the way (not sure if Ebay is cheaper- it always depends). I am using an online flower wholesale dealer and doing my flowers. I did a trial run of a centerpiece, bouquet, and bouteneire over Christmas break and they turned out great! They are www.freshroses.com. They have a wedding trial bouquet they send you to play with. Just an idea...
 

So_happy

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Thank you for the link to freshroses.com, Caligirl! I really appreciate that :) The site is very informative.
 
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