Wedding would you ever consider...

[Hudson_Hawk]

Using fake flowers in your decor? I''m not talking bouquets or centerpieces, more like as accents. And not flowers like roses, but orchids.

I think this might be something you could sucessfully pull off if you used them sparingly and if it was a flower like a big gorgeous orchid. Because really, orchids are almost too beautiful to be real. I often do a double take when I see them to make sure they''re real.

Thoughts?

Here''s what I would use them for.

 

[Gwyn]

I agree with the doubletake. There are some great fake flowers out there.

My sister claims that she can always tell. I often wonder about people who talk in absolutes though...

I think that anything done artfully would look very nice and I would not think twice about using them if I thought they would look nice. On the other hand, i have heard that the better fake flowers cost almost the same as the real ones. so I imagine most people only use them when they want a very delicate flower that they dont think the real version would hold up well. Or if they love a very fragrant flower but dont want the smell mixing with perfumes and or overpowering guests. Or as a substitute for very expensive flowers (Orchids could very well be on this list, i know that lilly of the valleys are very expensive as well).

I have heard of many brides that mix real and fake flowers into their bouquets. I considered mixing in a few fake lily of the valleys because of the cost (mostly because you have to buy a certain quantity of them even though i would only be using a few in the bouquet). I ended up going with a different bouquet style alltogether though.

 

[marchswallowbird]

I''m using silk flowers (orchids) and ribbons to decorate the pews in the chapel where my ceremony will take place. The chapel is strict that you need to clean up every last petal that drops off any of your floral decorations, and someone in your party has to remove every piece of decoration within the strict 90 minute timeframe that''s allocated for each wedding. My sister is doing the silk flowers. We figure my teenaged niece can run thru the chapel and pull off the pew decorations and throw them in a box after the ceremony and it will be quick and easy. Plus, it''s a lot more cost-effective. I will have some real flowers by the altar and possibly on the outside steps of the chapel, that my florist will move to the reception site after the ceremony.

 

[musey]

Personally, I wouldn't... but I have a very organic and natural approach to my wedding. I'd rather use decor that is what it is. We made centerpieces with lanterns because I love them, but also because it would be more economical. It's true that you can get great quality silk flowers... but are you actually saving money at that point? Silk flowers can be quite expensive. It seems to me that the point of high quality silk flowers is not to save $, but to have a wilt-free bloom (I can see the value from that perspective).

People like to touch, so I wouldn't like them to feel the petals and realize that they're silk. You even said yourself, "I often do a double take when I see them to make sure they're real." Would you prefer to do that double take and realize that, "oh, they're fake"... "or wow, they ARE real!" ?

P.S. I promise I don't mean to be annoying, but your sig quote should be "I believe that if I eat a tub of butter and no one sees me, the calories don't count."

 

[Izzy03]

I consider myself to be rather picky when it comes to wedding decor and I HATE generic silk centerpieces (no offense to anyone please, I know some people could care less about reception decor, but it is really important to me for the sake of my wedding photos). I wouldn''t think twice if someone used silk accents, as long as the bulk of the decor (namely centerpieces) were done with fresh flowers.

I was thinking about stuffing a few fake flowers into my centerpieces to add color for blooms that are really expensive. My mom''s best friend used to be florist, so we are going to order wholesale.

I am using green hydrangeas as the bulk of the centerpieces, then adding color with cybidium orchids, ranniculus, and other dark pink flowers. I was thinking about using a few silk peonies per centerpiece because they are SO expensive. I may consider using silk orchids depending on my budget.

 

[omieluv]

I really do not see a problem with using fake flowers. A friend of mine purposely wanted all of her floral arrangements (even her boquet) done in silk. Not sure exactly why she opted for this, but I thought everything turned out well. Her theme was a fall wedding, so I think she was able to get away with it because she was able to incorporate berries, twigs etc. I personally think her boquet should not have been done in silk, especially since her boquet was in white and it looked a bit fake to me. You really cannot tell in pictures, if not looking close. However, my boquet looked very convincing, especially since it went so well with the color of my dress.

In your case, using silk flower displays as accents might be nice, especially if they might possibly fit in with the decor of your home. I display my BM in my home because the colors match. It sits in a fun basket and my friend appreciates it too.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Well yea, I know it''s not grammatically correct, but it''s a quote so I kept it as is.

 

[musey]

Date: 9/19/2008 7:45:28 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Well yea, I know it's not grammatically correct, but it's a quote so I kept it as is.

No, that's what I mean, what I wrote was the direct quote. I wasn't trying to correct any grammar, just let you know what the actual quote is

Izzie video - go to 3:26

 

[PearlDahhhling]

The flowers you posted are really quite lovely! And I love the arrangement!

I think I would consider using fake flowers for something like that but only if I was saving a significant amount of money. But then again I don''t plan on using a TON of flowers in my decor anyway.

 

[Pandora II]

I used HUGE amounts of fake stuff.

My venue had this weird wooden thing that helped hold the organ loft up and was not very beautiful which seemed a shame since the rest of the room was gorgeous.

So, I bought about 120 metres of fake ivy and a load of fake garlands and covered the pillars of the wooden thing in it and then wound fairy-lights into it.

My main flowers were all real though - but I must say that the fake ones looked amazingly real.

No-one even noticed that the ivy wasn't real - one person even asked me if we'd been out in the woods the day before to get it!

Even better, my brother is now borrowing it for his wedding and then I will sell it all on ebay. Silk flowers can be as expensive as the real thing, but you can recoup most of your money afterwards.

(I have quite a lot of fake flowers at home and my cleaning-lady will keep giving them water.

) I even catch myself thinking that one of the flowers looks like it might start to drop it's petals soon.)

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Interesting. I got it off of a site with quotes...

 

[Sabine]

I think they look lovely.

 

[LaraOnline]

My own feelings are, no.
Except perhaps for church pew decorations, for practical reasons.
But the sprays and bouquets should be real.
After all, a marriage is about celebrating 'spring love', is it not?

Weddings are partly about genuine feelings, natural beauty, acceptance, fertility...not mimicry.
Perhaps if I couldn't afford the more expensive flowers, I might go for something sweet, like daisies and sunflowers (I'm assuming they are cheaper flowers!)

However, after reading all your posts, I could be persuaded to consider some minor fakies within a bouquet or two.
It's very personal, I wouldn't judge someone for going with the fakies, they are practical.

I requested a country bouquet for my own wedding, with scattered roses. I went to some detail with the florist in discussing this. I gave her a scrapbook page of pictures, with suggestions! On the day my bouquets were 100% roses!!!! To this day I do not know why (did she want to charge me more, perhaps? Did the incredibly hot summer weather kill off all the other options?)
This would not have happened if I had opted for fake flowers, would it!

 

[honey22]

I am having a wedding in the tropics in September, however the florists can only guarantee frangipanis from October only, so I am considering having silk ones in my bouquet and hair, however I am having a mixed posy of roses and frangis, so the whole thing won''t be fake, just 10 or 12 frangis mixed through the roses.

I won''t make a final decision until I see them, but the two florists I have spoken to have assured me they look fantastic and no-one will know they aren''t real. And anyway, I can''t see the problem if people know they are fake, if they look good that''s all that matters right?

 

[musincy]

I'm using fake flower for my centerpieces, which will also serve as my aisle decorations. I had a specific idea in mind, and I'm a very DIY person. I only saved a little money, but it was important to me to make them myself, and I didn't want to have to stress myself out last minute with real flowers.

My bouquets/boutineers/cake topper/etc. are all real flowers, though.

Edit: Also, I wanted to use hydrangeas, and I was afraid they'd wilt at our outdoor ceremony... so silk fixed that problem!

 

[annieb08]

Hudson- I had a couple arrangements similar to this and used fake flowers, mostly to prevent wilting issues. Here is a close of pic of one of our arrangements. The flowers were from a local hobby store and not very expensive.

 

[sunnyd]

I''m going to use fakies to dress up the ceremony, because they won''t be up close and personal enough to touch and stare at. My centerpieces will be very limited on the flowers, mostly branches and candles.

So I say yes!

 

[Mediterranean]

Date: 9/20/2008 2:04:15 PM
Author: sunnyd
I''m going to use fakies to dress up the ceremony, because they won''t be up close and personal enough to touch and stare at. My centerpieces will be very limited on the flowers, mostly branches and candles.


So I say yes!

I''ve seen this done, and it works beautifully. In fact, if I hadn''t been a bridesmaid at the weddings where they used the silks, and I wouldn''t have had the "insider info" I couldn''t have guessed.

At one wedding we absolutely had to have silks for the wedding arch: the bride''s sister/MOH had horrible allergies to the natural flowers they would have used -- I mean, the poor girl would break out in hives when she got exposed to the pesticides and preservatives used on the "real deal" not just sneezing, or something Claritin could help.

They look amazing in the photos, and I don''t think anyone will be able to tell...