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I am a florist & I vote for real. Nowadays, the silks & "permanents" ( latest idiotic buzzword) cost almost as much as the real anyway. You can do some stand-out pieces that will look great in photos and not cost a whole lot. My advice would be to pick a high end focal flower for your bouquet & just have several stems hand tied. Large Callas for instance; they look regal & elegant.
On the tables, a small square cube vase with some large hydrangea blooms or a round shallow bowl with 3 gerbers floating....both affordable & look amazing. You can float candles if you like, or even get submersible lights that will last about 10 hours.
Check the websites for ideas, and let the florist know upfront that you MUST get at least 3 estimates/ideas from 3 different florists. The price range will amaze you. If a florist gets uppity about that, then move on - they would probably be the first ones to overcharge you.
If you can't afford real flowers, consider an alternate decorating scheme, maybe draped fabric or ribbons or something. Fake flowers are tacky, tacky, tacky.
I meant to ask before; what time of year are you getting married? Indoors or out? Peonies finished blooming a few weeks ago; hydrangeas are just about through blooming - although there are some re-bloom varieties; and gardenias can bloom year round as a house or patio plant. So if you can pick something in season, the costs should be lower. Also, if you are getting married in the fall, potted mums make nice alter flowers & table-scape flowers for things like the entrance table where the place cards will be.
If you want to really get away with something affordable; buy some tulle fabric, mini-lights (they come battery operated now), and fall leaves. The leaves can either be found or purchased; even the fake leaves would work here - though no noticeable difference in price. Intertwine the tulle, lights and leaves so that you have a bit of each element overlapping & showcasing another. It will give a soft, ethereal effect that you can use to drape an arch; circle a table centerpc.; flank an alter, etc. Sunflowers or another large-head bloom can be the focal flower here and will make your $$ go father.
Peonies are my favorite flower ever. I have some peonies that were started from shoots taken from my grandmother's house in Illinois. Old old. They are beautiful and smell like heaven.
I'm surprised so many people are so against using artificial flowers. Personally I am going to use artificial, but I was very careful to pick out nice ones. I love flowers but getting real ones for all the tables (at least the kind of exotic flowers I want) is not an option. As long as YOU are happy with the arrangement that is all that should matter. If your guests are judging you because your flowers aren't real, I think that is their problem. I mean, Come on, you are spending several thousand dollars to treat your friends and family to an evening of drinking, dancing and dining. Shame on anyone who would snub you because you could not afford real flowers. It's unbelievable to me how many people are caught in this mindset that "things" have to be expensive to be impressive. Uuugh!
Having said that, I was very careful about the fake ones I chose and plan on doing something more creative with them than just dropping them in a vase. Go with what YOU like. It's your day, and I highly doubt that in 20 years, people will remember that you had fake flowers.
It killed me to know that I was spending a small fortune on flowers that would just be tossed at the end of the reception, so I set it up so that a guest from each table could take home the centerpiece at the end of the reception.
I had a couple of arrangements made for my church ceremony, so I made sure that the florist brought them to the reception location for "double duty".
Real for sure Go to Costco or a big box store and pick up the flowers and make your own arrangement for $20.00 if you can't afford a florist. No fake flowers for the bride.
Real for sure Go to Costco or a big box store and pick up the flowers and make your own arrangement for $20.00 if you can't afford a florist. No fake flowers for the bride.
Completely agree. Real Daisies will outshine fake roses (or any fake flower) any day of the week.
I agree it is your wedding & you should do whatever makes you happy.
However people will certainly talk about fake flowers & it does make a tacky impression.
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