Wedding bouquets: Did you use silk flowers?

[MerryPoppins]

I had wax-dipped silk flowers, all white, for my bouquet and headpiece. They were very unusual and quite beautiful. The only thing I have against them is that they were very heavy. I still have them on my mantle in a glass dome.

The rest of the wedding party had fresh flowers and my cake was decorated with fresh flowers, too. I sort of wanted my bouquet to stand out from the rest. Oh, and I threw the cake topper instead of my bouquet. I had it made so that it looked like a miniature bouquet once it was off the cake.

To save a little money, I asked my bridesmaids to put their bouquets down the center of the table during the reception. They didn't want to carry them around and they just picked them up before they left. It looked great and we saved a little on flowers!

 

[diznee25]

To save a little money, I asked my bridesmaids to put their bouquets down the center of the table during the reception. They didn't want to carry them around and they just picked them up before they left. It looked great and we saved a little on flowers!

That's a great idea for centerpieces! Luckly, centerpieces are something I don't have to worry about. The place where the ceremony and reception are being held, supplies centerpieces, & china, free of charge.

Diznee25

 

[tkyes]

I don't want to go against the majority in this thread, but I will, just so you have some other opinions.

We had all fresh flowers. I'm not a fan of silk, there is just something wonderful about fresh flowers. The look, the smell, it's just beautiful. I don't even have a single silk flower in my house.

In all honesty I think silk flowers are a trend that is fading a bit. I know none of my friends have silk flowers in their homes, their parents do so maybe it's a generational thing?

I'm not trying to discourage you, I just wanted to share another opinion.

Also - I still have my bouquet, I just hung it upside down to dry. It sits in my closet though, I just can't part with it for sentimental reasons.

Best of luck with your wedding and congratulations!


Tamie

 

[cinmell]

I used real flowers.

 

[figmentvi]

figmintvi, Cool website! Is your daughter ording her flowers from this site?

It's a good possibility that she will. But, the wedding is still over a year away, so anything can change.

Have fun with your planning !!

Linda

 

[RUDisney]

We had all real flowers.

The Monday after our Saturday wedding, my parents took my bouquet and DH's boutonniere to have them pressed for us. It took about a year to get them back, but when we did, they had been pressed, dried, painted to get the color back and then placed into a picture arrangement with the lace and ribbon that was hanging from and around the bouquet. The only thing that is silk in the arrangment are the stephonotis because they don't dry well.

We have our wedding flowers proudly displayed in our dining room and people who see them for the first time are amazed that something like this can be done.

I agree with Tamie about silk flowers. They were all the rage around here for a while, but that trend has since been forgotten.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I'd love to see a picture, RUDisney. That sounds lovely.

 

[lil mermaid]

Originally posted by tkyes
I Also - I still have my bouquet, I just hung it upside down to dry. It sits in my closet though, I just can't part with it for sentimental reasons.

Best of luck with your wedding and congratulations!


Tamie

You can also use silica gel to preserve them a little bit. You can then use the dried flowers to make a wreath or some other decoration if you want. It works quite well.

I am really such a fan of fresh flowers!

 

[skuttle]

We had all fresh flowers...bouquets, for decoration in church and at the reception, and on the cake. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm just not a fan of silk flowers. After the wedding, my aunt took my bouquet and dried it for me while we were on our honeymoon. I have it in a vase in our bedroom. It was two dozen roses, but I think I've lost a couple from all the moving we've done in the past three years...but I plan on keeping it forever...even if I eventually end up w/ just sticks (of course, it would no longer be displayed ).

 

[TerriP]

We had all fresh flowers in our wedding. I agree with Tykes, I think it's a trend. When my sister married in the late 80's everyone used silk flowers. By the time I married in the late 90's everyone was using fresh. To me, fresh flowers are more beautiful, more special, and very appropriate on such a very special day. A luxury? Yes, I guess they could be....but when is luxury more appropriate than on your wedding day?

I carried three dozen long stemmed roses (pastel pink and white) with a large satin bow tied around them. Instead of tossing them or saving them, I gave them to my husband's Great Grandmother at the reception. She recently passed away and the memory of her reaction to the flowers is something I'll treasure forever.

My bridesmaid's also carried fresh roses with other greenery (sp?) and flowers. We used them to decorate the head table at the reception. We didn't have any other flowers at the ceremony because it was the day before Easter and the sanctuary was already filled with Easter Lillies (beautiful, fragrant, and FREE!). And the reception hall we used was already decorated with ivy, white Christmas lights, and white lattice all around so there was no need for flowers.

Good luck with your decision. And more importantly, with your new marriage!

 

[Jeafl]

We used all real flowers as well. I just love the way they look and smell.

I did stand up in a wedding once where one of the bridesmaids was severly allergic, and the florist made her a silk bouquet identical to the fresh ones everyone else carried. That way everyone was happy.

 

[KiminChicago]

I had all real flowers too. My wedding was in mid-January (it's unbelievable how much money we saved -- mid-January is a very slow time for most banquet halls). The church still had all it's Christmas trees up around the altar, minus the ornaments, so the pictures show us surrounded by evergreen trees with white Christmas lights, they're really very pretty.

After the ceremony, my mom took my bouquet apart and dried all the petals and I used them as potpourri. Every time DH sends me flowers, I dry a few more and throw them into the bowl. A couple of times a year I toss it all into a paper bag, add some scented oil and shake it up.

 

[RUDisney]

I would be happy to share a picture of them. I'll get the digital camera from the bank and I can email it to you tonight or tomorrow. I don't have a website on which to post it, so if you want to see it, PM me your email address.