- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
When I started wedding planning, I must have been extremely naive about the cost of fresh flowers. I budgeted $100 for bouquets, thinking that it couldn't cost much more than Kroger flowers normally do.
I just got a quote back from the florist I've been talking to. The prices are:
$125 for my bouquet of roses and daisies
$85 each for bridesmaids bouquets, each of which consist of 9 daisies. I have 4 BMs
I HAD A HEART ATTACK. Especially considering I chose a relatively cheap flower--daisies!! I need 5 times what I budgeted!!!!
I CANNOT afford this. I really think I need to just put together some nice bouquets of fake flowers--I've already made bouts and corsages with fake flowers, so why not?
But I keep thinking...will people think less of me if I use fake flowers for the bouquets? Will they think I'm cheap? They won't smell as nice. But they will last forever and I can make them now, which would be less of a worry. And they really are just as beautiful.
Did you use fake flowers? Did they look ok? Did anyone say anything negative about them?
I'm at a loss :(
I know many people who have done that. Including my aunt, back in the 1980s...you would never tell they were fake from the pix. Don't worry about it, I am sure your flowers will look great, whether real or not!
If you use the "real touch" I think it will look fine. Only downside is they are pretty expensive. Since you are only using daisies, have you looked at fiftyflowers.com or sams club online? They both sell flowers in bulk for a really reasonable price. It shouldn't be too hard to DIY. I am doing the flowers for my wedding myself.
We did our own and they look fabulous! You have to do what fits your budget and not worry that others think you should have used real.
Years ago, fake flowers looked cheap and plastic. That isn't the case anymore and you can put together a lovely arrangement without breaking the bank.
I'm not doing silk because I don't trust myself to arrange them but I've seen beautiful silk arrangements, just make sure they are nice ones :)
You just have to find the right silk flowers. I want peonies and those are super expensive after a certain date in June. I'm currently looking for silk.
Nice fake flowers are really quite expensive and so you don't really save money and IMHO cheap fake flowers look fake.
I went with a grocery store to do my fresh flowers and it was quite a bit cheaper than any independent florists that I spoke to!
$125 for a bridal bouquet sounds about right, but $85 for bms is really high. i would contact a few other florists.
i dont think they are bad, i made this centerpice for my bridal shower
Real touch flowers can look quite real in photos and in person. It definitely depends on how you arrange them and what type of flower/brand you use. They can get as expensive as real flowers if you don't purchase them on sale. Overall, I have a huge problem paying for a decoration that is dead the next day so we'll be using beads and real touch. It really is just a personal preference; you will get half the bees saying "never!" and the other half that think it's a great idea.
fake flowers can get pricey too - have you thought of buyin fresh flowers in bulk and making your own bouqets? we ordered 125 roses for 150 bucks from sams club -that is enough for my bouquet all my BMs and the groomsmen bouts. My FSIL had done this for her wedding and i helped make the bouquets, it was much easier than i had anticipated so i went this route for my wedding as well.
here are her flowers
@ MissTattoo: I'm using peonies too and I found the ones I'm using in my centerpieces at JoAnns. They have a website if you don't have one in your area
@jennylynn13: Awesome! Do you have photos!?
I kind of feel like even if silk flowers cost the same as fresh ones, the silk ones will last forever. Fresh flowers will die in a few days.
I am using fake flowers. The website http://www.thebridesbouquet.com/ They are inexpensive and beautiful looking. I just purchased and recieved so far one bouquet. Very nice.
@ Miss Tattoo: here's a pic of the pink ones off of the website. They have fushia and white also as far as I know. They were $12.99 buy one get one 50% off when I got them.
xprd10033926_m.jpg (43 KB, 90 downloads) 1 year old
I'm using silk flowers as well. I'm not a huge flower person and honestly I don't care if people know they are fake.
I'm using fake for mine (because I want certain flowers and won't be able to get them) and going the wholesale (sams club or 50flowers.com) route for the rest.
Are you using Gerbera daisies? My florist told me that they are actually an expensive flower, but that you can get away with using less of them, so it sometimes evens out.
I think buying in bulk from one of the suggested websites is a good suggestion. Or you could have real flowers for your bouquet and give the BMs clutches or parasols or something like that.
I think it depends on where you use them. I think that Bouts and Bouquets should be real, but I see no problem with using fakes for decor being that they are much more cost-effective.
I was in your situation. I was soooo gun-ho for fresh flowers until I started doing the math. And hiring a florist?! OUT OF THE QUESTION! I saw their rates, and although they did beautiful work... hell to the no. I was going to go the bulk flower route, but its really a lot of added work for your wedding. So unless you are in a position to care for the roses, slice and dice, water, and then arrange without completely destroying them or bruising them then its definitely not the way to go.
My Plan:
I went total FAKE! LOL! I handmade my bridal bouquet with real touch red and white roses, and calla lilies see it HERE. It was fun, and all I had to arm myself with was a crap load of hot glue and some ribbon (and a bouquet holder from HOBBY LOBBY). It was about 2.99-4.99 per flower before my 50% discount, but they are ALWAYS running a sale at HL so you're bound to pay less as well. My bouquet ended up being like $50. I have yet to make the bridesmaids bouquets but I bought the flowers already and they are 3 stems each of large callas. I also used real touch flowers for the bouts and corsages, and no one knows but me and the planner that they aren't real... well until the bridal party atarts realizing their flowers have extra super floral longevity powers
My Centerpieces:
My centerpieces are (5 submerged roses designs), (4) tall designs, and (1) will just hold the bridesmaids bouquets. My small submerged roses will be real touch as well... be careful though. I haven't tested how long they can stay in water without bleeding. But I learned the hard way after I packed up my tested rose when it leaked all over my white callas and turned them PINK! I couldn't get it out for the life of me, and down the drain went $25. It may be best to just use real roses for submerged design... thats (5) so that means I can get a bouquet at Walmart to chop up and put in a vase :) My tall centerpieces are completely FAKE! I mean fake fake...like artificial raindrops fake lol... but no one would ever tell because of how high up they are. They are also pictured in my post HERE. VERY VERY AFFORDABLE!
My Advice: GO with what feels right. But if oyu are anything like me, then I do highly suggest artificial flowers. But artificial doesn't have to mean fake. They make the flowers so real now that you couldn't tell the difference. My bouquet is deceiving to the eyes and TOUCH! I used "real touch" flowers. But if you go straight silk, then there shouldn't be any worries there. On the flip side, if you do go FRESh flowers then order from bulk online retailers. I highly suggest you choose wisely, they often differ greatly in prices. Some places you wouldn't think about have great options, like SAMS or COSTCO. Make sure that you have PLENTY of help! Having hundreds of roses invade your home can be very very stressful. YOu have to order them, unwrap, peel off leaves and cut off thorns, slice the stem, keep in water for a couple of days, and then arrange them without damaging the flower. You may be super talented, or have a very skilled friend or relative, if not you might get lucky and find someone willing to do it for a labor fee only.
Ok thats my $0.02! Hope everything works out! Hope my post wasn't too long :)
Oh my goodness! So many responses so quickly!
Let me give you a bit more information. I've already used fake flowers for a number of other things: centerpieces, bouts, and corsages. They were easy to work with and I'm really glad to have those projects over with. They also look pretty good (I got the flowers from Joanns) and I've attached pictures. I would use similar flowers for the bouquets if I got fake flowers.
My mom and FI are all for fake flowers because they think even if I go with wholesale, it will end up costing the same as fake (or more) and at least with fake I will have them done and ready to go day of. Also, they would match the bouts perfectly, which would be nice.
The one bridesmaid I've discussed this with is really AGAINST fake flowers. She thinks it will not look as good AT ALL and thinks I should keep looking for real flower options.
Right now I'm leaning toward fake.
Here's my bouts and centerpieces:
This is from the site I had said earlier... one pic before bling and 2nd pic after bling
DSC_3706.JPG (2113.8 KB, 49 downloads) 1 year old DSC_3694.JPG (2554.5 KB, 43 downloads) 1 year old
Actually, my sister is super, duper allergic to flowers, so if I want her up there and sitting at a table - I can't use 'em :( Nothing wrong with fake flowers - they make some really beautiful ones :)
@Oribel013690: Tell your bridesmaids that if they want real flowers then they can pay for them. Problem solved. I bet that will shut them up.
I had fake flowers for my bouquets & they were gorgeous!
Good looking fake flowers can be just as expensive, and sometimes more expensive, than real flowers. Since cost is a concern, I would try a local flower market (wholesale) or even go to your local grocery store. You can take apart their bouquets and make your own.
@soon2bS:Where did you purchase your flowers from? Your bouquet is so pretty!
Fake flowers is all i remember from weddings I've attended where real flowers were not used. I personally just cant get past it. I'd rather see minimal to no flowers versus fake flowers. Just my opinion. Now, I have seen weddings where minimal flowers (few stems of lillies) were used as centerpieces and i found it to be totally chic and of simple elegance. Just a thought and again just my opinion.
@hissoon2be: What exactly was it about the fake flowers that you didn't like? Did they just look bad, or did it make the bride and groom look cheap? Or something else?
I second (or third) the suggestion for a grocery store!!! I checked my local grocer (Giant Eagle) and they actually had a brochure outlining some of the possibilities. They can do a hand-tied rose bouquet for around $20. For daisies it could be even cheaper.
I'm buying bulk through an online wholesaler though... I just like to play with flowers so it will be fun to put them together the night before :)
I agree that it feels wasteful to spend a ton of money on something that freakin' DIES the next day. But there are lots of affordable ways to do it (more affordable, even) than resorting to fake flowers. Fake florals always seem so cheap to me. Whethere it's a corporate meeting or a party, it makes me feel differently about the people throwing the event. I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm kind of a snob like that :(
After almost dying of sticker shock the first time I saw a price quote from a florist, I decided to shop around. And I wanted expensive flowers. It's still way more than I thought I'd have to spend on flowers, but it's waaaay less than my first quote.
@Oribel013690: They looked bad and lifeless, in my opinion. They were fake and looked fake. It was actually disappointing. Real flowers tend to give off my life and vibrancy. The fake flowers just looked dull, even the bright colored selections. I am always disappointed to see them at a wedding. Also, fresh flowers add their scent to the wedding to me which is quite refreshing and overall romantic, to me.
Another thought- maybe not do floral centerpieces (branches and crystals are inexpensive) and reserve funds for fresh flower bouquets and bouts?
You said will people think less of me if I use fake flowers for the bouquets?
I think that, if they do, that says more about their own hangups and problems than it does about you. To think less of a person over a single, isolated, ultimately unimportant (in the long-term) thing like wedding flowers is just plain silly.
I used fake flowers, and many friends were surprised my bouquet was fake when they picked it up (they were fake lilies, and quite a bit heavier than real lilies). I could tell they were fake, but it didn't matter to me. I needed something inexpensive that still looked nice- I didn't expect them to be identical to the real deal, and they weren't. But they were still quite pretty. In my pro photos, they looked real. I doubt any of my guests were unable to get past the fake flowers, and if they were they politely kept it to themselves. Use what you want- the flowers are for you, and it's your wedding.
Far better to spend within your budget and have something nice enough (even if it isn't as nice as the more expensive, real, alternative) than to overspend. Especially if you'll have to cut things that are very important to you (whatever those may be), or things that are important to the enjoyment of a large majority of your guests (like food or alcohol).
I'm using real touch for my bouquet and silk flowers for the FG pomanders. If you really want fresh flowers you cant get them cheaper at your local grocery store
I wouldn't go bankrupt for fresh flowers! (I know I'm over exaggerating :) But seriously, I think fake flowers are fine. I don't think anyone should put you down dor using them. Especially if they are pretty! Why else do they have that HUGE fake flower section in Michael's? :)
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| ellisrobertson | 24 |
| fishbone | 21 |
| MsPanda | 14 |
| ladyartichoke | 14 |
| aduarte3201 | 14 |
| mypinkshoes | 12 |
| pengoala | 11 |
 sylvia.riggle |
11 |
| Brielle | 10 |
| likelimeade | 10 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| MsPiggy | 1 |
| adnama | 1 |
| Megan2035 |
1 |
| miss narwhal | 1 |
| kwhitman2011 | 1 |
| peachacid | 1 |
| missjewels | 1 |
