The advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Hay Fever.. If you or any of your guests have an allergy to pollen or hay fever - silk wedding flowers will be ideal.

Transport Perfectly.. If you are getting married abroad then Silk Wedding flowers are easily transported. They will arrive in perfect condition without any fuss.

No Seasons.. You can choose your favourite flower varieties what ever the season - Silk wedding Flowers varieties are always in season!

Long Lasting.. When fresh wedding flowers have faded away your silk wedding flowers can be a long lasting memory of your wedding.

Robust.. Silk Wedding flowers don't wilt or break easily and the pollen won't stain your clothes.

Light Weight.. Compared to fresh flowers silk wedding flowers are lighter to carry.

Preparation.. Your Silk Wedding flowers can be made up weeks or even months before your wedding allowing you to make any adjustments that you like.

Re-Useable.. After the wedding your Silk wedding flowers can be re-used in decorations for your home.

The dis-advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Perfect Reproductions?.. There is a perception that silk wedding flowers will look fake and tacky - whilst there have been vast improvements in the appearance of Silk flowers - some flowers such as Calla Lilies are difficult to fake. Having said that there are some flowers varieties that are incredibly realistic and quite beautiful but you will need to shop around for them - good quality Silk wedding flowers aren't the cheap option and can be expensive.

Fragrance.. Silk flowers don't smell as beautifully as fresh flowers.

Choice.. The vast choice of colour, variety, shape and scent of real flowers cannot be faked - real flowers can create a completely unique mood for your day.

Selections.. If you are choosing Silk Wedding flowers also consider mixing and matching fresh and silk - maybe a fresh flower bouquet with Silk table arrangements.

If you are still in doubt as to whether to choose Silk flowers for your wedding - chat through ideas with your florist and visit them to see the quality of the Silk wedding flowers for yourself.

By Cassandra Mallett


Using silk flowers for your wedding is one idea that you will be glad that you went with. Thought of as a social faux pas in the past, silk flowers are now becoming the choice of many brides not just those worried about cost. Many brides are choosing to use silk flowers in their weddings because it cuts back on the stress and worry before the final days. This is especially true if you are doing your flowers yourself.

When you are thinking of silk flowers on your wedding day, do not think of the ratty flowers at the dollar stores with the misshapen petals or the thread coming undone. Think about high quality silk flowers that truly mimic the look of fresh flowers. These silk flowers have been put together with the care and the study of the real flower to make them look as realistic as possible. Silk wedding flowers give you the beauty of flowers on your wedding day without the fuss.

Where to Find Quality Silk Flowers

The DIYers already know that one of the best places to find beautiful silk flowers is at your local craft or hobby story. Because there are those who dabble in flower arranging, these stores offer a variety of flowers. Some stores even offer classes on arranging flowers or have someone who can make custom arrangements for you. Also, if you are like me, you want to feel and touch the flowers to actually see the quality of what you are getting. You can study them to see how well they can go with your look.

Your local florist is another place where you can get beautiful silk wedding flowers. Many people may want arrangements done for a number of events or their personal space where they don't want the flowers to die in a few days. Because the florist has the best connections and the expertise on flower arrangements, they are a great resource in finding fabulous silk flowers for your wedding day.

Last but not least is the internet. The internet has many sites that not only offer silks, but packages with them arranged as well. You can get the flowers you want arranged at quite a reasonable price. Silk wedding flowers can even be found on eBay. However, always make sure you find a reputable company that has a reputation of providing quality service. Many sites do show pictures of their arrangements and offer testimonials. If this does not assure you, buy a test bouquet to see if the quality is what you are looking for.

The Advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

1. They can be done in advance. Although real flowers are very beautiful and breathtaking, they must be done right before the wedding in order to not wilt. If you are a bride on a budget and taking this task on yourself, you may find yourself overwhelmed and stressed during a time that should be fun and relaxing. With silk arrangements, you can arrange them ahead of time which can reduce the stress of the last few days leading up to your wedding. On the day of your wedding, they will still be even more beautiful than the day you bought them.

2. Submerged, they look real. One of the big trends in weddings now is the submerged flower. What is so good about this trend is that you can submerge a silk flower in water and no one will be able to tell if it is real or not. If the flower is submerged in water, all people will see is a beautiful arrangement. No one will actually put their hand in the water to see if the flower is real. Also, being that you need less flowers when doing submerged or floating centerpieces, this saves on money.

3. Allergies are not aggravated. You, your hubby to be, or any of your guests may have certain allergies when it comes to flowers. To avoid the inevitable sneezing, runny noses, or red eyes, silk wedding flowers are a great way to have that floral beauty and happy guests. This is also a plus if you are having an outdoor wedding and are afraid of attracting insects.

4. Life-lasting keepsake. The fabulous thing about using silk flowers for your wedding is that you can have a keepsake. You can bring a centerpiece home as well as your bouquet and save on floral preservation costs. They can become a decoration for your home and a reminder of the start of your married life.

5. Great as favors. Many of your guests may fall in love with the wedding centerpieces that you have on the tables. A great favor would be to send the centerpieces home with those flower-loving guests. Your guests get great arrangements to beautify their space as well as a reminder of your wedding day.

6. Sturdy flowers. Because real flowers are more delicate, cold or heat can cause them to wilt quickly. If you are having an outdoor ceremony, the flowers may not be able to stand the heat. What if you forget to put them in water to keep them looking fresh? Well, with silks, this is not a problem. They don't need water and can stand any weather conditions.

7. Less expensive. Now this is always argued because quality silk flowers can cost as much as live ones. This is true; however, if you need a particular flower in December that can only be found in France, the cost can rise. You can use silk flowers instead and have incredible savings. Also, when submerging flowers, because you generally use less, you can use silks instead of the real ones which can run cheaper. You can also save money with silks by checking out sales on the internet and in stores.

How to Spice Up Your Silk Wedding Flowers

If you are using silk flowers for your wedding day, there are many ways that you can spice them up to make them even more unique which gives a personal touch to your day.

Scent. We love the smell of real flowers, so how can we replicate a fragrant smell with silks. Spraying the perfume of your choice on the flowers is a great way. This way, the flowers have a wonderful smell that can add spice to your reception. Although, you want to make sure the smell is something that will not aggravate guests. I would suggest a real clean, light scent.

Jewels. Instead of having a plain bouquet of flowers, add jewels to liven it up. You can get crystals glued to the petals of the flowers. This adds more pizzazz and personality to an already beautiful arrangement. Plus, you don't have to worry about damaging the flowers because they are sturdy enough to be handled.

Feathers. Feathers can add flavor to any floral arrangement. Adding feathers to a silk bridal bouquet gives an extra flair that makes it stand out. Beautiful peacock feathers in a silk centerpiece arrangement helps add a certain level of exquisiteness.

How to Care for Silks

Although one of the advantages of silk flowers is that they need little tending and care, here are a few tips to make sure your silk flowers for your wedding day are in perfect condition.

• To clean silk flowers you can wash them or clean them by hand, but this is not the most recommended way because it can become a bit messy and time consuming.

• A great way to keep silks looking their best is to use an ozone safe aerosol spray. This can keep them looking clean and fresh.

• If any of the greenery is wrinkled, you can steam iron the leaves. Just make sure the temperature is on the lowest steam setting. Test a corner before steaming out the wrinkles.

• Many stores that carry silk flowers also carry silk flower cleaners that can keep silk flowers looking great.

By Steve Whiting



When choosing flowers for your wedding it is important to take into account the theme of your wedding and the style and colour of your dress.

The most important flowers are the brides’ bouquet and this should be the where you start in choosing the style and colour and what flowers you want. Styles vary from long and trailing to simple posies, hand ties or wired stems. Some brides may like to have a style that was similar to their mother or grandmothers or may choose a particular flower for sentimental reasons .Today there is a vast array of flowers available and even if a flower is out of season they can often be transported from abroad, but this however will increase the cost.

Collect pictures and ideas and have sample swatches of the bridal party’s dresses available for the florist to see .A florist should have portfolio of their work so that you can see for yourself what they can do. They should be able to advise you on choice of flowers, styles and weight of the bouquet and what is suitable for the bridesmaids. Some designs can be quite heavy to hold .Different bouquets suite different style of dresses and different sizes of people. Colour too is an important aspect and if the right colour is chosen it will compliment a dress.

Some brides like to keep their posies afterwards and this can sometimes influence the choice of flower as some preserve better than others .If this is not within your budget then you may wish to choose silk flowers or a combination of both .For example a bouquet that contains silk roses that you will be able to keep as a memento long after your wedding day but have fresh freesias for the perfume. Your florist should be able to suggest which to choose and also some one who can preserve flowers .These are then often arranged into a picture frame.

In Victorian times many flowers had different meanings associated with them, lilies were for purity, lily of the valley meant happiness, and roses were for love. Of this tradition only myrtle and orange blossom have really managed to survive. If a sprig of myrtle is placed in a bouquet it symbolizes a happy marriage as myrtle represented purity and fertility as it was sacred to Venus. Orange blossom was also used as an alternative to myrtle as it also represented happiness and loveliness.

Make sure the florist knows exactly your requirements. Traditionally flowers are placed at the entrance to the church /venue and the entrance to the reception. Some couples choose to have smaller arrangements around the church and on the pew ends whilst others may have the pew ends decorated with ribbons. At the reception arrangements can be place on all the guests tables with one larger one on the top table although not so large that they take up to much room and are so high that guests cannot see one another across the table! Couples often like to have a thank you posy for the mothers or for any one else who has helped them .Fresh flowers can also be used to decorate the cake.

Obviously cost is an important factor. However if on a tight budget it is often better to make sure the brides bouquet is the one of your choice and have just a few large arrangements elsewhere rather than trying to decorate everywhere. Less is more.

Check that the florists knows the venues, if not, they may wish to visit it beforehand to see where flowers can be placed and check with the church about the flower procedure. It may be they have there own containers that should be used or there may be flowers already in place from a previous service. One important thing to think about is where to keep the flowers once they have been delivered to your house. The flowers should be kept somewhere cool, shady and out of the way of inquisitive hands and pets. Cats will investigate and want to play with the foliage and dogs have been known in excitement to jump on a bouquet and flatten it!

By Cath Jones

When you are planning your Wedding Flowers Silk Wedding flowers may be worth considering. For many brides there are a number of advantages to be gained from choosing Silk.

The advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Hay Fever.. If you or any of your guests have an allergy to pollen or hay fever - silk wedding flowers will be ideal.

Transport Perfectly.. If you are getting married abroad then Silk Wedding flowers are easily transported. They will arrive in perfect condition without any fuss.

No Seasons.. You can choose your favourite flower varieties what ever the season - Silk wedding Flowers varieties are always in season!

Long Lasting.. When fresh wedding flowers have faded away your silk wedding flowers can be a long lasting memory of your wedding.

Robust.. Silk Wedding flowers don’t wilt or break easily and the pollen won’t stain your clothes.

Light Weight.. Compared to fresh flowers silk wedding flowers are lighter to carry.

Preparation.. Your Silk Wedding flowers can be made up weeks or even months before your wedding allowing you to make any adjustments that you like.

Re-Useable.. After the wedding your Silk wedding flowers can be re-used in decorations for your home.

The dis-advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Perfect Reproductions?.. There is a perception that silk wedding flowers will look fake and tacky - whilst there have been vast improvements in the appearance of Silk flowers - some flowers such as Calla Lilies are difficult to fake. Having said that there are some flowers varieties that are incredibly realistic and quite beautiful but you will need to shop around for them - good quality Silk wedding flowers aren’t the cheap option and can be expensive.

Fragrance.. Silk flowers don’t smell as beautifully as fresh flowers.

Choice.. The vast choice of colour, variety, shape and scent of real flowers cannot be faked - real flowers can create a completely unique mood for your day.

Selections.. If you are choosing Silk Wedding flowers also consider mixing and matching fresh and silk - maybe a fresh flower bouquet with Silk table arrangements.

If you are still in doubt as to whether to choose Silk flowers for your wedding - chat through ideas with your florist and visit them to see the quality of the Silk wedding flowers for yourself.

By Jeanette Shinn


Choosing a florist begins before you ever enter the florist's shop. Take a moment and consider your first impression. Remember, you are hiring a florist professional for their attention to detail and their ability to create an atmosphere that invites you in. If their shop doesn’t invite you in or seems extreme in relation to your personal style, most probably the wedding flowers they provide you won’t be satisfactory to you either. There are always exceptions, but the chances are that this rule will prove true in your case. Do you really want to gamble on your wedding flowers just because your cousin Freda insisted that you had to use this particular florist?

Show the florist the wedding flower pictures and the swatches of your wedding dress material (and any other prominent materials from your wedding i.e. bridesmaids dresses). Talk. Make sure the florist grasps the concept that you have in mind for your wedding flowers and understand your budget and any other constraints that you are operating under (i.e. facility rules, etc.), and then let them go to work. Resist the urge to micromanage. In most cases at least one of the florists you visit can make your ideas for wedding flower combinations come to life in a manner that you never dreamed of. At the same time, however, go over every detail of the proposal (including set up time and schedule – which will vary greatly depending on how much there is to set up for your wedding flowers and how many other weddings the florist has that same day) carefully before you sign the agreement to provide your wedding flowers. Get several proposals for your wedding flower needs before you decide. It’s your wedding so be sure that you are getting the best wedding flowers for your budget.

Though it can be difficult to do, try not to get your heart too set on a particular type of wedding flowers (the possible exception to this might be your basic red rose). Flowers are beautiful but being living things they can be temperamental. Some flowers, such as gardenias and lilies are famous for triggering allergic reactions. If you have someone in your wedding party with bad allergies it might be wise to steer clear of flowers like these. Likewise, hollow stemmed flowers, such as the daffodils can drip sap on your wedding dress. Yes, this is a problem that can be overcome, but you need to be aware and prepared so your wedding flowers don’t ruin your wedding dress. Other flowers, most notably the lilies will drop a yellow pollen stain on your gown if you don’t have the wedding flower professional remove the stamens before you carry them down the aisle.

Two last notes about your wedding flowers. First, remember that not all flowers fare equally well in all types of weather. Some flowers wilt quickly in warm weather while other flowers actually turn black in colder temperatures. Either way you won’t be happy with the flower’s performance if you take it into a situation for which it is not suited.

Finally, remember that despite the advances in horticulture around the world, flowers (even wedding flowers) are still seasonal. Sure, if your pockets are deep enough, you might be able to have the florist import them from the other side of the globe but that will be expensive and even at that, there are some flowers that just won’t be available to join your wedding flowers in celebrating your marriage unless it’s just the right season somewhere.