Wedding flowers – real or artificial?

Wedding flowers – real or artificial?

When it comes to planning the big day, flowers are just one of the many elements of the wedding that require a good deal of consideration, planning and money! They are one of the easiest ways to add colour, style and theme to a wedding but not always the cheapest. Especially when you have to cover the bridal bouquet, bouquets for the bridesmaids, buttonhole flowers for the groom and groomsmen, flowers for the flowergirls and any number of corsages, boutonnieres and flowers for your hair! Then there are floral arrangements for the church, (or venue of the ceremony), table centrepieces and cake decorations at the reception venue. Planning your wedding will be one of the most exciting and stressful experiences of your life, so instead or worrying about fresh flowers wilting in the heat, or turning up late, or being out of season why not consider using beautiful artificial or silk flowers?

Artificial or silk flowers are often more suitable than fresh flowers on the day of your wedding because:

• Artificial flowers usually cost less than fresh flowers meaning you get more for every dollar you spend
• Creating a beautiful floral design doesn’t always mean you have to see a professional floral artist or stylist – artificial flowers are often already arranged in spectacular displays of colour and style
• If you are looking for a particular flower that is out of season , importing can often be very expensive whereas artificial flowers are available year round
• You can get the exact ‘look’ you want for your flower arrangements well in advance, giving you plenty of time to rearrange and play with designs
• On the big day you don’t have to worry about delivery or preservation of flowers that may deteriorate and wilt as the day goes on
• You can keep your bouquet and other special pieces long after the wedding is over without worrying about complicated and expensive processes of freeze drying or pressing

(For example David Austen (a famous rose breeder) roses are usually available mid to late spring and early to late autumn, and once cut perish quickly. Florabelle is the exclusive distributor of David Austin Roses, producer of some of the highest quality artificial roses in Australia. Their current collection of silk roses including the ‘Eglantyne’, ‘Glamis Castle’, ‘Teasing Georgia’ and ‘William Morris’ varieties combine all the beauty and charm of David Austin's garden roses but with year-round availability and no need for maintenance)

Ideas for creating the perfect ‘look’ for your wedding flowers:

• Classic & Formal: stick to roses, calla lilies or tulips for an elegant, expensive look
• Contemporary & Designer: use exotic foliage and blooms such as orchids and incorporate elements like berries or fruit
• Garden & Spring: think about flowers like lavender, freesias, gardenias, daffodils, lilac, ranunculus and peony roses which evoke the new life of spring
• Native & Bush: native flowers needn’t be boring – include textural seed pots, stunning waratahs or proteas, eucalyptus and grasses