Flowers can form quite a substantial part of a bride’s budget for her wedding – £714 on average (according to 2017 figures) which is somewhat ironic considering they die off within a week or so. Artificial wedding flowers were once a tacky alternative to real beautiful wedding blooms but with the incredible realism of today’s artificial flowers, they are a viable alternative that every bride needs to consider. Here are 8 reasons why artificial flowers make sense at a wedding:
1. They’re incredibly realistic
Artificial flowers are not what they used to be – once they were cheap and tacky, now they come in many highly realistic options. They can be so real that it is impossible to tell the difference between artificial and real, even up close and for some, even when you touch or smell the flower (see our inspiration page for examples). With no discernible difference in the way they look and so many great benefits, artificial flowers have become a truly viable alternative to the real deal.
2. They’re environmentally friendly
Artificial flowers are in most cases more environmentally friendly than the real thing. How can that be? Although there is a huge anti-plastic movement at the moment, consider the life of a real flower, from farm to vase. In warmer countries, the air temperature of the growing flower has to be controlled – whilst in cooler countries, greenhouse heating is necessary. A range of fertilisers are used which can pollute the environment, although not using them can lead to soil erosion. Once the flower has grown, it has to be transported and this can contribute substantially to carbon emissions, particularly when the flowers are coming from countries as far afield as Kenya. Once used, flowers often end up in landfill where, unlike the home composting heap, conditions are not suited to the breakdown of the material. Find out more here about how artificial flowers can be an environmentally friendly choice.
3. They won’t trigger allergies
The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be sneezing down the aisle – but real flowers can trigger unexpected bouts of allergy, both for the bride and their guests. Using artificial flowers means you can be certain you won’t trigger anyone’s allergies and you won’t be limited to low-pollen choices.
4. They’re durable
Typically wedding flowers will be collected a day or two before the wedding so there’s no last minute rushing around on the big day – but this can mean they don’t look their best when they’re needed. This can be a particular problem on hot days when flowers can very quickly wilt. All of this is avoided when artificial flowers are chosen –they stay looking fabulous whether the temperature rises or drops.
5. You can still use a florist
Just because you’ve chosen artificial blooms doesn’t mean you can’t use a professional florist – many florists will work with both real and artificial flowers to meet their customers’ needs anyway. However, it’s worth looking at specialist florists who produce wedding bouquets from artificial flowers year round, as these have ready-planned hand held bouquets and matching table arrangements that can simply be ordered whenever you are ready.
6. You’ll have full choice year round
Brides are often limited on which flowers they can choose because of the time of year – especially during the colder months. This is not a problem with artificial flowers as a huge range of blooms are on offer, right through the year.
7. They can be used after the big day
Whilst your options for keeping real wedding flowers might be limited to pressing the blooms for a sweet momentum, this is not the case with artificial flowers which will look beautiful for many years to come. Save your bridal bouquet as a keepsake and use the rest of your flowers around the home for beautiful year-round displays.
8. You’ll have more options for creativity
Artificial flowers are a lot more forgiving than real flowers, giving florists a lot more scope for creativity. You’ll find more exciting designs readily available including gorgeous brooch bouquets which are our absolute favourite in the wedding flowers range.
Leave a Reply