Fresh or Faux?
When it comes to wedding flowers, is it better to use silk or fresh? There’s not one right answer to that question. For most of our couples at Jane Rae, the best answer is a mix of both. The trick is to find a balance that highlights your day to your taste. As one of our floral designers, I’d love to fill you in on a few pros and cons to help you weigh that balance
The first task in blending floral design is to pick your priorities. Where do you want your budget to go for your wedding? Is it important to you to have fresh florals? If that’s something you want to prioritize, know it also likely means a higher price tag. Is it more important to you to have fresh flowers or more flowers? What kinds of blooms do you like best? An arch full of fresh peonies in June may be lovely, but it will cost more than fresh carnations, and that will cost more than silk peonies.
Photo Credit: Michael Liedtke
Terra and Michael’s aisle markers are fresh floral with a water source at the base, but they opted for a silk arch. That freed up budget to make this stunning full circle, and also meant the flowers could stay white all day without a need for water.
Speaking of peonies, the next thing to consider are the practicalities of the design you want to create. Peonies are in season in late May and early June, but they are tricky to get at all by September. In arches or centerpieces, a silk peony can do the job beautifully all year round. It’s good to consider the design elements of your wedding as well. Some fresh blooms and textures - like tulips and baby's breath - can be difficult to mimic in silk. What about location? Heat is hard on fresh flowers, so a silk arch can be a great option for an outdoor wedding in July. That way, you don’t have to worry about your flowers wilting by the end of the day.
Photo Credit: Kelsey Ann Photography
These floral clouds for Chloe and Jack are made in silk floral and Chloe’s bouquet is fresh. Even though it’s different flowers in different parts of her design, the colors and overall feel blend to create a cohesive look.
Across the board, here are a few pro-tips for which items we design in fresh versus silk flowers:
At Jane Rae, we always do bouquets and personal floral (like boutonnieres and corsages) in fresh floral. These are the things that will have the most close ups in photos, and they are the things you will see, handle, and be around most on your big day. We want them to really shine!
Photo Credit: RCC Photography
Smaller items are always going to look more natural in fresh - things like bud vases, ikebana style arrangements, and laid garlands.
Photo Credit: Ivory and Fern
The bigger you get, the better silk works. Silk floral comes in clutch for things like arches, toppers, and statement pieces. When you look at a full design, it can be hard to tell fresh and silk arrangements apart if they are done well. Doing those pieces in silk makes it easier to go big without breaking the bank.
Photo Credit: Rhody Ray
Mixing silk and fresh doesn’t have to refer to separate elements of your day. It’s simple to add fresh greenery to a silk arch to give it a more natural look. For baby’s breath brides, we always use fresh baby’s breath, but often any other florals we add to the design are silk.
Photo Credit: Sydney Leigh Photography
At the end of the day, the best kind of flowers are the ones that end up in your wedding! There are countless ways to make your florals look beautiful, in silk and in fresh. No matter what blooms you choose, they all serve to highlight you and your celebration.
xoxo, Rebecca
