7 Advantages of Using Artificial Flowers in Your Wedding

While many wedding experts and DIY bloggers extol the economy of using silk flowers to save money on floral decorations they don't often explain the other benefits of using artificial botanicals in the bouquets and arrangements for your celebration.

In almost 18 years as a bridal designer and floral design instructor, I saw many of the benefits of using fabric blooms firsthand. They have so much more to offer than just providing a cheap alternative to the real thing. Join me to explore some of the pros of using silk wedding flowers that go above and beyond budgetary concerns.

All photos by Kylyssa Shay unless otherwise noted.

One great thing about using silk flowers to design your own wedding decorations is that they are very strong and sturdy. If you bend or kink the stem the fabric blooms will not break off nor will their blossoms be bruised by inexpert handling. They can be delivered by the most inexperienced of helpful volunteers without any real fear of your flowers or arrangements arriving damaged. Extremes of heat and cold won't harm faux flowers either so no refrigeration or even air conditioning is needed during transport or at any other time.

This is a very valuable factor where amateur designers are concerned. I trained quite a few people over the years and virtually every one, including yours truly, tended to break and bruise a few (or more than a few) fresh plant products in the learning process. While a shop can absorb the cost of training most times, it isn't so easy for a bride on a budget.

The sturdiness factor makes several man-made varieties superior to cut flowers for use in boutonnieres, corsages, and bouquets. Artificial stephanotis, lily-of-the-valley, lilacs, and individual hydrangea blooms hold up way better than fresh cut blossoms in decorations intended to be worn or carried. They don't need a water source and they don't turn brown.

Artificial botanicals last for years and don't need any more than an occasional dusting. That means you can buy your budget blooms months or even years ahead of your nuptials and learn how to work with them at your leisure. Anyone learning a new skill takes longer than an expert and fresh flowers are very time sensitive. When you use artificials, you can relax and take whatever amount of time you need to get everything picture perfect.

Another advantage of using silk wedding flowers is that you can try different looks and styles of arrangement, arranging and re-arranging your silk flowers until you discover what you like best. You can also know exactly how your bouquets, arrangements, and other floral décor will look long before your wedding day. This should give you a bit of peace of mind.

So you can have any type or variety you want, no matter what time of year you hold your wedding.

With man-made botanicals you can use types that aren't in season, you can match swatches of your bridesmaids' dresses and other color samples with confidence, and you can use flowers the real versions of which are too delicate to stand up well in arrangements and bouquets. Faux lily-of-the-valley is superior to the real thing, in my opinion, as it won't dry up and it won't cost a fortune. It will also definitely be available, whereas real lily-of-the-valley is extremely unpredictable and I've seen it cost as much as $8 a stem!

If you pop the head off a real rose, or gerbera daisy, you may as well forget about fixing it. Silk flowers are far more forgiving. If you cut the stem too short you can glue it back on with a bit of hot glue or even attach a wire to it with floral tape to add length. If a flower head falls off you can glue it right back on with corsage glue, rubber cement, or hot glue. If you aren't satisfied with how your arrangement comes together you can pull it apart and start over without bruising a single petal. You may need to use a new block of foam or a new tussy mussy holder but it's better than ruining expensive flowers by accident or through inexperience.

The use of fabric blooms in your wedding also allows you a backup plan in case you aren't satisfied with the way they look after you arrange them. If you spend a lot of time on them and still are not satisfied, you may be able to find a florist who will be willing to arrange them for a fee. Fresh flowers don't allow enough time for that and very few florists will work with fresh product that comes from outside their shop, nor can they repair real plant material if it has taken damage from handling.

When it comes to ease of set up, nothing beats the substitute for the real thing! They don't need to be arranged in water or wet floral foam so they are much, much lighter than their fresh floral counterparts. Due to their lighter weight silk wedding flowers are easier to attach to pews in churches and onto garden arches. Because they don't wilt you can set them up at churches and reception venues as soon as you are allowed entry. Again, this allows you time to take your time and get it right rather than having to rush around like a madman on your wedding day and possibly make a mess of things.