Spotlight On Silk vs. Fresh Flowers…
…To Silk Or Not To Silk?
Today, florists are finding ways to really put the “wow” factor into bouquets for the bride. The modern bouquet is becoming an art form, with creations including feathers, twigs, rhinestones, berries, jewelry, metal and more. Today’s bride is not only a princess, but a rock star in her own mind, so providing that same “wow” factor for the wedding guests is becoming a craving that many brides desire. But at what cost?
What exactly is this “wow” factor going to cost? There are so many things to think about before choosing your flowers. So let’s chit chat, shall we?
First things first, decide on your budget and how large you see your guest list and the size of your wedding party being. It adds up quickly, my dears! Think about how much money you could save by just cutting down the number of your guest list and bridal party attendants. The more money you save, the more you’ll have available for those “wow” factor details. Need help deciding on your guest list? Take THIS quiz, featured on the Wedded Bits Blog by Brides.com! You’ll love it.
If you’ve already decided on your budget, bridal party and guest list, now you’re probably wondering what’s better…fresh flowers or faux?
Silk and other faux flowers are really making a big comeback. You’re seeing them a lot right now, in accessories especially, adorning beautiful wedding dresses, handbags, ring pillows and hair. So why not use them for your wedding flowers too? We’re not talking the same silk flowers found in your grandma’s attic. Today’s faux flowers are looking hotter than ever! Take a look at these fabulous silk bouquets, from www.bloomedtolast.com:
As fashionable as faux flowers may be right now, does it really mean they’re more affordable than fresh flowers? Not necessarily. In fact, sometimes silk flowers can even be more expensive than real! It’s all about researching your options. Look around. Get quotes. Even visit your local craft store, throw a bunch together yourself - do you love the look?
There are some great things about using silk or other faux flowers for your wedding. Silk flowers don’t wilt in warm weather, nor do they freeze in cold weather. They’re lightweight, making them easier for you to carry and easier to transfer from one location to another. Silk flowers are more durable, and will obviously last a lot longer than fresh flowers…how nice to have your bouquet looking the same way it did on your wedding day, on your 25th anniversary! Not to mention the fact that they’re great if you or your soon-to-be hubby are allergic to fresh flowers.
The only issue I see brides really having with faux flowers is that they don’t have the fresh scent as real ones do. Also, depending on the quality, silk flowers can either look really fake or really real. Often, the ones that look more real can end up costing more, but not always! There are good deals out there, so don’t get discouraged, dearies. Just keep your eyes open.
If you prefer fresh flowers, take a look at some of these beauties below for inspiration. Notice how many of them incorporate the different things as mentioned earlier - like feathers and rhinestones. What if you cut back on the flowers, and added more affordable feathers? What if your accents became your “flowers” and your flowers became your “accents”? These are just ideas to think about.
If you wanted to achieve these looks below but still stick with your budget, consider using helpful tools like The Flower Finder at Brides.com, or even this Floral Generator from BlissWeddings.com. These tools will help you choose flowers by style, color, season, etc.
After you’ve done your own research, don’t be afraid to ask your florist for help too - give them a realistic budget, don’t expect them to be able to read your mind, because they can’t (though don’t you just sometimes wish they could?).
In the end, whatever you choose, your wedding will be beautiful. Don’t let people tell you what to choose…let it be YOUR decision, it is YOUR wedding. Best of luck! Now let’s look at some more eye candy!
I LOVE these bouquets below by Asiel Design, thanks to Tanja Lippert Photography for introducing me to them! If you haven’t checked out either of these vendors, do so now…your jaws will drop. Their work is so beautiful!
For you faux flower lovers…I know you could create these same looks, print a copy of this post, take it with you to your local craft store and play around in the floral section. We’d LOVE to see what you’ve come up with!
Aren’t these darker bouquets so dramatically lovely?
These brighter ones are super sexy, aren’t they?
So romantic.
Stylishly angelic!
Hope you enjoyed and found this week’s guest blog post helpful! If you want to read up some more on faux vs. real flowers, check out these articles:
Silk bridal bouquets v.s. Fresh Flowers at HappyNews.com, Why Silk at BloomedToLast.com, Wedding Flowers: Silk v.s. Fresh at TheKnot.com.
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out my blog, “It’s A Jaime Thing” for even more wedding inspiration, ideas, and all things creative. Happy planning!
Awesome Jaime I love the whimsical bouquets- anything magical looking is delightful. So what do you think to silk or not to silk? I’m thinking why not do both! 
gift girl
Photo from: Fete New York (www.feteny.com)
Place cards or escort cards are an essential part of the reception. Telling guests either which table to sit at (escort cards) or which seat at which table to sit at (place cards), they keep chaos from forming when guests arrive at dinner. But more than that, these lovely little numbers can be part of a beautiful display that speaks the theme of your event. Take a look at some of these unique ways to hang, pin, chalk and share your seat assignments with your guests. Make finding your way to your table a fun part of the process…
Top Row: Robert Evans Studios (www.robertevans.com); Artfool (www.artfool.com); Love, Luck & Angels (www.loveluckandangels.com)
Middle Row: Robert Evans Studios (www.robertevans.com); End Design (www.end-design.com)
Bottom Row: End Design (www.end-design.com), Soiree Charleston (www.soireecharleston.com), Michelle Rago Ltd (www.michelleragoltd.com)
little details make such a big difference! Thanks Harmony! Be sure to check out Bridal Bar for more ways to add little extras to your day!
These are pricey tea light lamps but a few of these on an escort card table would be very chic.
I love these french lollipops. Also very chic and fun.
I think linen in itself is so beautiful. Why not make ribbon out of it.
Thanks Lisa. And the linen ribbon is stunning! Be sure to check out Bellissima Vita for more cool things!
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Clutch Crush!
Wear a hint of gold at your wedding. This Mini crush gold python clutch is the perfect wedding accessory and it is an ‘Always a Bridesmaid’ expert pick! Available in color-get one for your bridesmaids too!
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Bulls eye
These bull dog cuff links will make any dog lover smile. Give a pair to your groom or your groomsmen.
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Mirror Reflection
An exquisite mirrored jewelry box. A great place to store newly acquired treasures.
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Terrific Twill
Milo Sofa Mist Twill makes a beautiful addition to your room and registry.
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Meet Always a Bridesmaid
Check out this expert profile and discover great ideas for your wedding!
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Great Registry Items!
Always a Bridesmaid has a whole list of fun suggestions for your registry! Be sure to check out ‘For Your Registry’
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…Lessons In Love From Betty Co-ed!
A couple weeks ago I guest blogged Vintage Wedding Style…Inspired By Timeless Looks!, here on the Wishpot Wedding Blog and got a wonderful response!
It seems so many brides today are going for the “vintage look”, so earlier this week on my blog, It’s A Jaime Thing, I featured some more great links from around the wedding blog community that bring you even more ideas on how to create your classic style. See my Vintage Linkage post for even more inspiration.
Today, I want to share with you a wedding-related newspaper article from back in the day…in 1944! This was the article my little sister read to me over the phone - she had found really old newspapers from 1944, perfectly preserved under her attic floor, while she was pulling up the flooring. So neat! It’s funny how much times have changed. Enjoy!
(Can you guess who they are?)
Article From May 14, 1944 - The American Weekly Newspaper
Lessons In Love From Betty Co-Ed….
The parents of many a supposedly scattered-brain co-ed did not use nearly as much common sense as their daughters when they were young and romantic.
A lot of people have the notion that the average girl goes to college to work on a Mrs. Degree, but that, according to a recent survey among co-eds is just so much bunk. Most girls, it was discovered, go there to pursue learning - not to learn pursuing.
At Montana State University, where the survey was conducted, the girls revealed that despite the war-time trend to the contrary, they are in no rush to acquire husbands. Further-more - they are opposed to short engagements.
The business about “Love at first sight”, according to the Montana co-eds, is just so much hokum. 82% of the girls, in answering a questionnaire on the subject, said that they didn’t believe in it. A romantic 18% did.
Marriage, in the eyes of the smart co-eds is a lottery in which you can’t tear up your ticket if you lose. To avoid too much of a gamble, the majority preferred knowing their boyfriends quite a while before they took the fatal step.
37% expressed a preference for engagements lasting a year or more. Another 25% thought 6 months was long enough. Practically all of the girls frowned on so-called war-time (furlough romances), 5% favored (short) engagements.
Although the girls empathetically denied that they came to college in quest of a husband, the survey shows that the campus, despite the current scarcity of men, continues to play an important role in match-making. Of the senior girls questioned, 50% admitted they were engaged.
The percentage fell sharply in the direction of the lower age groups - 44% of the juniors were engaged, 19% of the sophomores, and 12 and one-half percent of the freshmen. The co-eds agreed that the ideal marriage age for a woman is 23. A man, they decided to be 25.
Most of the girls met their future husband through their own social contacts and not those of their families. Only about one girl in nine found her fiance in her home town and only about one in eight became acquainted with her future husband through her own family.
Crazy, isn’t it? Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check out my blog, “It’s A Jaime Thing” for even more wedding inspiration. Happy planning!
Wow how times have changed! But what do you think is there love at first sight? Thanks Jaime another great post and I’m anxious to know what people today think. I know I am a romantic at heart but I might be too much of a realist for love at first site. :)
gift girl
Check out these cool Keds designed by our Dynamite Weddings Expert! It’s a little hard to see but on the heel of the shoe- it says #1 Bridesmaid!
gift girl
When selecting a theme for your wedding you can choose something as simple and understated as “romantic and intimate” or something as bold and colorful as a Moroccan feast. But most couples select a look somewhere in the middle. Whatever your theme, weave it subtly.
Take a look at this event that took place on the Malibu Pier in CA; the location set the tone for the wedding. The couple used the palette of the pier and ocean - white and blue to anchor their event, while weaving touches of nautical accents. Anchor-printed coasters dressed the tables, but with tasteful stripes filling most of the paper space. Jars of starfish with coordinating striped ribbon trim decked the deck. As guests experienced the evening, the stripes hid among all sorts of elements, from the base of the bridal gown, and the groom’s tie to the cookie tower for dessert. The flags atop the cookies brought the guests back to the theme of being out on the ocean and the flip-flops are of course fitting of the coastal setting. But no one nautical element is too overdone. The stripes, the sea, and the palette peak in and out of the event so guests can enjoy the full experience and locale without feeling like they are at a kids’ party.
When you incorporate your surroundings, or any theme for that matter, you don’t have to serve boat-shaped butter and send out a miniature life raft as an invitation. It’s the little things make the big difference.
Event Design and Planning: Details Event Planning (www.detailseventplanning.com)
Photography: Red Loft Studios (www.redloftstudios.com)
Little things really do make a big difference; just like this little guest post! Thank you Harmony. For more great big little ideas check our Bridal Bar.
gift girl
The Best of Southern Weddings
Southern weddings hold a certain magic. The moss on the oak trees and the smell of magnolia blooms conjure up memories of spending time with close family and age-old traditions passed down from generation to generation. The Southern Weddings print edition (debuts January 2009 all over the Southeast!) and daily blog were created for the savvy modern Southern bride who wants to take these traditions and make them her own.
We’ve put together the following collection of links (in no particular order) to a very small few of our recent real wedding posts. Whether you are a big city bride who wants to add some southern charm to your big day or a west coast gal whose heart is in Dixie, these weddings are sure to inspire. Sit back with a glass of sweet tea and enjoy~
1. Cheryl and Phil - {Jenna Walker Photographers}, 2. Evana and Chinedu - {Fred Egan}, 3. Brittany and Wilson - {Paul Johnson}, 4. Julie and Andy - {Paul Johnson}, 5. Robin + Winfield - {Heather Forsythe Photography}, 6.Kelly and Robert - {Meg Baisden Photography}, 7. Susanna and Justin - {Gandy Photographers}, 8. Abby + Kevin - {Whitebox Weddings}, 9. Alexandra and Jeremy - {Woodward + Rick}, 10. Anna and Matt - {Tim Harman Photography}, 11. Catherine and Ben - {A Bryan Photography}, 12. Meredith and Albert - {Meg Baisden Photography}, 13. Kinsey and Corey - {Millie Holloman}, 14. Blair + Roth - {Critsey Rowe}, 15. Liza + Tyler - {W. Scott Chester Photography}, Kelly + Thomas - {Critsey Rowe}.
For more beautiful Southern Wedding ideas check out Southern Weddings Blog. Thanks Lara for the guest post.
gift girl
More cool things from Lisa… and be sure to check out Bellissima Vita’s new blog look!
I love this lantern.
These candles are great too.
You know that I love anything wood. These wood grain invites are very cool.
Thanks Lisa — great ideas and your new blog look is really beautiful!
gift girl
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Say Thank You With a Shoe?
Looking for a unique way to thank your bridesmaids? Our Dynamite Weddings expert has found it! Customized Keds shoes. Add your own graphics and even text. Now your bridesmaids can take their thank you with them- on their feet!
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Locket Love
These locket cuff links are a great way to show your groom just how special he is.
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Full House Idea
Sure to be a favorite with your groomsmen- a poker chip set and aluminum case
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Trees Please
Thank your guests in an eco-friendly way with a mighty oak tree.
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Meet Dynamite Weddings
Check out this expert profile and discover explosive gift ideas for your bridal party!
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Espresso this!
A great addition to a registry and one of Dynamite Weddings fave things.
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