Fresh cut flowers will always be a sentimental favorite for a lot of brides when it comes to constructing a wedding bouquet, but these days more and more brides consider silk (faux) wedding bouquets. Technology marches on and the days are long past when silk flowers were considered a second-rate, tacky substitute for cut flowers.
These days the top end silk florals are designed and created from scratch, with a perfect imitation of a fresh flower a given. Top quality raw materials are matched with modern computerized laser and mold technology and supported with skilled, trained flower practitioners that are fully managed with modern process and quality control systems. Fresh florals are literally dissected,
TreeRose and replicated down to the last fold and last color blemish.
Silk wedding bouquets as a consequence display blooms that are picture perfect, visually stunning, frequently have the relevant fragrant concentrate added and are as impactful as the real thing. The look-and-feel to the faux wedding bouquet is so realistic that very often third party observers have to literally touch and examine at face value the flowers to discern any difference between the silk flower and the fresh cut flower counterpart. Even when added to a bouquet of fresh cut blooms, people sometimes are unable to detect the silk floral imposters.
After all why bother with real florals and in particular the availability of fresh wedding flowers, when you can get a faux wedding flower equivalent. A bloom like hydrangeas is a classic example of a fresh wedding flower that sometimes are simply not available. In addition, apart from not being in season all year, hydrangeas tend to wilt easily and have to very carefully managed in this regard. With silk hydrangeas a budding bride simply does not have to concern herself with these issues.
However even with the obvious advantages associated with faux flowers, any potential bride needs to be cognizant to some of the potential pitfalls that subtly exist when deciding on silk flower bouquets. These include:
• Price: The main raw materials for silk flowers are silk, polyester, rayon, and cotton, which because of global supply and demand dynamics, coupled with annual volume requirements, are traded as commodities. Since 2009 until middle 2012 there have been some disproportionate increases in the price of these commodities largely as a consequence of demand outstripping supply and crude oil prices accelerating in excess of $100 per barrel.
Any bride needs to carefully research the cost comparison of silk wedding bouquets compared to cut flower bouquets, as the cheap cousin is not so cheap any longer, and in certain instances silk florals are actually more expensive. Be careful of planning a wedding upfront exclusively around faux flowers, only to realize closer to the time this approach is prohibitively expensive.
• Manufacture: Yes it is theoretically possible to make your own faux flowers as opposed to buying the faux flowers and making up the arrangements, but this is ill-advised. Your flowers need to be vibrant and botanically faultless on your special day, and unless you are a graphic artist who has an accomplished technical skill in flower making and access to the appropriate equipment and technology, this approach should be avoided at all costs. Your propensity for error is simply unacceptably high.
• Sourcing: When you purchase the faux florals do so well in advance and from a reputable supplier. Cheaper does not necessarily mean better, and conversely can actually translate into worse. Avoid using a supplier exclusively because they offer a cheaper product.
Research blogs, forums and websites to understand who the better referenced suppliers are, and purchase well ahead of time to allow yourself time to experiment and construct the silk wedding bouquets you want. When making your purchase also purchase slightly more than what you need if you can afford it, to ensure you have extra back-up silk flowers if required. Sometimes the suppliers will stock up in limited campaigns, which can result in a certain flower not being available if you try and replenish your silk flowers later on.