Don't know if I am the right person to answer because I am not very keen on flowers so neither fake (as in imitating real ones) or real ones are the way to go for me. I personally prefer obviously fake - my bouquet is crocheted but I've seen most beautiful felt flowers or bouquets made from balsa wood. And brooch bouquets ofc.

And I don't think - I know - I'll ever regret not having real flowers. I can keep my bouquet forever!

I keep changing my mind.I started off thinking i would have fake and saw some really lovely Calla Lilly bouquets on ebay and was so convinced i nearly ordered them.Then i had some stargazer lillys bought for me and they just smelled heavenly and i realised that thats what i would miss with fake so started thinking i would have fresh.At present i am still not decided i love the certainty of fake(you know they will not wilt and you will see them long before the big day so no last minute nasy surprises when the florist has misinterpretted your vision etc) but i love the beauty and fragrance of real flowers.Of course there is the price to consider as well as the fake ones were a good £100 cheaper than the fresh and you get to keep the fake ones forever ....but do i really want to keep yet another memento that in all honesty will end up in the loft forever cos i won't want to get rid of it???

I am however defintely having fake flowers on my cake(already got them) I am making my own cake and decorating it myself so i don't want to worry about them and to be honest they look lovely but i dont expect them to look real and i don't want my cake to smell of flowers-if that makes sense so i am easier to please on this score! xxx

Thanks everyone
I thought I'd have fake as on a tight budget and seen some that look lovely but now going more towards real...
Not have buttonholes for the guests or centrepieces though.
Argh don't know what to do - least I've got a bit of time decide
xx

I am having silk flowers, mainly because of the price, and secondly so I can keep them forever, and all the BMs can keep theirs. I want to put m bouquet on a stand in a glass cabinet, along with my tiara and other wedding bits.

You really do pay for what you get though...I mean foam roses are cheap...can look lovely, but in my opinion dont look real. However, Silk flowers can look very real. Have a look at Melodys thread with her flowers in xxx

Go for real then you wont be worrying what the fake ones look like, if you have a local market find the florist on there and get some prices they are much cheaper than shops cos they dont have the same overheads and flowers are flowers wherever you purchase them from. In a florist I was quoted £7.50 for one carnation buttonhole but on my local market £1.50 for the same it was a no brainer for me. I was quoted £160.00 for my bouquet of white roses in a florist shop and £50 on the market for the exact same thing.

I think a real important factor is if you want them to smell - I don't like the smell of flowers and that's why I don't like them very much but for someone who likes flowers I can totally see why fake ones won't do without the smell.

I'm having fake flowers but that's mainly because I have hayfever and I really don't fancy having a runny nose and red watery eyes on my big day

My family own a florist and we charge the SAME prices for real and artificial flowers for weddings. I think it all depends on where u are. For me it's fresh flowers all the way but then I am gunna be there the day before making sure I have exactly what I want :) xx

Personally I would prefer real and am having real, however I have seen many beautiful artifical bouquets, Melody (a member on here) flowers were amazing and artifical :)

We had artificial. Our colour scheme was blue and I wanted roses, so the only solution really was to have artificial. I must admit they were gorgeous though, and will last forever. Ours weren't that expensive either (about £60 for my bouquet and about £25 for my bm).

We chose artificial because the wedding was in August - and I really can't stand bees/wasps so didn't want them flying round the flowers if it had been a hot day lol.

hi I am having the same problem would love the smell of real flowers but we are on a tight budget and cant really afford real flowers. I am thinking of going for a compromise of having real flowers for mine and fake for the bridesmaids.
I am with you though, its a difficult one!! As i also have the same prob as vikki, hayfever in spring might not be the best idea to go for real flowers....

I love real flowers but I'm allergic to the strong scented ones, I'm sure that fake flowers will be nice. I had some as a bridesmaid many years ago (16) they were roses on a hoop. Nice keepsake too.

unless you have hayfever suzky123 then you just end up looking like someones punched you in the face lol

Could anyone leave links on my wall for companies that they would recommend for fake flowers? Thanks xx

i've popped one on your wall grace, check out my flowers to see her work i really cannot recommend her enough

That is a really good idea kimmie, where can you get glass display cabinets for them? xx

i had fake flowers and loved them and the best thing is that i can keep them, a friend of ours got married not long ago and she had real but some of the buttonholes were curling up and looking like they were dying before the reception, but its entirely personal choice hun, it was always fake ones for me as i wanted to keep them

Am having real! £250 for large bespoke brides shower bouquet, 2 bridesmaids handtied bouquets, 3 corsages and 6 button holes. Same lady my SIL2b had and her flowers were gorgeous so I know mine are going to be too :)

i think i'm going to have a mix of both, get some really nice real ones then artificial backgroundy ones to bulk them out, not sure how it will look yet, seeing the florist on tues to discuss!!!

Ooh Sara I love gerberas, after calla lilies they're my favourite :) Definitely my favourite summer flower, but our date is winter Xx

I know, they're just gorgeous! We're having cerise pink and bright orange bouquets - they make me happy to look at them :o) xx

All of those are lovely :) Krissy and Ecofreak where are you getting yours from?x

feebee thats really good as my shower alone is 150 and each bm is 85. You got a very good deal there.

I like broach bouquets and would defo have one if having a winter wedding but think for summer wedding, real was the right choice for us for the tables and my bouquet.