Wedding flowers
Faux vs Fresh Wedding Flowers: Which Should You Choose?
Faux wedding flowers win on timing, weather resistance, allergies, and colour or bloom choice, since they're arranged weeks ahead and don't wilt, wherever the day is held. Fresh flowers win on natural scent, and on genuinely being yours to keep afterwards if that matters to you. Cost depends on how you compare them: hiring faux flowers avoids buying outright, while fresh is always bought new for the day.
How do faux and fresh wedding flowers compare?
| Faux (silk, hired) | Fresh (bought) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Hired, so no need to buy outright, quoted individually | Bought outright for the day, priced by your florist |
| Timing | Made up weeks ahead, ready to check well before the day | Arranged in the days immediately before, subject to delivery timing |
| Weather | No wilting in heat, wind, or a long outdoor ceremony | Can wilt in warm weather, especially over a long day |
| Allergies | No pollen or scent | Pollen and scent can affect guests |
| Colour and season | Any colour or bloom, any time of year | Limited by what's genuinely in season |
| Scent | None | Natural fragrance, which matters to some couples |
| Keeping it afterwards | Hired pieces are collected after the event | Yours to keep, press, or dry |
So which is right for you?
If you want flowers finalised weeks ahead with zero weather risk, in any colour, and you're not attached to keeping the arrangements afterwards, faux tends to be the more relaxed choice. If natural scent matters to you, or you specifically want to keep or press your bouquet, fresh is the better fit. Plenty of couples choose a middle ground: hired faux for the pieces that need to last the whole day, alongside a small amount of fresh for the bouquet or a particular detail.
Common questions
Is it common to use faux flowers for a wedding?
Yes, it's an increasingly common choice, particularly for couples who want to avoid weather risk or lock in their flowers well ahead of the day.
Can I mix fresh and faux flowers at my wedding?
Yes, many couples do, hired faux for larger arrangements that need to last the day, with fresh used for a bouquet or a specific detail where scent matters.
Do faux wedding flowers photograph as well as fresh?
Yes. Our arrangements are crafted from premium silk and real-touch blooms, hand-arranged rather than mass-produced, so they photograph just as well as fresh.
Does Blooming Tales sell or hire wedding flowers?
We hire wedding flowers, delivered for the day and collected afterwards, rather than selling them outright, that's the basis for how we price them.
Still weighing it up?
Talk it through with Sophie, with no obligation. She'll help you work out what suits your day, your venue, and your budget.