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What are your thoughts on real vs. Silk Flowers?

Just curious what your experiences have been with real and silk flowers.
I like that silk won’t wilt or get crushed or need looking after, but I’m worried about them looking fake up close and in pictures.
Has anyone had great success with silk flowers? If so, where did you get them (what company)? I find the ones in craft and hobby stores to be very artificial looking. The ones I find online look great online, but I’m worried about how they’ll look in person.
Also wondering if anyone has mixed silk in with real flowers. If so, what were your results?
I don’t mind spending a little extra on whatever would give the best results.

I love silks, because I love to be really crafty and working with silks before my wedding let me deal with the flowers and arrangements at my own pace instead of having to rush the night before.

People on this board get really vehement about this issue. I love silks, but I also love fresh – I certainly wouldn’t tell someone they were wrong for using fresh.

My silks were good, but I do have to say – some of them didn’t photograph really well. That’s okay with me, though – it’s a tradeoff I was willing to make, because I saved money AND I still have the flowers. They’re beautiful in person.

Some silks do photograph well, though – maybe you could buy a stem or two of the ones you’d like to use and snap a couple of photos to test them out?

(Edit: I know you’re not worried about cost, but just so there’s no confusion for others reading these answers, I’d like to point out that even though good silks often do cost as much as real, there are still cost savings – that’s because silks are easier to DIY, so you can skip paying the labor costs of a florist. You can DIY real flowers, too, but it’s sometimes inconvenient and many aren’t willing to do it.)

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