#276 Alternative Wedding Flowers

How important are wedding flowers? We're pretty sure you'd agree they're a huge part of your decor, right? Yet is it really, totally, and absolutely necessary to use live flowers? “Say whaat? Fake flowers? No way!” But wait, we're not talking about the kind of faux flowers you’d find at your local craft store.

On today’s show Christy and Michelle are talking to a Megan and Amanda Rapacz, sisters and co-founders of Silk Stem collective , a silk flower rental company that offers a menu of options for you to choose from. Their model of rent, use, and return isn’t only sustainable it’s quite savvy don’t you think? You’ll also hear from Maria, a wedding planner from Kara Mia Events as the ladies chat it up and discuss manufactured wood flowers.

The discussion leads to fresh vs fake flowers, sustainability in the wedding industry, and how to make the right choice for your big day. Ready? Set. Learn.

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Big Takeaways

• There are ways to sustainably source and dispose of real cut flowers.
• Look for locally grown, in- season flowers.
• Use them without flower foam.
• Arrange to have them donated or composted at the end of the day. However, sometimes there isn’t a viable option with travel, guests having allergies to flowers, not having a proper way to dispose of them, etc.
• And if you want to keep the flowers having the sola wood option means you can keep them forever or even use them again.
• There is definitely a craftsmanship with florists. This isn’t to say you can’t DIY, but when you really want something perfect, the extra cost of a florist can absolutely be worth it.
• With Silk Stem, they do make the arrangements for you. They have multiple collections you can choose from. This can really help you match colors and see exactly what you’re getting when you order.
• Another benefit of these flowers is that they will still look good a day later. If dates are changing, or you have two day photoshoots, you know for sure these flowers will still look fresh and new.
• Basically - as Maria said - there is no one size fits all. And if you’re thinking of alternatives to fresh flowers for your wedding - both fabric and sola wood are options you can consider.
• What do you like the look of?
• Order samples?
• What can you afford?
• What do you want to do with it afterwards?
• And remember - aiming for a green wedding is not an all or nothing endeavor.
• You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by the prospects and options - there are ways to zero in on one element and make that a more sustainable option for your wedding.
• There is a lot of fear around faux flowers. If you are on the fence, order a sample!

Links We Referenced

greenweddingguild.com

karamiaevents.com

instagram.com/greenweddingguild

facebook.com/greenweddingguild

silkstemcollective.com (Use Code: PODCAST20 for 20% of $200+ and free shipping)

instagram.com/silkstemcollective

Get In Touch: 

The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is…

Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez 

• Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics 
• On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
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