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Go with the Faux

Silk flowers provide brides with a floral option that's both travel- and budget-friendly while still looking fresh

When it comes to weddings, most people associate the use of silk with the bride's dress. The lustrous fabric, however, has found another outlet in the floral arrangements accessorizing and decorating such milestone affairs.

Brides are choosing silk flowers for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is cost. If a bride selects roses for her wedding, the silk version can be at least 10- to 15-percent cheaper than the authentic option, according to Bonnie Goodwin Ray, president and operations manager of Bonnie's Floral Creations in Garner, N.C., which operates MySilkWeddingFlowers.com.

Other draws are how well silk flowers travel for out-of-town weddings; their hypoallergenic factor for those prone to watery eyes around mother nature; and the extensive selection available, especially for non-seasonal flowers if brides choose to rent the bouquets.

As a result, brides are having a hard time saying no to the option.

"I'd say 30 percent of our brides are choosing silk flowers compared to five years [ago], when maybe a few tried it out," says wedding planner Christine Baumgartner, owner of Laguna Niguel, Calif.-based The Perfect Day, whose clients opt of silk flowers for the wedding décor and table arrangements. "The quality is amazing," she says. "It's not like something you buy from [a craft store] that's smooshed and dusty."

In fact, Baumgartner has seen wedding guests standing nearby gazebos adorned with silk flowers and comment on how good they smell.

"They have no idea," she says.

The rising level of craftsmanship in making the silk flowers is what's driving new interest, Goodwin Ray agrees. In the past, brides may have recoiled at the thought of using silk flowers in place of fresh flora.

"Over the last three years, it's doubled in popularity because these flowers look so real," says Goodwin Ray, whose business focuses on selling flowers using everything from orchids and lilies to roses and delphiniums.

Preparing silk flowers still requires plenty of delicate work, so brides should allow for at least 2-4 months when ordering their arrangements, she said. The company's Web site has received orders from most states, including Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, Maine and Michigan - even England.

"People in England seem to love silk flowers," Goodwin Ray says.

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