Benefits of Using Wooden Wedding Flowers
Every year, there are roughly 2.5 million weddings performed in the United States. Those weddings involve tons of moving pieces to help put together the perfect day for the bride and groom.
One of those moving pieces is choosing the perfect flowers for your special day. Most people spend between $1900 and $2100 on flowers, which is a hefty chunk of their wedding budget.
A unique solution is using wood flowers for your wedding. If you're thinking of using wooden wedding flowers, this guide is for you. Let's dive into everything you need to know about wood flowers for a wedding!
What Are Wooden Wedding Flowers?
Wooden wedding flowers, although certainly made out of wood, aren't made out of traditional woods like oak or mahogany. Instead, they're made out of a marshy type of wood known as Aeschynomene Aspera or sola wood.
Wooden flowers can be used in a number of different ways, including flowering hats, wedding bouquets, and home decor. Since the Aeschynomene wood, more commonly called sola wood, is so lightweight, it's easy to cut them into beautiful flowers.
Sola flowers are hand-cut, which is part of what makes them so unique. Each flower's petal is hand-cut from sheets of sola wood and then used to make beautiful, realistic-looking flowers.
After the artist has cut the flowers, they can either dye the flowers or package them off in their natural ivory color. If they choose to dye the flowers, they will do so by:
- Dipping the flowers in watered-down acrylic paint
- Painting the flowers with watercolors using a brush
- Spray painting the flowers
- Dip-dyeing the flowers with fabric dye
After dyeing sola wood flowers, the petals will sometimes become unshaped. When this happens, the artist can either curl the wood again, or they can dry them in a way that reshapes the flowers.
When the wood flowers are fully dry, the artisan may add a stem to the flower. To do so, they poke a piece of wire into the base of the flower and hot glue it in place. Then, they wrap the stems in floral tape.
What Tools Do Artisans Use to Make Sola Flowers?
When artisans sit down to make sola flowers, they use a few special materials. Each of these materials plays a vital role in helping create beautiful, hand-crafted flowers.
For one, artisans use special clippers. The clippers are important for cutting the floral wire used to make the stems of sola flowers.
Speaking of floral wire, that's another key material that artisans use to craft wooden flowers. Typically, artisans use an 18 gauge floral stem to create gorgeous flower arrangements.
Another key material that sola flower artisans use is floral foam. Floral foam helps hold vase arrangements in place when you want sola flower centerpieces for your wedding.
They also use a hot glue gun to stem the flowers and adhere them to pins and clips for hairpieces, crowns, boutonnieres, and more. And, they use floral tape to hide wires and glue dots and to make the flowers look more realistic.
How Long Do Sola Flowers Last?
One of the reasons why brides are turning to sola flowers rather than real flowers is that they last a lifetime. In fact, as long as you take care of them properly, they could last forever.
To make sure that your flowers last as long as possible, store them in an open container. Keep them in a cool, dry place where they won't be affected by drastic changes in temperature.
Another tip for caring for your sola flowers is to store them away from direct sunlight. This will prevent the dye from fading and causing the flowers to lose their color.
How Much Do Wooden Flowers Cost?
If you're interested in having sola wood flowers at your wedding, you'll need to know how to budget for them. Sola wood flowers usually cost about $1.00 per piece, although they could cost more or less depending on the size you select.
Sola flowers are naturally a cream color, which means they work great in a natural palette. However, you can dye them into any color you desire!
If you're really wanting to cut corners on your flower budget, you can order your flowers in a natural color and dye them yourself. You may also use bulk orders.
Another way brides save money on their flowers is by purchasing sola flowers unstemmed. Stemming sola flowers is very easy, and can be done in few seconds per flower.
As mentioned earlier, the size of the flowers will also affect how much they cost. Larger flowers and special styles of flowers will require more materials, increasing the overall cost of the bouquet. Think about what types and sizes of wood flowers you want to help keep costs down.
Even though larger floral sola flower bouquets can certainly add up, most sola flower centerpieces wind up costing roughly half the price of a real flower centerpiece. They can be a great way to save money on your wedding without sacrificing your aesthetic.
Benefits of Sola Wood Wedding Flowers
Now that we've looked at the main details of sola flowers, let's take a minute to talk about some of the reasons why they're perfect for your upcoming nuptials. Here are a few of the benefits of sola flowers.
They're Eco-Friendly
One major benefit of using wooden flowers in your wedding is that they're kind to the environment. If you're worried about the impact that your wedding will have on the environment, sola flowers can be a great way to help limit the negative impact.
Sola flowers are eco-friendly because they don't kill hundreds of flowers just for a one-day event. And, sola flowers come from a sustainable natural resource that grows quickly.
What that means is that your sola flowers, although still made of natural materials, won't damage the environment. And, if you choose to throw them out at the end of the day, they're biodegradable and won't harm the earth in the process.
They're Diverse
Another major reason to use sola flowers for your wedding is that you have tons of different options to select from. With real flowers, you're limited to flower varieties that grow near the location of your wedding or that are in season.
Sola flowers, however, can be any style you like. You can choose exotic styles that are hard to come by in real flowers or can opt for flowers that are out of season and still get the gorgeous look you're going for!
With sola flowers, you have the chance to make your wedding bouquet as diverse and unique as you like.
They're Highly Customizable
This benefit goes hand-in-hand with the diversity of sola flowers. Sola flowers are extremely customizable, meaning that you can make them whatever color and style you want.
Since there are tons of different wedding themes out there, it can be tough to make real flowers match your theme. You might be able to find the perfect color flowers but not find a style that fits your theme.
With sola flowers, however, you don't have the same problems. You can create gorgeous wood flowers in any color or style you like, even if that wouldn't be possible with real flowers. That way you can come up with perfect wedding arrangements that fit right into your theme and color scheme.
They're Hypoallergenic
At weddings, you have huge numbers of friends and family in attendance. And, you don't have any way of determining what allergies people might have. That can make choosing hypoallergenic flowers that won't give anyone the sneezes especially tough.
One big perk of using wooden sola flowers at your wedding is that they get rid of this problem. Sola wood is a hypoallergenic material that won't cause anyone in your wedding party or in attendance to get sick.
That means that you can have as many sola wood flower decorations as you like. You'll be able to have an unforgettable wedding ceremony and reception without worrying about sneezing guests all through the process.
They're Multi-Purpose
Many wedding purchases, flowers included, can be hard to justify because of the hefty price tags they carry. That can make you feel as though you're gritting your teeth when you sign the check for your decorations, especially since you know they'll only be used for one day.
In contrast, wood flowers are a fantastic investment to make because they're more cost-effective and have multiple uses. Wood sola flowers don't die, which means that you can save them for years. You can keep them as decorations in your home or even give them away to wedding guests as favors.
You can also use your sola flowers to decorate other events. You can remove the flowers from their wedding flower arrangements and create new, beautiful decorations that work well in any situation.
They Have Monetary Value
Let's be honest. Real flowers cost a huge amount of money. And, even though you're shelling out tons of money on them, you only get to use them for a single day!
Wooden flowers, on the other hand, last forever, meaning that you can reuse them at the end of your ceremony. You can either hold onto them and use them to decorate your house or can sell them to other brides who want this type of flower.
Since wooden flowers are relatively inexpensive in the first place, you can sell them close to their retail value and still find customers wanting to buy them. Offering them up on Facebook Marketplace or other public markets is a great way to help out another happy couple and make back your investment.
Choosing the Perfect Sola Wood Wedding Flowers
If the idea of these beautiful flowers appeals, you'll need to know how to choose the perfect flowers. After all, not all flowers are the same, especially considering the fact that they're made by hand.
When looking for sola flowers, there are a few things you should keep an eye out for to make sure that you're selecting high-quality flowers. For one, look for flowers that are made out of whole sheets of sola wood. This helps ensure that the flowers produced are of high quality.
When flowers are made out of multiple sheets, you'll often notice that they have visible flaws. Artisans reuse scraps of their sheets to continue creating flowers at a lower cost, but often at the cost of quality.
Another tip for looking for the right sola flowers is to look for an artist who has experience with your desired type of blossoms. There are more than a hundred styles of sola flowers out there, and each one requires skill and care to create.
Read up on what types of flowers your chosen vendor can create and look at past examples of their work. This will give you a good idea of the type of quality they produce as well as what types of flowers they're capable of creating for your big day.
How to Use Wood Flowers
When most of us think of wedding flowers, our minds immediately go to wedding bouquets. However, there are tons of other uses for flowers in your wedding, and sola wood flowers can be used for them all!
Ceremony Florals
While it's true that wooden flowers can make for stunning bridal bouquets, it's also true that they can be used for individual decor. Corsages and boutonnieres look great when made out of wooden flowers and pinned to parents, grandparents, siblings, and other special individuals' lapels.
What's more, you can use flowers to decorate your venue. Many people choose to drape greenery or hang bouquets around their ceremony hall to bring the place to life.
Another unique use for sola flowers is to create a bridal crown. Bridal crowns are a gorgeous way to create a delicate and intricate design using flowers that match those of your bridal bouquet. They create a light and airy feel that's perfect for a springtime wedding.
Finally, you can use sola flowers on your altar, welcome signs, and other decorations. They look great in any wedding setting and make for a beautiful way to add color and life to your venue.
Reception Florals
It's not just the ceremony that can be enhanced with sola flowers. You can also use sola wood flowers to decorate your reception hall and make for a beautiful atmosphere.
One way to use sola flowers in your reception is to use them on your cake. A few sola flowers on your cake can add a pop of color and can make for a truly beautiful cake topper that makes your cake stand out.
Another way to use sola flowers is to use them as wedding decorations scattered throughout the venue. They can be gorgeous centerpieces or make for stunning backdrops in your reception hall.
How Many Sola Wood Wedding Flowers to Buy
If you're sold on the idea of using sola flowers in your wedding, great choice! However, to make sure that you have all the flowers you need, it's important to have a good idea of how many flowers to buy.
Knowing how many flowers you'll need is important so that you don't over or under-order your flowers. After all, you want to make sure that you have exactly what you need to host a gorgeous wedding that's truly the stuff dreams are made of.
Remember that in addition to purchasing the appropriate number of flowers, you should have a few extras on hand. This gives you the chance to experiment with dyeing the flowers yourself to create the perfect color.
Having additional flowers is also important in case you discover that you want to place additional decorations around your ceremony or reception hall. And, they give you backups in case some of your flowers break or go missing on your big day.
With that in mind, let's take a look at how many flowers you'll need to buy for various decorations for your wedding. That will help give you a good idea of how many flowers to buy for your big day.
The Bridal Bouquet
For a bridal bouquet, you want to make a flower arrangement that truly pops. That means getting enough flowers to create a fairly large bouquet that stands out from the bridesmaids' bouquets.
In a bridal bouquet, you'll typically use a few different sizes of flowers. Your bouquet will center around several large flowers while a sprinkling of smaller flowers will make a great complement.
You should plan to use between thirty and fifty flowers that are about 2-3 inches in diameter. These will make up the bulk of your flower arrangement.
Bridesmaid Bouquets
Next, let's take a look at the bridesmaids' bouquets. These bouquets should be big enough to add a burst of color and show up well in photos, but shouldn't be so large that they outshine the bride's bouquet.
For a single bridesmaid's bouquet, you'll need about 15-20 flowers that are about 2-3 inches in diameter.
Keep in mind that when planning on how many flowers to buy you'll need to multiply these by the number of bridesmaids in your wedding party.
The Groom's Boutonniere
One great way to help the groom stand out from the crowd is with a boutonniere. The groom's boutonniere should be made up of one flower that's about 2 inches in diameter.
Along the side of the larger flower, plan to have one to two 1.5-inch wood flowers. This helps complement the center flower and make the groom's boutonniere stand out from those of the groomsmen.
Groomsmen Boutonnieres
Next, you'll want to come up with the sola flowers for your groomsmen's boutonnieres. These should be smaller than the groom's boutonnieres so that it's clear who the man of the hour is.
To make a boutonniere, you'll need just a single 2 inch sola flower. The flower can have some greenery attached to it to help add life to the decoration.
Wrist Corsages
If you have special individuals in your wedding who aren't members of the wedding party you can make them stand out with wrist corsages. Wrist corsages are a great way to bring attention to the individual while ensuring that they don't look as though they should be up at the altar with you.
For each wrist corsage you make, you should have one large 2-inch sola flower. Then, to fill out the corsage, add three to four 1-1.5-inch sola flowers around it. You can add ribbons and greenery to add to the decoration.
A Floral Crown
While not every bride wants a floral crown, it can be a great touch for your wedding and a way to make you stand out. Or, you can have floral crowns for your bridesmaids as well!
For a floral crown, you should have between eight and ten sola flowers roughly 1- 2 inches in diameter. If you want to have more of a statement flower band, you can use just three to five flowers.
Centerpieces
Centerpieces should be large enough to draw the eye to the table but not so large that they take away from the rest of your wedding decor. And, they shouldn't be so large that they make it difficult for guests to eat or talk.
For each centerpiece, plan on using about twenty sola wood flowers with a diameter of about 2 inches. Then, complement these flowers with a few 3-inch and 1.5-inch flowers sprinkled throughout the decoration.
Choose Wooden Flowers for a Wedding
If you're thinking of investing in wooden flowers for a wedding, you're making a great choice. These beautiful wooden delicacies are the perfect way to make your day stand out.
Ready to get started with wooden wedding flowers? Get in touch with our team to place an order for the best wooden wedding flowers.
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