Wedding Wednesdays Q&A: Real or Fake Hair Flower?

Yup, it’s Wednesday, can you believe it? Short weeks are pretty great especially because that means it’s time for our Wedding Wednesdays Q&A! And this week we’re talking about a hair flower: I’m having a destination wedding and to keep it simple I decided not to wear a veil, but I still want something in my hair. I’m not a bling kind of gal, so I was thinking about just having a flower. But, I’m not sure if I should do a real flower or a fake hair flower. What do you recommend? I’m kind of leaning towards a peony, does that make a difference?

I get this question all the time with my destination brides (and non-destination brides as well) and there are definite pros and cons to each side. Most brides would prefer real flowers and the reason is simple, they are real. They feel nice, they look nice and they even smell nice (depending on the flower). But, the problem with real flowers is that they don’t last. While all flowers will die, only certain flowers are hearty enough to work as hair flowers because your head gives off a lot of heat. What this means is that you are limited to certain flowers (e.g. orchids are a good hair flower, gardenias are not). For some brides, this no problem, but for others, it can be especially if

While all flowers will die, only certain flowers are hearty enough to work as a hair flower because your head gives off a lot of heat. What this means is that you are limited to certain flowers (e.g. orchids are a good hair flower, gardenias are not). For some brides, this is no problem, but for others, it can be a let down if your heart is set on a particular flower.

Now with fake flowers, you don’t have that problem. You can pick any flower under the sun and the nicest thing about fake flowers are that they don’t die or become brown or wilt or fall apart. They’ll stay in place all day/night and will look fresh and perfect. You also get to keep it after the wedding. But, the big downside is that a fake flower will never look or feel as nice as a real one.

Regarding your specific question on peonies, your decision will depend on a few factors. Peonies expand with heat, so if you go the real route it will get larger and larger over the course of the day, which may not be ideal since peonies can get quite large. However, if you start with a smaller one, you might be fine. Also, if you are getting married somewhere warm and tropical, I’d suggest using a fake one because a real peony just won’t last. But, if your destination wedding is in a cooler climate, using a real peony might be doable.

Now, some final thoughts on having a hair flower. Don’t forget that when you pick your flower you’ll also want to take into account the size of the flower to make sure it looks right with your particular wedding hairstyle. And lastly, with hair flowers usually less is more, so you don’t want to go nuts (unless that is the look you are going for) and 1-3 blooms are usually good just depending on the flower.

(Photo credit: What a Day Photography)

Got a wedding planning question that is nagging you? Send it our way and we’ll help you find an answer.