help me decide: should i use these FREE silk CPs??

[cleokizzy]

we booked our reception hall!!!

our banquet manager is also offering their silk floral centerpieces for FREE but i''m not sure if i should use it. some of my friends (who have not seen it) said it''ll look cheap but me & FI personally think that they look nice. we''re thinking of using it because its, duh, FREE! plus we''ve asked around for fresh floral arrangements and they are quite pricey. FI wants us to use the silk ones and reallocate the money saved for inviting guests or for a nicer honeymoon

.

i took 2 photos, what do you girls think? please vote!

is it a YES or NO?

thanks!

 

[cleokizzy]

here''s a shot showing the other tables with the same CP.

 

[cindygenit]

If money is THAT tight for you cleo, i vote yes.

But if you can spare 200 bucks, you can create an affordable centrepiece that is your own!

You should go with whatever makes you happy!

 

[*Danielle*]

Why waste all that money on something you will never see again? Those silk pieces look great!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Do the CP''s fit with your colours/theme? If so, and you like them i say go for it.. save the money where you can!

 

[that_someone_special]

THey are not my first choice, but if they are free, I would do it. I hardly think anyone other than you and maybe a few close people are going to remember them!!

When people think back to your wedding, they''re going to be thinking about how much fun they had, not "OHMIGOD DID YOU SEE THOSE CENTER PIECES! HOW DARE THEY!" hahaha .... but really. I''d do them!

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Hmmmm...that is a tough decision! I really like the idea of FREE, but I also dislike silk flowers. I think from a "big picture" view of the room, I do like the look of them - and to get something similar in real flowers would probably be expensive. But, how do they look up close? When you are seated at the table? Are they dusty as sometimes silk flowers can be? Do they appear to be "high quality" silk flowers?

Out of curiosity, have you priced other options? Do you already have a florist? You could ask them what lower end arrangements would cost and see if it is worth it.

I think for me there would be a breaking point...everyone''s is different, but I think mine would be $500...if I could get some real flowers that I like for $500 or less (maybe even $600 or $700), I would go for it. If it was a matter of $1000 or more, I would use the free silk flowers.

Lastly, it was already mentioned, but do the colors of these fit in with your color scheme? Or, would you change your color scheme to match?

 

[lulu66]

just wanted to say--your reception space is gorgeous! as for the cp, normally i don''t like silk flowers but in your case, i would use them--they are FREE! and in the room shot, they look nice. plus they are not "table level" (they are up higher) so your guests will not be staring at the silk flowers during dinner.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 8/26/2009 12:53:25 AM
Author: lulu66
just wanted to say--your reception space is gorgeous! as for the cp, normally i don't like silk flowers but in your case, i would use them--they are FREE! and in the room shot, they look nice. plus they are not 'table level' (they are up higher) so your guests will not be staring at the silk flowers during dinner.

Ditto! Who remembers the flowers at a wedding? I can barely remember the flowers at my own wedding and it was only a month ago. (Seriously, I only knew what they looked like from the pictures!) I'd use those if you don't mind them. If you really dislike them I would try to find a way to get other centerpieces, though.

 

[katamari]

Date: 8/26/2009 1:01:07 AM
Author: thing2of2

Date: 8/26/2009 12:53:25 AM

Author: lulu66

just wanted to say--your reception space is gorgeous! as for the cp, normally i don''t like silk flowers but in your case, i would use them--they are FREE! and in the room shot, they look nice. plus they are not ''table level'' (they are up higher) so your guests will not be staring at the silk flowers during dinner.

Ditto! Who remembers the flowers at a wedding? I can barely remember the flowers at my own wedding and it was only a month ago. (Seriously, I only knew what they looked like from the pictures!) I''d use those if you don''t mind them. If you really dislike them I would try to find a way to get other centerpieces, though.

Yup. Especially if it is between cutting the guest list or honeymoon and buying flowers.

 

[cleokizzy]

the flowers are, luckily, in the same colors as i want!

but even if it isn''t there won''t be any problem because they have other silk CPs to choose from because i was told that they change it every season.

they clean it often so there''s hardly any dust and i can say that it is the higher-end of the silk flowers (not the cheap-o ones you get from 99-cent stores).

cindygenit, rock_of_love: if i can find flowers for $200 or even below $1k for the number of tables we have, i would definitely get them but alas - those prices are unheard of in nyc. :-/ plus i''m not a DIY type of person so it''s going to be more headache for me trying to create a floral cp.

lulu66: FI & i LOVE our reception hall! the first time FI & i went, we immediately booked it! plus their food is absolutely to die for! (hehe. we''re foodies so food is very important to us). you also brought in a good point - the CPs are high enough that our guests won''t have to see it everytime they sit in their tables!

 

[lulu]

I think they look great. Save your money.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

They aren''t my favorite...but if money is tight, I''d do it.

 

[ilovesparkles]

I''m on the fence about it. FREE!!! And in your colors! For me personally, they are too classic and traditional looking. But to save all that money, I think I would ultimately end up using them. I guess it depends on two points, how important it is to save $$$ where ever you possibly can; and second, what feel you want at your reception.

 

[purselover]

I''m torn as well, I don''t really like them but I think I think I''d rather have the nicer honeymoon than centerpieces. So which is more important to you?

 

[princessplease]

They''re lovely, but I''m in the same dilemma as you. I would definitely utilize them, though. They''re lovely!!!!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I would personally never pay for silk flowers, but you wouldn''t be paying for them, so why not. There may be some guests who think "huh, silk flowers", but I doubt anyone will remember it after the fact. I have yet to go to a wedding that was make-or-break based on what the CP looked like, lol. In the long run it''s a small part of the wedding, so unless you had your heart really set on another specific look, I''d save the money to use on something else.

 

[dani2142]

I would most definitely use them.... key word...FREE!!! lol but I''m not a picky person at all that has had a vision for their wedding since they were like 10 like maybe some other women on this board. I would definitely use them and wrap some type of ribbon type thing around the vase.... it''s up to you though of course. Do what YOU want. I don''t think people really pay that much attention to centerpieces to be honest. Maybe other brides in the planning process but that''s about it. If people care that much about your centerpieces then they have problems! LOL IMHO

 

[LilyKat]

I''d use them. They look nice, and as long as you''ve checked them out close up, I don''t see a problem. Not worth wasting over 1K on IMO.

 

[ts44]

If you have no major objections, I''d use them in a heartbeat! Four reasons:

1. They match your colors
2. Like dani2142 suggested, you can make them your own by wrapping a ribbon on the base or some other inexpensive alteration
3. FREE!
4. Nobody will be looking at them that closely thanks to the magic combination of high bases, low lighting, and LIQUOR!

 

[cleokizzy]

thanks everyone!

i was still undecided yesterday BUT i was rationalizing last night:

would you rather spend $3,000+ for a centerpiece OR a honeymoon?​

we are having 30 tables, hence the 3k ballpark figure. (that is the "low-end" pricing in my area! no kidding.)

after thinking about that... i finally realized what should be done. hahaha

 

[Londongirl1]

Date: 8/26/2009 9:57:07 AM
Author: cleokizzy
the flowers are, luckily, in the same colors as i want!

but even if it isn''t there won''t be any problem because they have other silk CPs to choose from because i was told that they change it every season.

they clean it often so there''s hardly any dust and i can say that it is the higher-end of the silk flowers (not the cheap-o ones you get from 99-cent stores).

In that case, it''s a no brainer - use them! To be honest I''ve been to several weddings and I don''t even remember what CPs ANY of the weddings had. I wish us brides wouldn''t get hung up on things that no-one will even remember

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 8/28/2009 9:11:42 AM
Author: cleokizzy
thanks everyone!


i was still undecided yesterday BUT i was rationalizing last night:

would you rather spend $3,000+ for a centerpiece OR a honeymoon?​

we are having 30 tables, hence the 3k ballpark figure. (that is the 'low-end' pricing in my area! no kidding.)


after thinking about that... i finally realized what should be done. hahaha

Uh....yeah. No contest.

And seriously, they look fine! Why spend $3K on stuff that will die anyway?

 

[Mannequin]

I''d use the free CPs provided. You can spend the extra funds on your honeymoon and you also won''t have to worry about who is packing up those CPs and taking them home storing them for you until you know what you want to do with them.

 

[tigian]

Did you already budget for CP before you knew they were free? Did you already budget for your honeymoon? What were your plans before you knew about the free CP?
I think they look great in the pics, but my only concern is how they look upclose. For me, flowers are always important and I think I would still go with real flowers for my wedding. How important are flowers to you? If not very, then go with the free!