A wedding day is rarely complete without some type of floral element. However, traditional flowers can often be extremely expensive, especially for something that wilts throughout the day and is usually tossed once the wedding day is over.
And that’s exactly why alternatives are becoming more and more popular. Thankfully, wedding flower alternatives have come a long way from the plastic flowers with the dried hot glue dew drops that you can pick up at your local craft store.
In fact, the ones that I create look exceptionally real! Sola flowers, or wood flowers, are made from – you guessed it – wood. But don’t worry, they’re not stiff and board-like. They’re actually pliable and soft, and they make a wonderful substitute to traditional floral decor.
I’m sharing a complete guide of everything you need to know about including WOOD FLOWERS in your wedding.
What Are Wood Flowers and How Are TheyMade?
The wood flowers I use to make wedding decor and bouquets are made from the root of a plant called aeschynomene aspera. But I don’t know of anyone that walks around calling it that. Instead, we call it sola. These flowers have a cork or foam feel to them, they are completely natural, and weigh next to nothing. You might notice knots or veins in the flower petals — that’s actually from the root of the plant itself. And just like real flowers, the knots and veins add a level of authenticity to your bouquet and decor.
I don’t personally make the flowers, but I do customize each individual one to fit your wedding day vision. In their natural state, they are a white or cream color, and they can stay that way if you prefer. I can also dye them any color or combination of colors that you would like. From there, I arrange them to fit your wedding day preferences.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Wood Flowers for a Wedding?
Every couple is, of course, unique and will find certain aspects of traditional flowers versus alternative flowers beneficial. However, using wood flowers for wedding decor or wedding bouquets have plenty of benefits. Here are just some of the reasons to use wood flower bouquets and decor for your wedding.
Sola flowers are completely customizable.
With traditional wedding florals, making sure the flowers match your wedding day color palette can be pretty tricky. But with wood flowers, all I need is a color swatch (most dress + suit companies offer these), or even just an inspiration picture, and I can transform your florals into whatever color you want them tobe.
See previous color palettes I’ve done!
You can use the flowers you want in any season.
If you’re planning a fall wedding, but your heart is set on having peonies in your bouquet, you’ll probably run into some trouble snagging the flowers you’re wanting if you’re using traditional florals.
One wonderful benefit of using flowers made of wood is that you can have any kind of flower you want! Peonies in the fall? Yep. Dahlias in early spring? You can totally have them. You’re not limited to seasonal flowers if you use sola instead.
Wooden flowers withstand the heat of summer weddings.
One serious issue with using real flowers in a wedding is the drooping and wilting that inevitably happens when flowers are out of water for an extended period of time, especially during the heat of the summer.
With wood flowers, you won’t have to worry about keeping your bouquet in water when you’re not holding it or flowers losing their petals from the heat of the day.
Sola flowers are eco-friendly.
Sola flowers are made from the wooden root of a sustainable plant, so you don’t have to worry about contributing to any extra waste or other unsustainable practices when it comes to your wedding floral decor!
Silk Stem Collective compared different types of flowers and they found that “sola wood flowers have the smallest environmental impact compared to fresh or faux flowers by far!”
In order to keep from creating more waste myself, I do things like reuse packaging materials and boxes from when I make my own purchases, save pieces of stems that I snip off to use in other arrangements later, etc. You can rest assured that I’m doing my absolute best when it comes to staying eco-friendly, too!
You could save on floral expenses.
A major portion of wedding budgets is spent on the florals to make a wedding day spectacular. However, more and more couples are looking to flower alternatives to stay budget savvy while not giving up wedding florals completely.
Wood flower wedding decor looks deceivingly like the real deal, but you could end up saving when you choose this route.
Everything I make is completely custom to fit your wedding, so my prices do vary from couple to couple. But if you’d like a quote, feel free to submit a request!
Most of my couples end up spending $2,700-$5,000 for their wood flowers, but I’m happy to come up with solutions for couples with nearly any budget.
Where you’ll really save: re-using your flowers! This leads me to…
You can keep your wood flowers forever.
As we all know, traditional wedding bouquets are used the day of the wedding and then typically tossed after, unless you pay someone to press and preserve them (or you do-it-yourself). Arguably the best benefit of sola wedding bouquets is the fact that you get to keep them forever.
The upkeep is minimal, too, just some light dusting every so often, and they’ll be looking as good as new.
Are you interested in wood flowers?
Request a Quote
How Can You Use Wood Flowers in Your Wedding?
Wooden flowers don’t have to be limited to your bouquet, although they do make fabulous wedding party bouquets. You can use sola flowers all throughout your wedding day decor. Here are some of my favorite ways to incorporate them:
Common Personal Florals
- Bouquets
- Boutonnieres
- Corsages
- Hair Combs
- Flower Hoops
- Decorated Lanterns
Not sure who “should” get flowers?
Check out: Who Typically Gets Flowers at a Wedding?
Ceremony Florals
Wood flowers can be used to decorate the ceremony site! Opt for items such as aisle markers, arch florals (if you have an arch in your ceremony), lanterns, welcome signs, etc. You can even decorate the altar space with sola flowers, too!
Common Ceremony Florals
- Welcome Sign
- Arch Swags
- Chuppa Swags
- Altar Flowers
- Aisle Markers
- Aisle Lining Items
Reception Florals
The reception is usually where many wedding day florals come into play. And you can use sola flowers for all of it!
Common Reception Florals
- Centerpieces
- General Swags
- Signs & Seating Chart Swags
- Guest Book Table Decor
- Flowers for the Cake
- Cake & Dessert Table
Use wooden flowers on your wedding cake to add a pop of color.
Add them to your table centerpieces to give some organic decor throughout the reception venue.
If you love drama, you could even use wood flowers as a floral wall, which would be a great photo opportunity for your guests!
Wood flowers are an incredibly versatile flower alternative to use for your wedding day. They are almost identical to real, traditional flowers.
Even better, they are completely customizable to fit your vision! Plus, you’ll be able to keep your sola wood wedding florals forever, without having to press or preserve them.
