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Fake Flower Arrangements -Make Them Look Real DIY

Fake flower arrangements with decorating tips and tricks are the focus of this post. I used the prettiest silks to create the realistic-looking centerpieces you see here! While we all love fresh flowers, sometimes it’s just not possible or practical to have them in our homes. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to style fake or faux flowers to use as centerpieces on a table.

While fresh flowers are beautiful, you can still accomplish that same “wow” factor by using fake large floral arrangements.

fake flower arrangements

It’s hard to believe that these flowers are faux! TAP HERE for my favorite secret source! I’m rather proud of this fake flower arrangement DIY because it really does look so real.

fake flower arrangements good silk flowers

 

Click HERE for my very favorite source for fake flowers!!

Fake Flower Arrangements

In planning my daughter’s recent wedding reception (see that post HERE)  Flowers are often a focal point in a wedding reception. I wasn’t sure if the color scheme that my daughter and I were envisioning would be available in fresh flowers. Several table ideas were set up in the house to get a feel for things. Since she lives on the other side of the country, Google spreadsheets and iPhone messaging were our big time friends!

Although we ended up using the fresh flowers shown below for the tables, I would have felt totally comfortable with faux! We used the fake flower arrangements I’m sharing today throughout the house and everyone thought they were real.

How do you clean artificial flowers in a vase?

This is actually a valid question. If you’re going to make a fake flower arrangement displayed, you need to have a plan of action in place to clean them.

The easiest way to clean them is to have some warm water and soap handy and just gently wipe down the leaves and stems to clear off the dirt.

How long do fake flowers last?

Since they aren’t real, you would think that they would last forever, right? But it’s just not the case. The lifespan of fake flowers is about 1-2 years and that just depends on where you have them stored in your home.

Having them in the sunlight or extreme weather conditions will shorten them timespan as well.

wedding flower arrangements

How do you make artificial flower vase arrangements?

Let’s start with the floral containers that I’m using. They are vintage chinoiserie orchid pots from an estate that I settled a while ago and the blue and white are perfect for so many colors of flowers!

Due to the shape of the pots they are meant for plants (orchids) and not ideal for fake flower arranging. Centerpieces on tables should be kept low to facilitate conversation and they are handy for that reason.

I have another fake flower arrangements post (several in fact;-) that you can find HERE.

How do you keep fake flowers from fading?

The easiest way to keep your fake flowers vibrant is to keep them out of the sun. The sunlight will fade the leaves and flowers quicker than anything so if you can remember to move them out of the light when they’re not needing to be there, it will keep their colors bright for a lot longer of time.

How do you cut fake flower stems?

If you’re needing to cut down the fake flower stems, you’re more than likely going to need to use wire cutters to make it happen. Just trim them down so that they fit in the vase of your choice. Be careful using the wire cutters as well.

fake flower arranging tips

Tips for making your own fake flower arrangement

  • Gather your flowers and lay them out in groupings according to color and type. My flowers came from aFloral who I often partner with. Look for the best quality flowers that you can find and head over there to see what they offer.
  • You can choose to arrange with floral foam or floral tape. For the containers that I used I preferred to use floral tape because the shapes are awkward for cutting foam.
  • Make a pattern with the floral tape crossing in the middle. I am not a trained florist but have done this many times over the years and sharing tips that work best for me.
  • Using a glass container? Add water to make the flowers look realistic.

fake flower arranging with floral tape

Fake Flower Arrangements – Cutting and Organizing

  • Place the stem of the flower upside down on the outside of the container for a height guide. Trim the stem with wire cutters.
  • Sometimes faux flowers come in bunches. Don’t be afraid to take the bunches apart and/or remove the leaves.
  • Vary your heights and colors…try to make the arrangement look natural and not perfect!

trimming fake flower stems

Fake Flower Arrangements – Extra Tips to Know

  • An alternative to cutting is to bend the stems to the correct height. If you feel that you’ll be using your flowers for another fake flower arrangement this might work better in some cases. I do a mix of both and start filling the container with flowers first, adding greenery last.
  • Make sure to turn your container so that you can see how the floral centerpiece looks from all sides.
  • Don’t be afraid to bend the wires of your faux floral arrangements and have some flowers hanging down. This gives them a more realistic look.
  • If you have live greenery mix it in to your arrangement. I find that with silk flowers the florals nowadays look so realistic, but the greens often do not.

fake greenery flower arranging

Please watch the video below that accompanies this tutorial post

Here’s how I set the table, mixing in candles and grouping three centerpieces close together. Finally I could see my vision come to life!

faux floral arrangements summer table

We used the plates the day after the wedding for a breakfast brunch. Furthermore, since I’m taking faux…it’s hard to believe but the plates are paper (from Sophistiplate) and the flatware is plastic! Everyone was IN LOVE with these at our brunch!

See how simple and beautiful it can be to make your own DIY flower arrangements? All you need is a bit of creativity and some lovely fake flowers!

sophistiplate flatware and plates

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29 Comments

  1. robin rue says:

    Fake flowers have come a long way and some of them really do look real. I have allergies to a lot of flowers, so I am all for faux ones.

  2. I love how these turned out! I’m a huge fan of fake flowers since they are cheaper, and they stay around for much longer than real ones.

  3. These flowers remind me so much of my daughter’s wedding reception flowers except her flowers were real and done by a florist. I wish I had seen this before then because your flowers look totally real and are gorgeous! You’re so talented!

  4. Your table setting is beautiful with all the pretty china and flowers. If I didn’t know better I would have thought the flowers were real.

  5. My mo has always been really good at this! They always looks SO beautiful and unless you know it, they don’t look fake! These look beautiful!

  6. It is amazing all the different things you can do with fake flowers these days, I absolutely love your tips on trying to make them look their bests as well, the idea of splitting the bowl is great.

  7. Loved this! Such great advice! Your Center pieces are gorgeous as is your space!!
    Karan

  8. Shirley @Housepitality Designs says:

    I have hesitated using faux flowers on a tablescape; however, you have convinced me with this exquisite table! I need to dig into my faux floral stash that I have packed away…and hopefully not sold many of them at my moving sale!….Truly enjoyed your gorgeous table as always Janet!

  9. Janet,
    Wow! I’m absolutely shocked those are faux!! They look amazing! Love the tips and will absolutely make use of them… 🙂
    Lory

  10. Your flowers look great and they look real and are so much more practical. I have fake flowers all over my house and outside too.

  11. I love how the arrangements turned out. I would have never guessed that these were fake flowers. Simply gorgeous!

  12. Wow, I never knew that trick of putting those tapes before arranging the flowers. Beautiful arrangement.

  13. Beautiful!
    Are all the flowers on the breakfast brunch table fake?
    Thanks,
    Sheila

    1. Thanks Sheila! The flowers on the table in the chinoiserie are faux. The one shot of the long wedding table outdoors has real flowers.

  14. You are the floral Queen Janet. I plan on investing in some of Afloral real touch pale pink roses for the summer and to use other times of year.

    Funny, I have beautiful like light hydrangeas in the summer. Everyone says cut them for the house. I want them full for the outdoors too, silly

    Cindy

    1. Thanks Cindy! I think that you’d be pleased with aFloral, they have items that I haven’t seen elsewhere. How lucky to be able to grow limelight hydrangeas!

  15. They turned out great, they look a good as some of the arrangements I’ve seen in stores. I’ve never seen floral tape used in that way before, it’s a terrific idea.

  16. Where is that gorgeous blue cup from? ???

    1. It’s acrylic and is from Homegoods, but I bought it last year.

  17. Fake flowers have definitely come a long way over the years, and it is a nice option to have. I got married in Mexico, and the flower selection is limited – plus, flowers wilt pretty fast in the heat. This would have been a nice option to have.

  18. I do agree that sometimes, it’s more practical to use fake flowers. You are so good on your flower arrangements, Good job on the table settings too!

  19. You did a great job on the flower arrangement. It really stands out. The tape does make it easier to sort and hold the flowers in place.

  20. I think these arrangements look GORGEOUS!! I need to make some for my home, and these will last a long time! LOL!

  21. I am beside myself at how real these look. I often consider buying fake arrangements for the House because they look better and never die

  22. These are amazing, Janet! I love using faux too but I would have never thought to place them in the vases just like you would with real flowers! Just stunning.
    Hugs, Jamie

  23. Nita Okoye says:

    I can not believe this! Omg! I have never liked fake flowers but these are exceptional!

  24. Honestly, I’d rather go with fake flowers especially since you don’t have to worry about them drying or anything like that, it’s cleaner too since the petals won’t fall off. This is such a brilliant idea!

  25. Erin Rizzo says:

    I have a question. What type of wire cutters do you use? I asked the floral guy at Michaels one day and he told me to use like hedge trimmers. But it doesn’t look like you use those.

    1. I do indeed use hedge trimmers! They are old and small ones that are made I think more for a woman’s sized hand ;-))