The Best Wedding Garlands

Flowers and greenery are common at most weddings, ceremonies and receptions alike. Along with bouquets, garlands are one of the most popular ways to incorporate flowers into wedding decorations. These long chains of flowers and leaves are known for their beauty, color, and versatility, able to adorn just about any part of the wedding venue. But buying large chains of real flowers and leaves can be an expensive addition to an already pricey day, so many people prefer to use a garland of faux flowers and greenery instead.

Buying Guide for Wedding Garlands

Why buy a wedding garland?

Garlands have been featured in weddings across the globe since time immemorial—sometimes to serve as beautiful, decorative additions to the reception and ceremony, and sometimes with certain flowers or plants to symbolize unity, love, good fortune, etc. They add lushness, vibrancy, and color to the wedding and provide you with another way to add personalized, decorative touches to your wedding day. Even better, garlands are incredibly versatile decorations. They can be wrapped around arches or trellises, hung from walls or canopies, laid out across the centers of tablecloths, and more. They can be braided, knotted, or wrapped together and woven into crowns or wreaths. And with so many different types of flowers, plants, and leaves from which to choose, there’s a garland for pretty much any wedding style and theme.

What should you look for in a wedding garland?

• Length: Garlands tend to be pretty long; most will be at least 5 or 6 feet in length, probably longer. Garlands that are 8, 10, or 12 feet are not uncommon. Consider where you plan to put the garlands and how long they’ll need to be to fit that space properly; consult with your venue to get the dimensions of their space to be safe. And don’t forget to take into consideration if you plan to wrap or twist the garlands around anything, as this will affect the length you need as well.
• Plant Type: There are an almost unlimited number of different varieties and colors of plants, leaves, and flowers that can make up a wedding garland, real or artificial. First, consider if you want flowers in your garland or not. Plants like ivy and eucalyptus are common options for simple greenery garlands, but they’re far from the only choice. If you want flowers, think about what type of flowers you want and what colors they should be. Also think about the theme and style of your wedding and what might match best; for instance, a faux evergreen or holly garland might be a great choice for a snowy wedding but look out of place at a beach wedding.
• Quantity: How many wedding garlands do you want for your big day? Do you just want a single garland or two to wrap around the arch where you and your spouse-to-be will trade vows? One for each table at the reception? Hanging all around the walls at your reception? These are all questions worth thinking about to help you determine how many garlands you’ll need to buy.

What are the advantages of faux garlands over those made of real plants?

While there are pluses and minuses to both, wedding garlands made of faux plants have a few notable advantages over real ones. Not only are they more cost-efficient, as mentioned, but you won’t have to worry about them wilting or losing petals and not looking their best on the day of the wedding. They’re also lightweight, less fragile to transport, and can be saved for reuse at another party or event. The vines of faux garlands also tend to be quite bendy, so they can be more easily adjusted and rearranged into different shapes to suit your decoration needs.

If you opt for a faux garland with flowers, it also provides you with a broader range of colors to choose from, as the fake flowers can come in rare or impossible hues to find in nature. Depending on your wedding colors, this may make it easier to find a garland that matches your exact hues. And some flowers or plants are hard to come by in certain areas; if you live in a tropical climate, florists may have issues getting their hands on holly, for instance. This won’t be an issue with garlands made of artificial plants.

Our Picks for the Most Decorative Wedding Garlands

Pros: Wisteria are known for their gorgeous, flowing look as they hang from tree branches in full bloom, and this wedding garland allows you to bring that aesthetic to your wedding ceremony and reception. The faux silk wisteria flowers are lovely, realistic-looking, and available in four colors. You receive four garlands with your purchase, each slightly over 7 feet in length. Though you can place these garlands almost anywhere in the wedding venue you want, the hanging nature of the wisteria makes them an especially apt choice for wrapping around arches or draping from chandeliers.

Cons: Though still much cheaper than buying natural wisteria, keep in mind that this product is slightly pricier than other comparable sets of wedding garlands. Since the leaves and vines are thin, you’ll likely have to order multiple bunches if you want a full, lush look from this garland.

Bottom Line: Wisteria is a popular flower choice for weddings due to its beauty, hanging aesthetic, and symbolization of love and happiness. If you want this lovely flower in your wedding decorations and any future events, you can’t go wrong with this faux wisteria flower garland.

 

Pros: If you prefer a wedding garland that is more simple and less colorful, or you aren’t yet sure which flowers you want in your garlands and would prefer to add them later, a simple greenery garland like this one will likely be your best bet. You receive a pair of 6-foot garlands made to resemble eucalyptus leaves, and you’ll be amazed at how realistic and authentic they appear. The two garlands can either be placed separately or are very easy to tie together. Due to their simple but elegant appearance, it’s also easy to add flowers (real or fake) among the leaves or string them with lights or other decorations. And if you’re planning an outdoor ceremony and/or reception, you won’t have to worry about these garlands; they’re both waterproof and UV resistant.

Cons: Be aware that the manufacturers of this artificial garland coated the leaves in a white powder in order to help it look more realistic; it’s not a harmful substance, but you will want to shake out the two garlands somewhere outside after opening them so that it doesn’t get all over you and your home.

Bottom Line: While flowered garlands are a popular choice, there’s no rule that says you have to opt for a garland of blooms. Whether you want a wedding garland that’s just pure, unadorned greenery or you want to customize it with flowers or decorations of your choice, you can’t go wrong with this lovely faux eucalyptus garland and its deep green leaves.

 

Pros: Thick, lush, and colorful, this is one of the more vibrant and striking artificial wedding garlands that you’ll be able to find on the market. The faux roses are available in six colors, each vivid and sure to stand out. Each garland features multicolored roses, some in various shades of the same color and others in a true mix of different complementary colors. It’s also incredibly thick and lush-looking with many leaves and flowers per strand, not like some other, thinner faux garlands. You receive eight long garlands (each just over 8 feet long), which can be woven together for an extra-lush appearance.

Cons: Keep in mind that the flowers on this garland aren’t glued into place, unlike some on other artificial wedding garlands. There is a chance that they might fall off and need to be reattached from time to time.

Bottom Line: Different weddings require different types of garlands to best suit their themes and styles. If big, bold, colorful wedding garlands are what you require for your special day, these eye-catching garlands strung with artificial roses will be right up your alley.

 

Pros: If you plan to decorate your wedding venue with garlands and lights, you’re in luck: this faux eucalyptus garland comes with a long string of LED lights included. (The two pieces aren’t attached, so you can hang them together or separately as desired.) Six feet long with 96 warm white LED lights attached, this realistic-looking garland is equally great to drape from an arch or decorate a table. Especially since it’s quite flexible, allowing you to arrange the leaves and overall garland however you want. If the eucalyptus design or warm white lighting doesn’t suit your wedding decor, never fear—this garland is available in 10 different designs that resemble different kinds of plants. There are even some seasonal options, such as the faux maple garland with more orangey lighting for autumn weddings and an artificial pine bough for wintertime.

Cons: Though buying the garland and lights together is more cost-efficient than buying them separately, this is the priciest garland on the list. And aside from the timer, it doesn’t offer many features; no flashing or twinkling light setting, color changing, etc. (The exception being one of the birch options.) Also keep in mind that the lights require three AA batteries to function, which don’t come included with your purchase.

Bottom Line: String lights are another common decoration in weddings and outdoor and indoor venues. The gentle glow they emit helps set a warm, romantic mood that’s ideal for a celebration of love and marriage. With this light-up faux garland, you essentially get two common wedding decorations for the price of one.

 

Pros: You can’t go wrong with a classic rose garland for a wedding, and this model is one of the best choices to bring that traditional romantic aesthetic to your wedding day. Most faux flower garlands are made of a combination of plastic and silk, but this one is entirely silk, meaning that it’s made of a much higher-end fabric. This garland is also handmade, and the flowers are designed with a highly realistic texture. The roses also have a much larger diameter than a lot of other faux flowers on wedding garlands for a fuller, lusher look. If the pastel pink isn’t to your liking or clashes with your wedding colors, there are four other colors to choose from. You receive two garlands with your purchase, but four-piece sets in each color are also available.

Cons: You’ll want to limit these garlands to mainly indoor venues, as they’re not waterproof nor UV-resistant; they won’t hold up well for very long out of doors. And as lovely as the large flower heads are, they can weigh the garland down to some degree.

Bottom Line: It doesn’t get much more classic than a garland of roses at a wedding. If understated elegance or a classical, traditional aesthetic is what you’re aiming for with your wedding decorations, this lovely, subtly-colored wedding garland will suit your special day perfectly.

Final Thoughts

Pretty garlands are an excellent way to add some extra color and greenery to your wedding ceremony, or reception. They’re beautiful, versatile decorations that are wedding staples for a good reason, so we’ve gathered some lovely ones to consider.