h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Flowers are an integral part of any wedding. There are two options when choosing flowers: Silk and the genuine article. There are ups and downs to each choice.

Silk: They last forever, leaving you with a lasting memory of your special day for all time. They look very nice at all times, and you don't have to worry about bugs or browning. However, fake flowers are notoriusly tacky.

The real deal: The smell good, they blow beautifully in a breeze, and they look exquisite. However, they die very fast, and cleanup is a mess afterwards.

My solution: A little of colunm "A", a little of colunm "B". Use silk flowers for the displays on the sides of the seating arrangements, and use real flowers for your bouquet and any freestanding displays.

We made a lot of crepe paper flowers to decorate the hall at our wedding, which don't look tacky at all. We made them a few at a time over several months as they are quite time consuming in quantity.

My mother also went down to Sainsbury's on the morning of the wedding and bought a few large tubs of begonias, which are really spectacular and make a lovely showing on stands even when there are not many of them. She got to keep them afterwards as well, but if you buy potted flowers yourself they make lovely gifts for mothers and bridesmaids.

We had plants in fabric-wrapped pots at our wedding, with only the bouquets made from cut flowers. Lots of minature roses and lavender. Yes, it was a bit more expensive, but they looked great and smelt fantastic. Best of all, both families had some beautiful plants - and lasting legacies of the day - for their gardens. (We newlyweds even got a little something for our window box!)