Every year, as soon as the wreath orders start coming in, the same two questions come with them: "What size do I need?" and "Should I go for fresh or artificial?" Neither one has a wrong answer. It mostly comes down to your door and how you want to use the wreath. So here's how we'd decide, in plain terms, using the sizes we make in the studio.
The Quick Answer
For most front doors, a 12-inch fresh wreath is the size we'd suggest. It's big enough to be seen from the path without swamping the door. If your door is wider, taller or set further back from the road, go up to 14 inches. If it's a small cottage door or has a lot of glass, an 8 or 10-inch wreath will sit better.
Fresh or artificial? Choose fresh for real foliage, the smell of fir and that classic look on an outside door. Choose artificial if you want a wreath you can bring out every year, or it's going somewhere warm where fresh foliage would dry out.
How to Measure Your Door
All you need is a tape measure. Measure the width of the door itself, not the frame around it. Most UK front doors are somewhere between 30 and 33 inches wide (roughly 76 to 84cm). Then look at where the wreath would actually hang. That's usually the middle of the top half of the door, so check what's there:
- Glass panels. If the top half of your door is mostly glass, the wreath will hang against the glass. A smaller wreath leaves more of the window clear and lets more light into the hall.
- A knocker or door number. These usually sit right where a wreath wants to go. You can hang the wreath a little lower or higher, or choose a size that frames the knocker rather than covering it.
- A letterbox. Make sure the bottom of the wreath clears it, or the postman will be fighting the foliage every morning.
A trick we often suggest: cut a circle of newspaper or cardboard the size you're thinking of and tape it to the door. Then walk down the path and look back. It's the quickest way to see whether a size looks generous or gets lost.
Measure the door itself, not the frame, and check what's in the top half of the door before you choose a size.
Our Wreath Sizes, Door by Door
Our wreath sizes refer to the ring each wreath is built on. The foliage and decorations sit over and beyond the ring, so a finished wreath looks a little bigger than the number suggests. Here's how each size tends to suit:
- 8 inch (fresh £10.50, artificial £16.50). Small cottage doors, back doors, inside doors, garden gates and windows. It also makes a lovely little gift for a neighbour, a grandparent or a teacher.
- 10 inch (fresh £20, artificial £25). Narrow front doors, doors with a lot of glass, and doors with a knocker or number you'd rather not cover. Two 10-inch wreaths also look smart as a matching pair on double doors.
- 12 inch (fresh £30). The one we'd suggest for most standard front doors. It has proper presence from the street without covering the whole top half of the door.
- 14 inch (fresh £55). Wide or tall doors, big Victorian and stone-built farmhouse doors, double doors with a single centred wreath, and anywhere set well back from the road where a smaller wreath would get lost.
If you're between two sizes, we'd usually go for the bigger one on an outside door. Wreaths almost always look smaller once they're hung and seen from the path than they do in your hands.
From the 8-inch gift size to the 14-inch statement wreath. If you're between two sizes, the bigger one usually looks better on an outside door.
A Few Things That Change the Answer
- How far the door is from the road. A wreath on a door right on the pavement can be smaller. A door at the end of a long drive needs something bigger to be seen at all.
- A porch. An open porch keeps the worst of the weather off, which fresh wreaths like. An enclosed, heated porch is warm, though, and that dries fresh foliage out fast. Artificial is often the better choice there.
- Which way the door faces. A door in full afternoon sun is harder on a fresh wreath than a shady, north-facing one. If yours gets a lot of sun, mist a fresh wreath more often, or go artificial.
- Hanging height. As a rough guide, hang the centre of the wreath at about eye level, or centre it in the top panel of the door. A hook over the top of the door saves drilling, and you can adjust the length of ribbon or wire to get the height right.
Fresh or Artificial?
We make both by hand in the studio, so this isn't about one being better than the other. They suit different doors and different people.
Choose a fresh wreath if:
- You love the real thing: proper fir, eucalyptus and winter berries, and that Christmas-tree smell when you open the door.
- It's going on an outside door. Fresh wreaths love the cold, and hung outside, out of direct sun, they'll look their best for several weeks.
- You like something a bit different each year. Because each one is hand-tied from real foliage, no two are quite the same.
- You'd like something that goes back to nature afterwards. Once you've taken off any wire and decorations, the foliage and moss can go in the garden waste or on the compost heap.
- You want the full size range. Our fresh wreaths come in 8, 10, 12 and 14 inch.
Choose an artificial wreath if:
- You want one you can use again. Pack it away after Christmas and it's ready to hang next December.
- It's going somewhere warm, such as inside the house, in a heated porch or on a door in strong sun, where fresh foliage would dry out quickly.
- You're away over Christmas or would rather not think about misting it every few days.
- You'd like to put it up early. An artificial wreath looks the same on 1 December as it does on Twelfth Night.
Our artificial wreaths come in 8 inch and 10 inch, so if you need a bigger wreath for a wide door, fresh is the way to go.
Fresh for real foliage and that Christmas smell on an outside door. Artificial for a wreath you can hang again next year.
What About the Cost?
A fresh wreath costs less in any one year. Our 10-inch fresh wreath is £20, against £25 for the 10-inch artificial. But an artificial wreath comes out again the following Christmas, so if you look after it, it works out cheaper from the second year on. Many of our customers do both: a fresh wreath for the front door, and a small artificial one for inside or for the back door.
To keep an artificial wreath looking good from year to year, store it flat in a box, ideally with some tissue paper around it, somewhere dry. Don't leave it in a damp garage or shed, and don't put anything heavy on top.
Stored flat in a box somewhere dry, an artificial wreath is ready to hang again next Christmas.
Still Not Sure?
Just tell us roughly how wide your door is, whether it has glass or a knocker, and whether it's in sun or shade. We'll tell you which size and type we'd go for. You'll find every size and our 2026 prices on our Christmas price list. Wreaths are the first thing to book up each year, so it's worth getting your order in early. If you'd rather have a go yourself, our step-by-step wreath-making guide shows you how we do it.
Common Questions
What size wreath do I need for a standard front door?
For most standard UK front doors, which are around 30 to 33 inches wide, a 12 inch wreath is the size we'd suggest. It's big enough to be seen from the path without covering the door. Choose 14 inch for wide, tall or double doors, and 8 or 10 inch for cottage doors, narrow doors or doors with a lot of glass.
Does the wreath size include the foliage?
Our sizes describe the ring the wreath is built on. The foliage and decorations sit over and beyond the ring, so a finished wreath looks a little bigger than the number suggests. If you're unsure, tell us your door size and we'll recommend the right one.
Should I choose a fresh or an artificial wreath?
Choose fresh if you want real foliage, the scent of fir and the classic look, and your door is outside in the cold. Choose artificial if you want a wreath to reuse every year, or it's going somewhere warm, such as indoors, in a heated porch or on a door in strong sun, where fresh foliage would dry out quickly.
How long does a fresh Christmas wreath last?
Hung outside in cool weather and out of direct sun, a fresh wreath will look its best for several weeks, which comfortably covers the festive season. A light mist of water every few days helps. Indoors, or on a door that gets warm from the hallway, it will dry out much faster.
Can I hang a fresh wreath indoors?
You can, but central heating dries fresh foliage out quickly, so it won't last as long as one hung outside. Keep it away from radiators and fires and mist it more often. For a wreath that will spend all of December indoors, an artificial wreath is usually the better choice.
Found your size? Order a handmade fresh or artificial wreath from our Denby Dale studio.
See Wreath Sizes & 2026 Prices