flowers on a budget
Budget has been a growing issue in today’s wedding industry. Couples have been feeling like they need to cut back on certain details to save for their priority items. It’s important, however, to hold onto those details that bring your wedding vision to LIFE. Take flowers, for instance- Flowers have become a major part of a venue design and wedding. The arrangements add character to your day whether it’s conveying the right level of romance or adding that “pop” of color to a sea of white. So how can we say yes to the flowers while saving some money at the same time?
One word- Repurpose. Let the bridal bouquets serve as your cocktail hour decor or perhaps your reception centerpieces. Rather than spending an additional cost on separate centerpieces, all you need is a vase to display each bouquet! And according to BRIDES, plastic vases are totally acceptable. Your bridesmaids, or even better, wedding planner, can simply take care of them once photos are complete. Another option is to line the bridal bouquets along the edge of your sweetheart table to create a unique and especially meaningful flower arrangement for you as the couple. Give the bouquets purpose beyond your ceremony and repurpose them for every aspect of your wedding day timeline. And let’s be real… your bridesmaids aren’t going to carry those things around once they’ve hit the dance floor.
Tall or short centerpieces? While the tall, elaborate centerpieces literally put those lovely florals on a pedestal, they are not always the most cost effective. They do a nice job of filling in open spaces, but then you become stuck searching for an eye-level centerpiece for guests. You want guests to be able to admire and appreciate your centerpieces as they are seated, not only when standing. In this case, you would be spending money on both the tall and short centerpieces for your tables. You have two options- If you are in love with the tall centerpiece look, you can opt to have some candles and greenery displayed at eye level rather than an additional centerpiece. This is a nice touch and it usually does not cost much, if anything. Or, you can choose the short centerpieces and stick to one arrangement per table only. Regardless of what you choose, you can always add greenery and/or candles to fill in the gaps- this can be quite beautiful on its own.
To continue with the greenery theme, you do not need to incorporate a ton of florals into your ceremony space. I know the floral arch is in, but instead, you may go with a wooden arch decorated with some draping, greenery and one or two flower clusters. Your aisle could be lined with both candles and greenery instead of flowers. Something else to consider- You don’t need a flower arrangement for every aisle chair; you can dress up every other, or save the arrangements for the first and last pair of chairs. At the end of the day, you need to decide whether the arch or aisle decor matters most to you. One size does not fit all!
Finally, we all love the look of real flowers; however, sometimes, the fake flowers can be just as gorgeous. One bride used velvet flowers for her fall wedding and they matched the occasion perfectly! Once again, you can always doll it up with greenery which can also help the flowers to look more real. So don’t let your budget cloud your hopes and dreams for the flowers you had in mind. You can still say yes to the flowers but with a more open and of course, budget-friendly mindset.
Oh and one last thing… just ditch the bouquet toss.
