Five Ways To Save On Wedding Flowers
I?ll admit my bias up front: I love flowers. And not just any flowers, I love expensive flowers. Peonies, burgundy cymbidium orchids and mini calla lilies are among my favorites. When I was planning my own wedding, I tripled this area of my initial budget. Several brides share my love of flowers and that makes it all the more difficult to stay on budget. Even brides that do not share my extreme love for flowers want beautiful weddings, and your florist will play a huge role in that. As a general rule, flowers should account for 10-15% of your overall budget. Here are some tips to help to stay at or below that number while still having beautiful wedding flowers.
1. Do it Yourself
Yes, you can create your own wedding flowers. There are several online and local wholesalers where you can buy flowers in bulk for substantially less than what you would pay a florist. You should plan to receive your flowers 2-3 days prior to your wedding and have adequate space in your refrigerator to store them. If you are ordering too many flowers to fit into your fridge, air conditioning your home will suffice. Simple hand tied bouquets are relatively easy to create and you can gather bunches of flowers and place them in vases to create centerpieces. My advice with DIY flowers is to keep it simple! You are not a trained florist, so do not try to create more complicated arrangement that you find online or in magazines. Keep it simple. Also, a word of caution: if you are a perfectionist and want perfect arrangements, hire a florist. As a novice, you?re likely to make some mistakes and slight imperfections will exist. If that is not acceptable to you, it?s best to hire a professional. Also, it?s a good idea to do a test run before the real thing.
2. Use a delivery service
There are new delivery services, most notably Pro Flowers, which will arrange your wedding blooms and deliver them, already assembled, to your door 1-2 days before the wedding. They have several flower varieties and several packages to choose from at amazing prices. You will have to do a little work with this option. You should have vases prepared for the centerpieces and holder vases to hold your bouquets until the wedding. On the wedding day, you will have to designate someone to set up the arrangements. Several brides are nervous about this option because they worry that the flowers will not show up in time. Pro Flowers has a built in safety measure to prevent no shows. If your flowers do not arrive on the scheduled date, Pro Flowers has contracts with thousands of local florists that will assemble and personally deliver your flowers prior to the wedding.
3. Reuse, Reuse, Reuse
Slash hundreds from your florist bill by reusing arrangements throughout the day. Your ceremony altar arrangements can become a part of your reception d?cor, your bridesmaids bouquets can become centerpieces and your bouquet can become an arrangement for your sweetheart table. You can also ask your florist to reuse aisle arrangements from the ceremony as centerpieces during the reception. You may have to pay a slight labor fee for the arrangements to be moved and recast as centerpieces, but it will be much less than paying for both.
4. Stay in season
Different flowers are in season at different times of the year. If a flower is out of season, it does mean that you cannot have it, but it will be substantially more expensive. There are some flowers that are expensive all year round. These include mini calla lilies, tropical blooms and certain orchid varieties. Ask your florist about what flowers are in season for your wedding day and stick with those.
5. Cut back
Ask yourself what you really need and what you can do without. Do you really need pew bows? A pomander for the flower girl? An arrangement for the place card table? A floral cake topper? None of these things are necessary and can be replaced by other decorative items. Cut back on the excess and stick to the bare necessities.
Tiffany R. Wright is a top wedding planner in the Washington, DC area and owner of Pirouette Events , a premiere wedding planning company in DC/MD/VA.
Get Paid For 100% of your site's traffic.
Most couples planning a medium or large wedding see how quickly the costs can climb. If you're in that predicament and want to cut some costs, there's a way to do that with wedding favors and wedding shower favors. In fact, if you use a little creativity, you can impress your guests and lower your costs by making your own bridal shower favors. You can use the money you save on wedding favors to spend on sprucing up other elements of the wedding.
Mother of the Groom Wedding Speech by Babylon Wedding Center
A mother of the groom wedding speech should present the mother's thoughts or feelings towards the marriage of the couple The mother of the groom wedding speech should also depict the mood of the ceremony
Wedding Perfect Launches a New Wedding Planning Blog for the Do-It-Yourself Bride
New wedding planning blog launched by Wedding Perfect promises relief for the do-it-herself bride. Wedding Perfect specializes in premium wedding checklists. Their new blog also features a wedding gallery and on-demand wedding videos.
Matron of Honor Wedding Speech Tips & Example
Wedding ceremony speeches are a good chance to express to the wedding couple how you feel about them Being chosen a Matron of honor means you hold a special place in the bride's heart
A Maid of Honor Wedding Speech Example
Wedding ceremony speeches are many as people try to congratulate and advise the newly weds One such speech is the maid of honor wedding speech
Wedding Bouquets Shift From Real To Fake, As Brides Look For Bigger Bargains
Although the economy is suffering, Afloral.com is preparing for a prosperous 2009 wedding season as brides become more savvy at saving on wedding flowers.
Absolute Wedding Store Now Offers Complete Wedding Items from Bridal Jewelry to Reception Decoration
Absolute Wedding Store, a one stop wedding shop, announces that the online store now offers complete wedding necessities from bridal veils and jewelry to church decorations. The company has been helping brides and grooms nationwide by providing easy wedding shopping under one roof.
1 Wedding Source Unveils Comprehensive Online Wedding Directory for Brides and Vendors
1WeddingSource.com unveils new wedding directory to connect brides and wedding vendors from all around the USA. The new resource complete with articles and bridal resources is one of the most expansive and intensive wedding directories currently available on the web.
Free Wedding Planning Websites for Brides and Wedding Planners Now Available from KeepandShare.com
Free wedding planning sites make it easy to share files, calendars, documents, photos and ideas between couples, guests, relatives, caterers, and wedding planners.
Brides Have Their Cake and Couture, Too: SoNo Wedding Design Studio Launches Bridal Dress Collection
On January 21, 2008, Traci Romano Events, an event planning and design studio, will begin offering brides a highly edited collection of couture and timeless wedding dresses at its SoNo salon, including designs by Amy Kuschel, Simone Carvalli, Liancarlo, Thread and Lynn Lugo.
Wedding Speeches Made Easy: Wedding Speech or Best Mans Speech Tips
Have you ever had to give a wedding speech? As the groom or best man?Do you remember that feeling? A knot in the stomach, sweaty palms
and a panic attack!Not a very pleasant experience. And yet, I'm sure your wedding speech has the potential to be a great success because 90 % of a typical audience want the speaker to succeed.
Bridal (Anti) Boot Camps Offered For Brides-To-Be To Leave Their Wedding Worries Behind
Available May 1st to November 30, 2008, the all-inclusive Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort is offering a Bridal (Anti) Boot Camp Series, where the only sweating is in the steam room, the only heavy lifting will be holding shopping bags, and the only food deprivation will be if the bride and bridal party forego the chocolate massage.
Brides And Florists Shift Demand From Fresh Flowers To Silk Wedding Flowers
Slowing economy shifts demand from real flowers to silk wedding flowers without losing any quality. Brides and florist use silk flowers in place of fresh cut flowers to save money while quality is so realistic even a bride cannot tell the difference.
Modern Brides Use Online Wedding Planner?s New Bridal 411 to Answer All Their Questions
OurWeddingDay.com's Bridal 411 makes every bride an expert wedding planner.
Wide Variety in Unique Wedding Favors & Bridal Shower Favors
Weddings are a big business these days. Personalized wedding favors and other unique wedding favors, as well as bridal shower favors, can range from very-simple to over-the-top. The costs can be modest or absolutely platinum, depending on the budget. Unique wedding favors and bridal shower favors are a time-honored tradition dating back hundreds of years with choices varying from simple and tasteful to extraordinary. And personalized wedding favors especially are a way of thanking both the wedding guests for attending your wedding and those who have helped you with your wedding plans.
For even more wedding planning tips and ideas, visit FMBrides.com.
Get Paid For 100% of your site's traffic.