Frugal Flower Tips for Any Wedding Budget

Whether your wedding budget is bargain ($), budget ($$) or bling ($$$), flowers can create quite a pinch. Here are some traditional and not-so-traditional ideas for most effectively using your blossoms on a budget.  

BARGAIN ($)
Who says you even have to have flowers? Melania Knauss, who married Donald Trump in January 2005, clutched rosary beads in lieu of a bouquet as she walked down the aisle. Choosing to not carry flowers won’t make you look like you were too poor to afford them if what you’re carrying makes a statement. Many brides choose to carry something sentimental like a Bible (I carried a small Bible my grandmother gave me in addition to my bouquet).

There are other non-floral options for bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets. Consider the dramatic look of your bridesmaids carrying candles or small lanterns for nighttime weddings. My mother’s wedding featured clusters of green ivy that were spray-painted gold. It created a stunning effect.

Or, have an usher or flower girl pass out stems of flowers to the guests sitting on the ends of the pews. As you walk down the aisle, collect the stems and voila! You’ve got a bouquet of flowers or an arrangement in a basket. Guests will be so impressed by the creativity, they won’t care that the arrangement isn’t perfect.

BUDGET ($$)
Save big by arranging the bouquets and arrangements yourself with some help from your bridesmaids – or perhaps you have a talented friend who will volunteer to do the task. (If you have enough time before the wedding, look into a floral arranging class at your local community college. It’s a skill you’ll use the rest of your life – a worthy investment.)

Once you decide that you’ll arrange your own flowers, browse magazines and the Internet (look up wedding photography sites) for examples of wedding bouquets and arrangements. Clip or print your favorites that fit in with the theme you’ve chosen.

Take cues from your wedding theme and general color scheme to plan your flower colors. Don’t forget about considering what type of extras you want – like small branches or berries – this will add uniqueness. Order plenty of extra filler – but use only one type or your arrangements will look cluttered and funky – you can always use this to fill out any arrangement or place around tables at the reception. To save even more money, use fake greenery for your filler.

Do one to two practice runs with a single bouquet. This way you’ll get a feel for how many blooms, how much filler and how much ribbon you need. Make one of your practice runs the day of your dress fitting. Take the bouquet with you to evaluate the color, shape or size of the bouquet by doing this.

Boutonnieres and corsages are generally inexpensive to order from a florist, but difficult to try to do yourself if you’ve never done it. Leave these to the pro.

Flower Care Tips
If you choose to do your own arrangements, be prepared for a lot of prep work. You’ll have to clean, trim, and keep the flowers alive for two to three days.

Be sure to ask the vendor you purchase the flowers from how the flowers have been handled and what might help prolong the life of the flowers.

You’ll want to get the flowers into water buckets as soon as possible. Clip three inches off all the stems and immerse in the water, leaving flower heads wrapped in paper until they’ll be arranged.

Arrange the flowers one to two days before the wedding.

Other Options
Local trade schools can be a great resource if you want to get a deal on flower arrangements. Students will be eager to please their clients for the experience of running a florist shop. To find out about classes, check with your local school district or community college.

Another option most couples don’t realize to use is your local grocery store’s floral department. These guys are equipped to do major arrangements as well as bouquets and boutonnieres – often at 40 percent less than your local florist.

Use flowers with large blooms. You’ll save money simply because you won’t need as many to fill out a bouquet or corsage.

BLING ($$$)
If you decide to go the florist route, be sure to use a reputable one. Interview two to three and get recommendations from friends, as you would with any wedding vendor. Once you’ve decided on a florist, be completely up front about what you’re willing and able to spend on flowers. This will save you time, money and headaches. They can suggest what flowers will fit within your budget.

I suggested to my florist that I wanted corsages instead of bouquets for my bridesmaids because I thought it would be cheaper. The florist offered to create bouquets with three blooms (the amount a corsage would have had) and fill in the rest with a ton of greenery. The combination created beautiful bouquets (with ribbons trailing the greenery) and the florist just charged me the same amount as a corsage.

Give your florist an idea of the color scheme or theme of your wedding. Be flexible with what type of filler flowers you’ll have (and make sure you mention if there are any flowers you absolutely hate – or are allergic to – so they won’t be included. Remember to ask your bridal party about allergies as well). Many times a florist can pick up whatever’s in season for cheap at a floral market (make sure your florist passes on the savings to you if you give them this flexibility). If you ask only for a specific flower, it will have to be ordered and will probably be more expensive.

If you have the money to spend, it’s a nice touch to provide flowers for anyone who is playing a special role in your wedding, including extended family or friends who threw your bridal showers, or the servers at your reception. Think tussie-mussies for the women, or a simple long-stemmed rose with ribbons. A small boutonniere will work for the guys.

Where to Buy Flowers

• Wholesale Flower Market – Located in larger cities, these markets sell flowers to the public after wholesale buyers are finished with their purchases (they come early, early in the morning). Call for hours of operation and take a trip a couple of weeks before the wedding to see how things work and to ask about what flowers will be available to day you come to pick them out. Some vendors might even take an order for you. (Another option is to check out your local farmer’s market.)
• Online Suppliers – Order flowers online from a warehouse like Sam’s Club, Costco, or B.J.’s or www.freshroses.com, where one bride says the total cost for her wedding flowers was less than $100. Shipping wasn’t cheap, but she saved a bundle on labor by having her and her bridesmaids arrange the flowers.
• Overseas Online Wholesaler – Ordering from an overseas online wholesaler such as www.fiftyflowers.com could also save you around 20 percent.