Beauty on a Budget (Florals) pt. 1

Everyone has a budget for their wedding and a lot of people want to make their wedding unforgettable, but how do you do this on a budget? There are a few key things that can really play a role in whether your wedding looks like a budget wedding or not. Follow my simple tips to stun your guests and make your Big Day seem even Bigger.

Florals

I cannot stress this one enough, but fresh flowers make all the difference in how high end a wedding looks. Think you can’t afford to buy all those flowers from a florist? I’ve got you covered. If you’ve got some crafty people in your family recruit some of them to help you arrange your own florals. When I was planning my wedding I actually found out you can order bulk florals from Sam’s Club and Costco for less than a florist would charge you. For my wedding we decided to pay a florist to make my bouquet and Jacom’s boutonniere and then my aunt arranged the swags and other floral arrangements. If you’re looking for specialty flowers you can also buy just those few stems from a local florist and order the bulk of your flowers from Costco or Sam’s Club.

I do recommend hiring a good reputable florist to make your bouquet and boutonniere, but if you can’t afford the bouquet you want, you can always beef it up with some of the extra flowers you purchased for the rest of the wedding after your florist builds it. This is a little more tricky as sometimes florals are built in certain shapes or materials to give them structure so they don’t fall apart, but this is an easy way to make sure that your bouquet matches centerpieces or other flowers you may have bought for the wedding.

Adding fresh greenery instead of flowers will also help your budget. A variety of fresh greens and or fillers such as berries, baby’s breath, branches, etc. is a great way to dress up a wedding. These fillers tend to be less expensive, especially when purchased in bulk and can help to make bouquets and centerpieces look much fuller. I have even seen brides skip flowers all together and just use fresh greenery and filler.

Besides having bouquets, fresh flowers and greenery can make a big difference to your tables or aisle. Lining your aisle with fresh green garlands, some vases with pampas grass, or some baby’s breath in jars really makes for beautiful pictures and a beautiful walkway as you walk to the alter. To save a few more bucks you can even move these same fresh flowers and greenery to you tables to be used as centerpieces or to decorate other parts of the wedding. If you’re not having a traditional ceremony and you can’t afford the flowers or greens for you guest tables, skip them altogether! I know that sounds crazy, but fill your centerpieces with something else like candles, succulents, a mirror, pictures, etc. There are several other beautiful pieces you can use for centerpieces that will dress up your wedding. These pieces look more intentional as if you are purposely not choosing florals rather than not being able to afford fresh florals.

Another option to try out is some hand made wood flowers. Wood flowers are easily preserved and a nice alternative to fresh flowers. Although they aren’t fresh flowers, they can still add a nice touch of detail to your wedding and also come off as a more intentional detail. They are a little more fragile than traditional fresh florals, but can ordered in many different colors from websites like Sola Wood Flowers.

If despite all these tips you are still wanting to go towards the silk floral route ensure you are buying high quality silk florals. Many silk florals can fall apart, fade, get dirty easier than real flowers do. Also keep in mind that although silk flowers are advertised as the inexpensive option, that is not always the case. Depending on where you buy your flowers, quality of flowers, and how many flowers you’re buying it may still be less expensive to purchase fresh flowers.

A less expensive option for silk flowers without sacrificing quality is to check out floral rentals. We have floral swags available for rent on our website Big Day Decor- Florals that are easily customizable and neutral. The white flowers can be swapped out for any color for a small fee. If you have common wedding colors you can also check out other floral rental sites such as Something Borrowed Blooms or I know there are a few local photographers to Idaho Falls that also offer bouquet and floral rentals.

Another trick we learned when buying our silk florals was that if you buy your flowers at Hobby Lobby (I know the Idaho Falls one does this, but not sure about others) there is actually a florist who works in the floral department that will arrange your flowers for you for a percentage fee. Keep in mind that if you do go the silk floral route, many florists do not work with silk flowers and it can be much more difficult to find a florist to arrange flowers if you’re wanting to go that route.

With all these tips still be sure to do your research! Get quotes at multiple places and be up front with your florist. Let them know your budget and be specific about what you want, but also allow for some wiggle room to accommodate not only the look of your wedding, but also your budget.

Comment below if you know any other awesome tips!!