Monday, January 19, 2009

Wedding Flower Alternatives

Many brides consider flowers to be an important part of the wedding ceremony and reception. Many wedding planning books tell the bride to plan for 5% or 10% of the wedding budget to be spent on florals. If your wedding budget is $20,000, 5% would be only $1000.00 for flowers. Is it just me or does that not seem doable at all?
At most of the weddings I have attended, the couples spent closer to $2500 (or more) for beautiful bouquets and arrangements that were certainly not over the top. These brides followed the "rules" in order to keep costs down and went with flowers that were in season in the months that they were getting married, and went with low centerpieces that would hold small arrangements.

We wanted to offer some of our own ideas for saving money on wedding flowers.
  • Cube vases are a fantastic option for table centerpieces for a couple of reasons. Clear glass cube vases have a clean, modern look and work well with virtually any flower and table shape. They can make a bold statement when arranged with vibrant flowers, but sit low enough on tables that guests can easily see over or around them. Check out our 4" and 5" glass cube vases at Ideal Favors.
  • Tiny bud vases can also make a big impact on any table, and we love the way they look lining rectangular tables in rows, or grouped together in bunches on round tables. Bud vases are a great option because they can hold only a couple of small buds and greenery, which can save a great deal of money! We have a couple of great and inexpensive options for bud vases starting at $1.80 each.
  • If floral centerpieces are just not in your budget, or your vision, consider topiary trees. Floral topiaries can vary greatly in price depending on the quality and quantity of silk flowers. We carry a line of fruit toparies that are brightly colored, lightly scented, and realistic looking. They are perfect as small centerpieces at only 7" high, but you can also group them with scented votives or arrangements of faux fruit at the base of the topiary.
  • Display wedding favors in lieu of floral centerpieces. This is a really creative way to scale your costs back, and present wedding favors in a stylish way. We love the idea of stacking small favor boxes on a cake stand or tiered cupcake stand and guests can help themselves to their favor at the reception. We have a great selection of favor boxes that can also be personalized!
  • Finally, for the Eco Bride, a biodegradable vase is an option that you can feel good about purchasing and using at the wedding. Grow your own flowers for pennies such as bright daisies, or arrange fresh field-picked flowers such as fragrant lavender for an organic look.
  • Bouquets can be quite costly and in the last couple of years, many brides are choosing to forego the bouquet for a paper parasol, which is totally modern and just as colorful as flowers. At only $8.75 each, this is a completely affordable option when the girls walk down the aisle, and paper parasols make fun props in wedding photos.

We hope that these tips have inspired a little bit of creativity and thinking outside the box. We really believe that there are so many ways to style a wedding that is within a realistic budget and that is still you! Happy Planning!

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