Useful Guide to Saving Money on Wedding Flowers
The average price for weddings in both the UK and the US is on the rise, but unfortunately the global economy isn’t on the up to compliment this trend. For this reason, many a bride-to-be will be looking to cut costs without skimping on quality for their special day – one of the best ways to do this is to get savvy about the all important flower decorations.
The following guide will show you how with some top tips.
Improvise
Flowers can be pricey, but they’re an essential for the visual effect at any wedding. A creative way to use fewer flowers without losing out on colour and beauty is to use flower pom poms to compliment the floral arrangements. They come in a range of colours and are extremely affordable, so they can easily fill in any decorative gaps without anyone noticing.
You could also save a bundle by renting large potted plants such as tropical palms or ficus from party suppliers. These will add warmth and fullness to both your ceremony and reception at a fraction of the cost of flowers. Alternatively, you could even buy some potted plants and then use them for your home.
Florist Advice
It’s important to talk to your florist and get them to recommend flower ideas which fit in with your budget. One good way to keep costs down is to buy seasonal flowers, as these will often be the cheapest. For example, there are times when peonies cost a packet, but other times they’re so cheap you could fill a hall with them.
Another successful strategy is to clearly explain the general style and colour scheme of the planned wedding to your florist so they can make suggestions accordingly. While you’ll want to make sure they understand any flowers you dislike, it’s a good idea to generally allow them the creative flexibility to use the most cost effective flowers available.
Churches
A savvy way to have the church you’ll be getting married in bursting with flowers without footing a huge bill is to have your wedding during the Christmas season or immediately after Easter – it will already be decorated with flowers!
Another tip for the church is to use inexpensive flowers for the altar arrangement – bear in mind that guests will only see it from afar, so there’s no point in having a pricey floral affair in this area.
Valentine’s Day
While it would be highly romantic to get married on Valentine’s Day, this is not a good idea for your floral budget, since flower prices are always at an annual high in February – every man worth his salt will be keen at this time to buy flowers for his partner.
Ceremony Flowers
Many people have the idea of moving the church ceremony flowers to the reception area to cut costs. Be warned however that some churches require you to leave the ceremony flowers there. Another downside of this option is that large flower arrangements can easily bruise when transported, plus you’ll need to be careful about co-ordination to prevent the reception being delayed while you wait for the ceremony flowers to arrive from the church.
Shared Venue
Another savvy way to cut your floral costs is to find out whether the venue you’ve booked is to be shared with another marriage event. You could always opt for a park or garden as a venue , since it will already be brimming with lush flowers.
DIY
Increasingly, brides are choosing to save money by making their own flower arrangements. There are many ways to create simple yet effective floral decorations, such as bouquets of simple roses tied with a ribbon. For a table centre piece, you could easily place four or five pillar candles on top of rose petals or use wide shallow bowls filled with water and several floating flowers. Also, while many people find carnations cheap and unappealing, they’re one of the least expensive flowers to be found. When used in abundance so that the blooms are packed together, they can actually be rather striking as a centre piece with all of their stems and greenery removed.
Another way to cut costs would be to order your flowers from an online wholesaler – while you’ll certainly get the best prices, the downside is that you will then be responsible for cleaning and trimming them, plus keeping them alive until the wedding.
Conclusion
Whether you creatively improvise by complimenting your floral decorations with flower pom poms or manage to co-ordinate a shared venue, the above guide will help you save money on the all-important flowers for your wedding day without impacting on the beauty of the occasion.
About the Author: Jasmine Chu is an independent retailer of Flower Pom Poms
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