So you’ve pinned many wedding floral ideas on Pinterest and then discovered that many of these designs are hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Your wedding floral dreams are crushed and you begin to become overwhelmed and disillusioned. The best advice I can give you is keep an open mind...
Use more affordable flowers – Let’s face it, most of the bridal magazines, blogs, Pinterest and wedding florist’s websites like to feature beautiful lush floral designs that are designed with lots of Garden Roses, Peonies, Orchids and other high-end flowers. I am guilty of that as well… But know that you can still have a beautiful floral oasis that fits your wedding budget if you choose flowers that are either in season or choose flowers that are more cost effective and give you the same feel you are looking for. One of my favorite cost effective flower is the White Hydrangea. Yes, White Hydrangeas - believe it or not, White Hydrangeas are more affordable than color Hydrangeas. So if you see a floral piece that has Hydrangeas, choose white. Color Hydrangeas could potential triple in cost. Another flower that can keep your cost down and is coming back into the scene is the Carnation, though I am not a big fan of Carnations myself, using them in bunches can be very pretty and also very cost effective. And finally another favorite - a standard rose. In my years as a floral designer, I’ve discovered a few types of standard roses that look like a garden rose, without the high cost of a garden rose and have been able to save my clients hundreds of dollars.
Go smaller & lower – I love the drama of a large and high centerpiece, but also find that if a small, low centerpiece is done well, it can be just as beautiful and dramatic. Doing small centerpieces can also allow you to use some of the higher end flowers, giving you an elegant and more couture design. The same goes for bridal bouquets – bouquets do not have to be large in design to look couture. Sometimes, choosing 1 large beautiful flower with a few fillers and a pretty ribbon could just be enough..
Go green – A big trend that is still going strong this year is lots of greenery with almost no if not any flowers in bridal bouquets and centerpieces. Looks great with plum or pink bridesmaid’s dresses…
Recycle – Many brides today are choosing tall and large centerpieces for their ceremony aisle and then recycling them on their reception guest table once the ceremony is over… They are even using their bridesmaid’s bouquets to double as low centerpieces. Speak to your floral designer to see if there is a second set up fee, but for the most part, you will find that they are happy to do it for you.
Being a minimalist - Choose only pieces that are a must have… Flowers on lobby entrances, cocktail hour, escort card tables, and cake tables are a nice to have, but honestly the most remembered flowers and most photographed flowers will be the bridal bouquet, your bridals party’s flowers and the reception centerpieces. So spend your budget on those pieces. Keep it to the must haves and stay on budget…
Make it an enjoyable journey… Yolanda Colon/Owner, Lead Planner and floral designer at i do events and party rentals, llc.