Flowers like roses and peonies are beautiful and timeless, but they can also be expensive. Fortunately, there are many ways to cut costs and still get the look you want.
For example, hydrangeas are affordable and gorgeous. They are large blooms that can create a full bouquet, plus they come in dreamy pastel colors. Talking with an expert Dallas Wedding Florist will help you massively.
Keep It Simple
There’s a lot to consider and do when planning your wedding: finding a venue, sending out invites, selecting a menu, stocking up on alcohol, booking choice entertainment — the list goes on. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, and often flowers fall by the wayside as you tackle the big things on your wedding checklist. However, if you’re smart about how you approach your floral arrangements with your florist, they can help you create the wedding of your dreams while keeping costs within budget.
Floral arrangements and centerpieces that will be viewed up close (and memorialized in wedding photos) are the first places you should prioritize when establishing your budget with your florist. If you have your heart set on a flower, bring it up to your florist when you meet for your consultation, and they’ll likely be able to recommend a similar bloom with a more wallet-friendly price tag.
Another tip to keep in mind is that pictures you find online and other online inspiration sources may be color-adjusted or even be from a photo shoot, so be realistic with your florist about what you’ll get when it comes time for your special day. Additionally, remember that it takes a lot of time and special tools to produce an entire wedding’s worth of flowers so be sure to factor that in when determining if DIY is right for you.
Repurposing is also a great way to ensure that your floral decor doesn’t go to waste. Having your florist create large displays like backdrops or ceremony structures that can be moved to the reception is an easy way to keep costs down while still creating beautiful decor for your event.
Stay In-Season
Many elements of a wedding can become overwhelming when it comes to planning – sending out invitations, finding your dream dress, and finding choice entertainment – and decorations are often overlooked. However, that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your decor vision when it comes to budgeting!
While a gorgeous peony or tulip may be high on your wish list, consider going with an affordable alternative with high-petal count flowers like ranunculus, double-flowering tulips, and carnations that look just as stunning. This can save you money and allows your florist to work with a larger variety of flowers, creating a more lush bouquet.
Another way to save is by staying in-season. Unless you are willing to pay for expensive flowers to be flown in from abroad, most flower varieties only bloom at certain times of the year. If you have your heart set on something specific, ask your florist if they can recommend an alternative in-season flower that will achieve the same look and feel, such as a blush rose or gypsophila.
Finally, repurposing is one of the best ways to stretch your floral budget. For example, a large wow floral element like a ceremony arch or garland can be repurposed as table centerpieces for the reception.
It’s also important to keep in mind that your florist’s time is just as valuable as your money. Working with a florist who doesn’t take the time to communicate clearly can lead to misunderstandings, mistakes, and even costly overages. It’s best to find a florist who will respect your budget and be able to make suggestions based on their years of experience to help you stay within that limit.
Use Greenery
There’s a lot to take into account when planning your wedding: finding the perfect venue, sending out invites, choosing a menu and so much more. As a result, wedding decor expenses can easily get overlooked.
Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks that can help you save money when it comes to flowers. Whether you’re looking to keep your floral costs down or just want to economize a little, here are a few of our favorite budget-friendly hacks:
Start with greenery. Greenery like ferns, myrtle, and eucalyptus are typically cheaper than blooms. They also add bulk and a nice frame to your arrangements, without taking away from the focus of your focal flowers.
When selecting your flower colors, try to avoid those that are commonly used in bouquets and centerpieces—or at least use them sparingly. For example, lily of the valley, peonies, and orchids are all very popular but pricey wedding flowers. To save, consider substituting these for sweet peas, tweedy, astilbe, or nerine lilies—all of which offer similar aesthetics to these more expensive varieties.
If you have your heart set on a particular type of flower, make sure to choose it during its season. Buying out-of-season blooms can be costly because they will most likely need to be imported. Likewise, choosing a wedding date around a holiday (like Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day) can also inflate flower prices due to supply.
Shop Local
While it is always nice to dream big, your florist will likely have years of experience working within a budget. Be honest about your goals and ask for her recommendations based on her knowledge of what can be achieved for your event with the money you have to spend. She should be happy to provide suggestions that will make your floral vision a reality without blowing the entire budget.
Consider reducing the number of boutonnieres, corsages, and bridal party “extras” you order. These little items add up quickly and can push your budget over the edge. If you want to include them, keep the amount manageable and consider using flowers that are less expensive than others like freesias. These little blossoms are available in a variety of colors and can be tinted to match your wedding day color scheme.
If you are set on including pricier flowers, discuss them with your florist and find creative ways to incorporate them into your displays. You could use them as accents for your larger bouquets, or try something more unique like creating a statement flower arch using cymbidium orchid stems instead of spray roses.
Another way to save is by shopping locally, which means not only supporting small businesses but also getting the best possible prices on your flowers. Many local florists buy their flowers from local farms and can offer discounts for ordering in bulk.
If you are getting married at a venue that has other weddings taking place the same day, ask the coordinator or sacristan if they would be open to splitting the cost of some statement pieces like backdrops and floral chandeliers with another couple. Another great resource is the Shared Bouquet website which allows you to browse events happening nearby and find other couples who are willing to share their flowers.
Repurpose Flowers
If you’re okay with limiting your floral options, your florist may be able to offer you a more competitive quote. This is because they can buy in bulk and often get discounts on the wholesale prices they typically pay to obtain their flowers from a supplier or grower. If you can whittle down your flower list to two or three different types, this is also a great way to save money.
One of the most important things to remember when creating a budget-friendly wedding floral plan with your florist is that the cost of wedding flowers doesn’t just include their purchase price, it also includes labor fees. When an order comes in, it takes a lot of time for your florist to put together the bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. That’s why it’s so important to keep your wedding flower options to a minimum and stick to flowers that look good together, and that your florist can easily work with.
Consider incorporating flowers like tulips, carnations, or gypsophila into your arrangements to add color and reduce costs. They tend to be much cheaper than many popular flowers, such as roses, peonies, and orchids. And since they’re a bit smaller, you can use them to fill up space and create a fuller, more interesting floral arrangement.
For those who can’t sacrifice their favorite blooms, talk to your florist about using them sparingly to add a special touch to your bridal bouquet or other floral pieces. They can also make a beautiful addition to boutonnieres or as part of a bouquet for a bridesmaid, or they can be used for an altarpiece, centerpiece, or to line the aisle at the ceremony.