Top Ten Ways to Save on Flowers & Decorations

1. Order flowers that are in season.
2. Better yet, use artificial flowers (silk are the best). They cost less then fresh flowers and often times you can’t tell the different between the ones that are real and the ones that aren’t!
3. If your bridesmaids cannot do without real flowers then have them carry a single fragrant bloom.
4. Use candles for centerpieces instead of flowers. There is a lot of creative ways to work with candles! Experiment with what looks best.
5. Decorate with balloons and/or colorful streamers instead of flowers. It’s a celebration after all! Make it lively!
6. Use lots of greenery, tulle and baby’s breath for decorating. Use your imagination and no one will notice that flowers are scarce.
7. Make your own pew bows (or find someone who makes them) instead of buying them.
8. Purchase decorating supplies, such as candles, white lights, tissue paper bells, etc. after the Christmas holidays. Everything goes on sale at the end of the year so this is a great time to stock up for the upcoming wedding!
9. Don’t hire a decorating service to decorate the church hall or wherever your reception is being held, do it yourself! (or better yet see if you can drum up volunteers from your family and friends). Make it a fun time and then go out for refreshments afterwards!
10. A bridal bouquet can double during the reception as decoration for the head table. Don’t let it go to waste! Just remember where you put it when it’s time to toss the bouquet!

CHOOSING YOUR FLOWERS

1. Don’t be determined to match the color of your flowers with bridesmaids’ dresses or decorations. It is virtually impossible to do! As an example, there are more than a hundred different shades of pink. Purple has many variations as well (think mauve, lavender, lilac). Forget the frustration of trying to match everything perfectly and instead use colors that blend and complement each other.
2. Let your florist know how much money you have to spend up front. Don’t be shy! A good floral designer will be able to find flowers to match both your style as well as your budget.
3. Labor is what makes up half the cost of flowers. The fancier and more involved the bouquet or centerpiece is, the more expensive it will be. In order to cut costs and stay within your budget, opt for simple, looser types of arrangements that take less time and effort to prepare.
4. Consider a “market buy” option when choosing flowers. This means that the florist will go to the market the day before your wedding and buy flowers that are on special. This option saves a lot of money and still insures that you have lovely flowers for your wedding day. I have personally known a number of people who have done this and have been very pleased with the results. And yes, you should still be able to get the kind of flowers that your heart desires!
5. Wait until approximately three months before the wedding to finalize your flower arrangements. You must take into consideration that wedding plans sometimes change or have to be altered. Remember that you want the flowers you choose for your wedding to compliment the décor, not detract from it.
6. One of my close friends opened gifts the day after the wedding and took floral centerpieces from the reception to use to decorate the gift table at home. Another equally smart idea is if someone in the family is having a post wedding breakfast or brunch save some flowers from the reception to decorate countertops, coffee tables, serving tables or wherever suits your fancy!

DECORATING THE CEREMONY

1. Focus your money where it will get noticed the most. The guests’ attention will be on the altar where the vows are being exchanged so keep that in mind when choosing flowers for the ceremony.
2. Use plenty of tall candelabras and decorate them with lots of greenery. Together they can have a beautiful effect on the ambiance of the ceremony. Sometimes the smallest thing can make a big difference. These are especially effective for autumn and winter weddings.
3. It can run you into a lot of money if you choose to decorate every pew on both sides of the church (especially if it’s a fair sized church!). As an alternative, consider decorating every third pew or every other pew. Use lots of ribbons, bows and greenery. I knew a lady who added some hurricane lamps to her decorations and it ended up looking beautiful. Get creative!
4. Another idea is to skip decorating the pews all together. Sure they look wonderful when they are decorated but if you’re on a tight budget and your money can be better spent elsewhere then skip them. Churches have a lot of pews after all which adds up to a lot of bucks!
5. Brides of yesteryears liked to use aisle runners in the churches for their ceremonies. If you want to use one, go ahead, but more and more brides today are doing without them. It is not the easiest thing in the world to put down the runner properly and there have been cases where runners have gotten caught up underneath wedding dresses! Not exactly the entrance most brides are looking for!
6. Keep flowers to a minimum at the ceremony if cost effectiveness is of utmost importance to your wedding planning. The time you spend at the church will probably work out to be around an hour or so and a great deal more time is spent at the reception. Don’t forget that.

DECORATING THE RECEPTION

1. You don’t need to hire an expert to make beautiful flower arrangements and centerpieces for the tables. Fresh cut flowers such as roses, tulips, lilies or lilacs look beautiful in an elegant vase. They stand alone very well and the scent they give off will have all your guests taking turns leaning in to get a whiff of the fragrance!
2. Think greenery, greenery, greenery! You can never have too much of it! Use swags of greenery mixed with tulle. Or add a few fresh flowers or for a change try using some small white lights within the greenery. This looks “awesome!” I have been told.
3. As previously mentioned, consider using your bridal bouquet and/or bridesmaids’ bouquets (if they are willing to relinquish them) as floral decorations at the reception. They can be used in many places such as the centerpiece for the head table, at the gift table, guest book table, the cake table or if you have a podium for speakers, even there is a good spot!
4. Balloon and party streamers make great decorations, as do tissue paper bells. Large floral arrangements are beautiful but as a means of cutting costs consider renting plants, trees or shrubs (artificial ones work just as well as real ones).
5. Lighting and mood go hand in hand so bear that in mind when decorating the reception. Small white lights placed within swags of greenery look great anywhere, especially in the entryway above the door and along a staircase. Some people like to wrap them around trees in much the same way as trees are decorated at Christmas time.
6. The floral centerpiece for the head table doesn’t have to be large. Go for something small and inviting. Add candles, ribbons and/or mirror plates to make the piece look as elaborate as you want and as beautiful as ever!
7. Tulle is inexpensive and can be used for many purposes. It can be draped along balconies, fireplaces and staircases. Bows made of tulle can be tied around chairs and the legs of tables. It says romantic without breaking the wedding budget!
8. Don’t forget the bathrooms at the reception. If you choose roses for your flowers for example, consider having rose scented soaps and lotions for guests to use (For the ladies bathroom of course. That goes without saying. Most men won’t appreciate using rose scented soap). This is a nice added touch that guests will very likely notice and compliment you on!