Our members get eight great tips for how to save money on their wedding flowers. Flower expenses can get out of hand, so going in to visit your florist well prepared and knowledgable is the key. And if something odd comes up, ask our professional wedding planners who are available to answer your questions.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Florist. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE, click here!
As with all parts of your wedding, there are many ways to save money on your flowers. First, ask your florist a lot of questions, and find out all the ‘extra fees’ that they will charge you. For example, don’t pay a consultation fee, but if you want the florist to be there for your ceremony to decorate and hand out corsages and boutonnieres, expect to pay a reasonable fee.
If your wedding date is close to a holiday, you may have to pay more for your flowers. For example, roses around Valentine’s Day are always more expensive, and December is an expensive time to buy fresh flowers because demand is high and it is not the best time of year for fresh flowers.
One of the best ways to save money on your flowers is to choose flowers that are in season for your region. By doing this, you can have up to 3 times more flowers for the same price as for out-of-season exotic flowers that must be imported. Of course, you don’t need to have three times as many flowers. You can have all the flowers you want for a reasonable price if you are reasonable in your flower choices. Flower prices fluctuate every month, so another option is to give your florist free reign to choose the best bargains that fit with your overall colour scheme and style.
In the topic of flower bouquets, we talked about alternatives to a large, trailing teardrop bouquet, which is your most expensive option. A single long stemmed rose for each bridesmaid, and a nice posy bouquet for the bride will reduce overall flowers costs significantly. Of course, if you have a smaller bridal party, your costs will be less—not just for flowers, but also for bridal party gifts. If you want bouquets, a cost saving alternative is to use flowers with large blooms, like peonies, which will mean a lower number of flowers for the same size bouquet. Of course, you need to choose something in season.
Most wedding ceremonies are brief, and the reception lasts much longer. One option is to concentrate your flower purchases for the reception, and keep ceremony flowers simple. If there is another wedding taking place at your ceremony site, you could share cost of flowers with the other wedding party. Simple white and cream arrangements would be appropriate to avoid any colour clashes. Another alternative is to decorate your pews with bows that you can learn how to make at a craft store. Your ceremony site might even have some decorations available for you to use at no additional cost.
Greenery instead of flowers is a great substitute, and can look very lush and expensive at a fraction of the cost. Many times you can rent greenery from nurseries, florists, and party rental places.
There are always students taking courses in horticulture or floral designs, and often they will make arrangements for the experience it will give them, or a nominal cost. You would just need to purchase the flowers and they will do the rest. Worth looking into!
There are many sources for inexpensive flowers in season, and if you choose to have simple flower arrangements for your wedding, you can have a friend or family member create lovely flower arrangements for your wedding tables. Whether you visit your city’s warehouse where all the florists purchase their flowers, or access discount stores, or farmer’s markets, you can find many inexpensive flowers for your wedding.