Budget Crunch: Seven Ways to Save Money on Wedding Flowers

Depending on when and where you are tying the knot, the average cost of wedding flowers can range from $800 to $1900-and that’s not including floral centerpieces or extravagant bouquets. But let’s face it. Flowers scream romance-and your wedding will be romantic. So what can you do?


As with other areas of your wedding, you might be able to save money if you:
- Get married in off season
- Don’t get married on or near a major holiday (like Valentine’s Day or New Year's Eve)
- Get married on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday

Still itching to slash that budget? Ok, then. Here are Four More Ways You Can Save Some Green on Your Wedding Floral Bill.

1. Shop Around
All florists are not created equally, hence the final bill between two similar florists will vary greatly. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times-shop around. Keep an organized account of what you are being quoted and don’t be afraid to share your lowest quotes with potential florists. Often they will offer you upgrades or freebies to get the contract.

It is important to ensure you are comparing equal bouquets and centerpieces. Get all of the details in writing to ensure there are no unpleasant surprises on the Big Day.


2. Stay in Season
It makes sense that seasonal flowers that are grown locally will be less costly than expensive imported flowers. Ask your florists or look online to get an idea of which flowers are grown in your area and which flowers will be in season during your wedding. You could save hundreds of dollars by not importing blooms from around the world. Here is a seasonal flower guide to help you get started.

3. Use Alternatives
Unless you have your heart set on a particular flower, look outside the bud for a less expensive alternative. Calla Lilies run around $7 a stem, while similarly-shaped Tulips are less than $3. Cymbidium Orchids can run as high as $60 a stem-ouch!-while Dendrobium Orchids are less than $4. Other less expensive options include Orange Blossoms, Lavender, Daffodil, Daisies, Chrysanthemum, Carnations and Ivy.

4. Do-it-Yourself … well, almost
While I am a big proponent of a Do-it-Yourself Wedding, I would never-ever!-recommend doing your own flowers. Everything else I’ve recommended for Do-it-Yourself-the programs, the escort cards, even the invites can all be done weeks, if not months, in advance. The flowers can’t. They have to be done at the last minute. Believe me, you will want to spend those last few hours of single-girl stardom being pampered, having brunch with your friends or relaxing in a hot bath. You don’t want to be stressed out because the bouquet you are trying to recreate doesn’t look like the picture you pulled from Brides Magazine.

However, there are low-cost ways around this. Look on Craigs List or ask a local university or horticulture school for a recommendation on their best flower arranger. This person will usually work for hundreds less than a florist who has high overhead costs and staff salaries to consider. Purchase your flowers yourself from a local flower wholesaler. You should place your order with the wholesaler weeks (if not more) in advance and ask the flower arranger all of the same questions you’d ask a full-service florist.

What other ways can you think of to save money on your flowers?

Photos courtesy of EricByer and boeke

Wedding Flowers

Wedding flowers may be as simple or elaborate as your wedding budget allows. If you really want to go for a more economical wedding, you might consider limiting the number of flowers that you use in the bouquets, the ceremony decorations and even at the tables as centerpieces. (Here are some pictures of wedding bouquets of all different types for you to check out. It might help you select the types you want for your wedding.)

Let's face it, flowers are expensive and you may want to spend your wedding budget on things like wedding invitations, food, the wedding dress, or gifts for your wedding attendants. However, you can still incorporate flowers into your wedding design and save money.

I was at a simple wedding a couple of weeks ago where the bride and groom decided that the church was not in need of additional decoration (except for a runner down the aisle). All the bride carried was a small wedding bouquet of six red roses and her attendants carried six white roses each. It was simple, elegant, and not overdone.

One of the things I really liked about the wedding bouquets was that they were manageable and graceful. I mean I've seen some wedding bouquets that are so large that they overwhelm the bride and you could hardly see her wedding dress. These wedding bouquets are as awkward as they are ostentatious and they actually detract from the wedding design rather than enhance it.

The key to using flowers at your ceremony is not to over-decorate. Tasteful, small, well-placed arrangements impress without cluttering or overwhelming the view.

At the wedding reception, instead of having huge centerpieces on each table you can incorporate a number of trends that still use flowers in the wedding design, but aren't as costly. Depending on how many tables and how formal you are going to be, consider small terra cotta pots (or even decorated pots) of flowering plants. Fill small bowls with fruits for color and style. Place a wedding sticker on the terra cotta pot or the bowl with your names, wedding date, and a welcome message to your guests. Surround a candle with a small wreath of flowers in your wedding colors. There are many alternatives to using expensive full centerpieces of only flowers - and they look really nice, too!

If you have your heart set on having flowers, limit your costs by buying in bulk and creating your own flower arrangements. Costco offers a wide variety of flower arrangements and types so that all you have to do is supply the vases and determine where the flowers are going to go. You can get quite a lot for less than $800. In this day and age, that is quite a steal. There are also online vendors who will allow you to purchase the flowers in bulk; then all you have to do is make up the bouquets and centerpieces yourself. Here is one that specializes in wedding flowers, and you can even buy a DIY wedding flower arranging video to help you create your own wedding flower bouquets and arrangements.

Flowers are important to a wedding but if your wedding budget prohibits you from getting a lot of them, improvise and you can still incorporate some into your wedding day!