I saw an old movie the other night and in it a bride was walking down the aisle with a bouquet of 3 or 4 large lilies. They looked like those day lilies you often see reproduced, tied with a bow, and held sideways cradled in the bride's arm.
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We are using silk flowers to do our flower arrangements. The bouquets for the bride, attendants, groom, and best men will also be silk. The wedding cake will be outstanding in silks and will stand on a wedding cloth.
The florist bill can add up very quickly. Rather than spending a huge amount of your wedding budget on centerpieces check out the local farmers markets and neighborhood gardeners!
When shopping for live wedding flowers, do some homework! Shop around and compare prices as well as quality to find the best deals.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am getting married in june 2005 and I don't know about flowers. What flowers do I use for a june wedding? What flowers should I put in the aisle and use for the banquet. I am lost with flowers but my mother wants flowers. I don't want to spend too much money.
I am getting married in June as well, in Canada. I have been told that Gerbera daisys are the most hardy and readily available flowers. You can get them in so many different colours and they last for a long time.
You can make an appointment to speak with a floral designer, usually at no charge. They will be able to tell you what flowers are more readily available, how well they will hold up through your big day and what they will cost. Talk with several different florists before committing to anything, as their prices can vary significantly.
Another option would be to talk with friends, neighbors, church folks, etc., to see if anyone has a flair for floral design. You might find out that someone you already know loves to arrange flowers and would be willing to do it for free if you purchase the flowers. Flowers can be purchased inexpensively at WalMart or Sam's the day before.
Something else to consider is using artificial flowers. Fresh are certainly the most favored, but sometimes you can have the look you want for a lot less if you use artificial flowers. When my daughters married, we used silk flowers that we selected at Michael's when they were on a 50% off sale, and they made custom arrangements to order from our selections. We were able to have them made several months before the big day, and that was one less thing to worry about last minute. The silk flowers also made nice thank-you presentations to those who helped us on the big day.
Start looking at ideas for flowers in a variety of places. Do your internet searches for bridal flowers, and go to the library to look through magazines and books there. You will get an idea of what you like and don't like, which will be very helpful for you when you speak with a floral designer.
Best wishes for you and your sweetheart!
Usually what kind of flowers is determined by the colors in your wedding party. You can choose flowers that come in the colors you want-anything except a true blue is available. Go to a flower shop and look in the FTD, and/ or Teleflora books. These will give you ideas. So will bridal books, magazines, etc. A skilled florist can make you whatever you see, in the colors you want and or the flowers you love. Any flower can be gotten at any time of the year, but some are much more expensive. Did you know the wholesale price of red roses doubles or triples at Valentine's Day? More traditional brides usually want roses in their bouquets, and lily of the valley is traditional, as is stephanotis. Mini-carnations, gerbera daisies, stargazer lilies, various mums-And someone posted something about gerberas not flopping. They absolutely do flop but they, as well as roses, should be wired so this won't happen. If you do go with silk flowers, the cost should be comparable to fresh altho the quality of silks can determine the cost. And, silks will be a permanent momento to keep.
Well, I've been married for over 30 years, and one thing that I remember very well about my cool September day wedding, was that my rose tips turned brown after a few hours! I've been to many wedding since, where live flowers of many different varieties were used, and many of them were brown and wilted after a few hours too! So, in my opinion, I would use silk flowers, and use good quality ones, that look life-like! It's really nice to be able to save your bouquet. After the wedding, your bouquet can be kept in a curio cabinet, or displayed on a shelf next to your wedding portrait. You can keep a centerpiece from your wedding on display in your home, reminding you of your special day. Other table centerpieces can be distributed to the parents of the bride and groom as a remembrance for them.
Do you have a Sam's Club or COSTCO in your area?? They have beautiful, inexpensive flowers and will pre-order for you so you just have to pick-up the day of wedding. As for table flowers, might consider dozen fresh roses in vase simply wrapped together with tulle bow and have it draped onto the tabletop. Very elegant. Roses are about $14 for TWO DOZEN at COSTCO in Michigan. Good luck.
Daisies are in season in June and usually very inexpensive. An easy way to change colors of daisies is to put them in water with food color in it (remember science class). Also, the cheapest way to do it is to look at what is growing wild around you and use wild flowers. One other idea is to do potted annuals. Wal-mart or places like that have their greenhouses open starting in early may here and you can get flats of annuals pretty cheap and do different pots up that you can then decorate your new home with or give at favors. Some impatients or pansies and ivy would look beautiful and come in many colors.
You don't say whether the wedding is indoors or outdoors, but I guess this will do for either. Find annuals in your colors. Pot them up in early April and feed them Miracle-Gro twice a week. Snip off the faded blooms at the same time you feed them. By June they will be pretty spectacular! Then just tie a bow made of tulle around each pot. Makes them look all dressed up.
Thank you all for helping me I will look at all of the suggets my sister said to do silk i like silk they dont die thats good thak you very much
jennifer
What I meant about the floppy flowers is that the PETALS will wilt, not the actual plant. A Gerbera Daisy will probably not have wilted PETALS at the end of the day such as a tulip might. With gerbera daisies being so tall they usually come with the plastic sheath on the stem.
Hi Jennifer,
I don't know about flowers either except they are expensive. I went to a wedding that used large bows of fancy ribbon in their place. It was beautiful! I'm sure less expensive too. Craft stores often give free bow making classes. Congratulations!
Look into silk flowers! I still have my bouquet and his bootiner! Fifteen plus years! Special keepsakes.
If you aren't into making yourself ask friends and family then venture to outside help. You'd be surprised at how many talents are around you and wanting to help in this way for you beautiful day! Ask!
Best wishes June Bride! :)
Potted plants are a great alternative to silk flowers for centerpieces, etc. For my wedding last July, I bought three dozen pots of double impatiens from the local farmer's market for just $1 per pot! These look like miniature roses, but they're much easier to care for. Unfortunately, several of them had just shed their blooms on the wedding day and the new buds had not yet opened up--so several of the plants looked a little bit sparse. One way to deal with this problem might be to get more flowers than you think you'll need--it's still way cheaper than buying cut flowers, and you don't have to worry about how you'll keep them from wilting.
Thanks for all the great ideas everyone, as I am also getting married June 2005.
June- August Weddings are so convenient for using outdoor flowers for decorating. When my son married I had friends who let me get real Ivy, Magnolias and Magnolia leaves,which we used with Hurricane globes and a taper candle. My neighbor Miracle Grow'ed the ferns she had until the wedding and they were HUGE and beautiful. Fresh cut garden bouquets would be beautiful in a cluster tied with a ribbon.Or fresh garden flowers in a clear TALL fishbowl with a ribbon tied around it . The point I'm making is FREINDS LOVE to share the beautiful flowers from their gardens.And believe me it saves a fortune on florist bill plus you have a real sense of pride in knowing That YOU did it!!!
How do you attach flowers to folding chairs at an outdoor wedding ceremony?
I will be getting married in June of 2007 and have no clue as to what kind of flowers to get and what color I should use for my bridesmaid. Please help me!
My bridesmaids are wearing wine, what color flowers will go with that?
By Jen from OH
I am planning a spring wedding. I need a lot of stuff and I was wondering on the prices for flowers. I need 14 boutonnières and 8 corsages and two center pieces for the church all real and then fake 7 boutonnières. The colors are cornflower blue and yellow and I don't know what flowers I want.
The cost of wedding flowers is impacted by the time of year, the area in which you live, the florist you choose/or if you do it yourself, and if you are needing flowers in the two weeks (or immediately after) holidays such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.
Boutonniers should be $6-$8 each and coursages could range in price from $10-$20 each.(Right before special holidays prices could be higher.) These items are labour intensive to make. Be sure to see an example of the quality of work that your florist produces before you finalize your order. Order as soon as possible because it takes TIME to ship flowers in and MAKE the flower arrangements.
-Lynn
I have a wedding this December 2006. I'm having some trouble deciding what kind of flowers and color of flowers to use as my center pieces. I was thinking about using cala lilies but I don't know if they would look okay since the colors of my wedding are Aqua and chocolate brown. I also don't want to use white flowers as my bouquet because I don't like the way white flowers look against my ivory gown. If there is anyone that could give me some ideas please do.
Why not use pale aqua and cream or ivory colored flowers in your bouquet?
Callas would provide a nice accent to aqua and chocolate. If you use varying shades (deep to pastel)and varying textures (dull, woven/pebbly, shiny) in your colors, it will provide a nice richness. Too many weddings are "two-toned and flat".
If your colours are aqua and brown, why don't you try using cornflowers for both your centrepieces (little bouquets) and for your bridal bouquet. They are such beautiful little blue flowers. My mother had them for her 2nd wedding and she also had little head wreaths made in corn flowers for the flowers girls (my cousin and I). Too cute!
Cornflower link: en.wikipedia.org/
What about edible chocolate centerpieces? I've seen all kinds of stuff made from chocolate at weddings and on a cruise I went on. Maybe you could carry chocolate flowers... or maybe you would end up with chocolate on your dress.
My daughter did her wedding 3 yrs ago and the church was decorated for Christmas, with all kinds of Poinsettias, so we chose the poinsettias but did pastel pink, aqua , silver ivory etc. We used for reception too. They come in big med. and small, most had irridescent sparkle. We found them at Hobby lobby, Michaels' and garden ridge. Spent about 300 on them used terra cotta clay pots painted silver with big ivory colored bows for center pieces. Every one thought we had a professional do the flowers we were proud for sure. Make Christmas work for your wedding remember ivory is winter white.
My wedding is in Sept 2006 and my colors are aqua and chocolate brown as well. I am using cala lilies as my flower too. Nice choice of colors and flowers:) Check out the Captain Rodin cala lilie for your bouquet. I think it would look great with your ivory gown. Congrats and good luck!
Candy,
You should use Ivory roses with willow sticks to accent the browns. Use ribbons with aqua colors and browns to pull it all together.
Kelly B
I'm trying to save money on my wedding by creating my own flower arrangements. Any ideas where I can get the flowers from?
Thanks,
Abi
I did a Google search for "online flower suppliers" and came back with a ton of hits!
Here's one that has a lot of links on it:
www.wholesaledir.com/
Here's one that looks REALLY good! www.agrotropical.andes.com/
Good luck and best wishes!
You may want to consider thinking outside the box. I got married in September. My attendants did not carry flowers, but candles. I found these beautiful candle flutes that resemble champagne glasses. You put a long taper candle in it and just a simple silk ribbon on the stem. It was very classy looking...AND CHEAP. I actually did my own flowers using somewhat expensive silk roses. They were about $1.00 each. I set them in a bouquet and wrapped their stems in white ribbon w/ many ribbons dangling off. I think the whole thing cost about $12.00 - not bad compared to the $500.00 bouquets the local florist would do.
At my wedding(s) - I (1) went to our flower market & got flowers of the season & arranged them in florists foam in baskets I got at thrift shops & put them on the table - made my own bouquet (I now know you can get holders for that in craft stores) & bought boutonnières/corsages for the wedding party. At (2) I got bouquets for me -the bride, my sister - the matron of honor and my nieces - the bridesmaids at a florist. I got flowers from the supermarket & had my nieces collect the queen Anne's lace that was all around wild! We then made flower arrangements in all the Middle Eastern glass I had gotten from my godmother. We were in a backyard - so we bought lilies from a garden center and used them to create an altar area & then planted them in the garden afterwards!
I made corsages and bouteniers (or however it's spelled) from two dozen roses I bought at the grocery store. For my bouquet and my bridesmaids bouquets, I called a florist and told her I wanted pink flowers and how much I wanted to spend and she made some pretty bouquets that were affordable. I didn't have my heart set on any certain type of flower, just the color, so being flexible paid off.
Always see if there are flower sellers/producers or wholesale flower markets near you. And buy flowers in season, which are the best buy.
I will be getting married September 16, 2018 and I was wanting roses and calla lilies for my flowers. Will they they have bloomed in time for it? Or will I have to go with a different flower?
We are having a spring wedding. The week after Easter to be exact and the church is filled with lilies and tulips during this time. We have gone with the pink, purple, and green approach because these seemed to be the Easter pastel colors. I have been searching for flowers but I am unsure of what would look good together and the combination to use. Any ideas?
By Bethany
I am getting married at the end of August of this year. This will be an outdoor wedding and I would like to use stargazer lilies, but am not sure if they would last in the heat. I really want them at least in my bouquet and the girls. I am not sure about the boots or corsages yet. What do you think?
By Donna D
My daughter's wedding will be March of 2013. She has chosen precious metals as her color scheme: bronze, gold, and pewter and wants cream calla lilies. We would like candles and flowers at the reception tables. What type and color flowers would you recommend?
By Vicky
My wedding colors are chocolate, pink, and cream. I was wondering if someone has suggestions on flowers and flower colors.
By partyhappy99 from Van Buren, ME
I am planning my wedding for June 07' and I am interested in having tulips at the wedding. Everyone keeps telling me that they are out of season and that they will be expensive. Does anyone know if they are available for the first week in June and how much they cost?
Use silk ones. We did for our daughters May wedding and everyone thought they were real.
I think you are living dangerously.
If I were you, I'd get plastic and silk tulips. These can be potted in baskets or clay pots, given away as party favors, donated, used in the garden on the porch... later on.
If Mother Nature doesn't co-operate, you will have spent a great deal of money and nothing to show for it.
Choosing the flowers for your wedding is a serious part of the planning. The time of year can set some constraints on your choices, although alternatively you can go with faux flowers in any color. If you are planning a fall wedding some good fresh flower choices are mums and sunflowers.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I'm having a fall outdoor wedding. Ivory and wine are the main colors. (My dress is ivory, bridesmaids: wine). We will be having two accent colors, both mothers of bride and groom will be in navy and purple.
What color and type of flowers should I choose to go with wedding colors of turquoise, raspberry and ivory?
