Décor that dies and thus cannot be resold.

Aka: Flowers. It feels weird to me to spend tons of money on décor that you can’t use afterwards. I am selling most of my wedding décor, so I feel like the money spent on that stuff is warranted. Originally, I wanted only a few flowers here and there to keep the budget down. Things changed when I formed a more solid idea of what I wanted, though... I wanted a fun wedding, but I also wanted elegant touches to the wedding. Nothing is more beautiful and elegant than white tables and white flowers to me. However, all white can look washed out if not done right, so I decided we would use purple as our pop color. Hence, I wanted lots of purple and white flowers. Also, I wanted it to look like we picked everything from the garden.

Some of my inspiration pics. Both of these photos are from StyleMePretty (I think!)

Having that meant doubling our flower budget, though. Which was okay because we moved some things around in the budget. Initially, I had NO idea what flowers were going to cost. So, I thought I would share what we had and what some of it cost so some other bride can get an idea of she wants to spend.

But first a word on our florist: We picked a florist probably on the higher end to do our flowers because they were in Clarkston (my home town). I am a huge believer in supporting the local shops . This particular shop, Parsonage, make fabulous arrangements, so I didn’t really shop around for a bargain price. However, I think it is important for all brides to know that if you come into a florist shop with a budget, they should be able to make something for you in YOUR budget. I suggest definitely establishing what you are comfortable spending right away. Ask the florist to be honest with you about whether the ideas you have are going to fit into your budget or not. Also, be realistic! You can’t have 1000 peonies for $100. It isn’t going to happen.

The best advice I received about flowers was - FOCUS ON YOUR BOUQUET. Brides are inclined to do that anyway. But, what I mean to say is focus your budget on your bouquet and groom's boutonniere. My florist pointed out that in 10 years you aren't going to have photos of the flowers that were on your guest tables out in your home... you are going to have pictures of you and your spouse. So, the flowers you hold in your hand that day will be in view the longest in your life. Make sure you love those flowers first and foremost. My bouquet was filled with peonies, dahlias, star of bethlehem, double lisianthus, wax flower, lavender, and one gardenia to match Wes's gardenia boutonniere (his favorite flower). My bouquet cost more than any of my centerpieces... which I feel slightly guilty about but man oh man I loved my bouquet.

 

 

Photos by Kristen Taylor Photography

I suggest that you have pictures to show the florist for your meeting. And if you are concerned with getting something you definitely don't want, then have pictures of what you don't want. Most of the time, I would find two pictures of flowers that were very similar but I love one and hated the other. It was really helpful because my florist tried to figure out why I liked one versus the other by trying to tell me what she thought the difference was. 

Love this. From theknot.com

It is okay... From SMP

Hate this. I don't know where I got this from from...probably theknot.com

Try not to have all white flowers, no matter how romantic you think it will be. They don't photograph as well. I had a lot of neutral colors in my wedding scheme because I didn't want to compete with the beautiful Waldenwoods, but having purple flowers for our bridal party made them stand out and also gave the POP I wanted in my photos. The purple flowers were purple double lisianthus.

Photo by Kristen Taylor Photography

Our family was given white lisianthus so everyone knew how special they were.

Photos by Kristen Taylor Photography

However, I do have to say that you should be careful when you go to pick which flowers your florist will use. I wanted everything lisianthus. Lisianthus has the beauty of a rose but is more delicate and I wanted it that way. As a result, lisianthus doesn't always look perfect. Lisianthus is also expensive because we needed 30 blooms for one bridesmaid bouquet and all that adds up. My florist offered hydrangea as a cheaper alternative but I was set on lisianthus and considered ordering the lisianthus online myself. My florist warned me about ordering lisianthus myself because sometimes it can look really beat up. She showed me examples of lisianthus she had to throw out for a wedding because it looked so bad. We talked about a price I was comfortable with and how to use other flowers to make that happen. In the end, she offered to do all lisianthus bouquets for a discounted price. (Which was amazing.) However, the day of the wedding, the bouquets were beautiful but the lisianthus still looked a little beat up. I wish I had spent my money a little more wisely and chosen a hardier flower... but what that flower would be, I have no idea... because I still love lisianthus. Here's what they looked like up close, and then my inspiration pic.

Photo by Kristen Taylor Photography

Spectacular lisianthus... Source

I still think you should ask about cheaper alternatives. My florist suggested than instead of paying for garden roses or peonies, for us to use regular old roses. The florist bought them early so that they had time to open up more. Then, she plucked out a few petals in the middle and they turned out SO beautiful. The exact same effect as garden roses for a fraction of the price. In the end, we were able to keep the  flower parts of our centerpieces between $35 and $85 each.

The white snapdragons were awesome!

All the mercury glass put to good use!

See the open roses? Photos by Kristen Taylor Photography

The best thing I think we did for keeping the prices of our centerpieces down was using the millions of mason jars in my mom's basement for the flowers. Renting vases is very expensive. If you have to spend money on floral containers, then PLEASE shop around on the internet and buy them yourself. Because you WILL be able to find them cheaper than what your florist is charging to rent if you order in bulk. Also, you can recoup your money because you can sell them afterwards.

I have to say I really loved my flowers. I feel a little bad because I was a little bit anal about which flowers were arranged together. Parsonage took me literally when I gave them outlines of what I would like and took very little artistic leeway in the design of the flowers. Parsonage is FULLY capable of designing and producing beautiful floral arrangements on their own. I think I was so controlling because I had changed my mind about the flowers so many times and I was worried about not having the vision in my head turn out right. Obviously, it turned out fine... I just hope Parsonage thinks they were beautiful as well! I didn't realize how much I loved them until we got them home to my mom's house. It was so lovely to see them everywhere in her home. I would recommend Parsonage 100%. I still appreciate all the brides out there who refuse to spend a ton of money on flowers. Clever brides are coming up with all sorts of fun ways to make bouquets. Here's a bouquet of broaches that one bride put together:

From Weddingbee

In the end, I wanted natural elements because we are nature people. So, while the flowers only lasted a few days,  I think it was completely worth it. :)