When it comes to weddings it seems that everything costs more than you think it will and by the time the big day arrives couples end up spending over their initial budget. Here at Fields in Bloom we work with a wide variety of budgets for weddings and I can tell when I meet with a bride whether her Pinterest board matches her budget (hint: it usually doesn’t). So when I meet with someone who needs a lot of different floral arrangements on a tight budget here is my biggest suggestion to save:
FIND WAYS TO REUSE YOUR FLOWERS FROM CEREMONY TO RECEPTION!!
Think quality over quantity. I would rather have fewer, nice quality arrangements I can reuse than stretch my budget and get more, but smaller arrangements. Couples are always surprised by the suggestion. Here are the most common ways I suggest reusing flowers from the ceremony at the reception:
-Reuse bouquets on the guest tables or down the head table. Your florist can have a vase ready with water for your maids to drop their bouquets in after the wedding.
-Do a really nice pew markers and reuse them as centerpieces on the guest tables. Or if you are doing a simple pew marker, reuse them on the cocktail tables.
-If you are having large arrangements at the entrance of your wedding or as part of the backdrop pick a style that doubles as a tall centerpiece on the guests’ tables or as a statement pieces on your head table or buffet table.
For example- these arrangements were on barrels at the entrance to the ceremony and then placed on tall vases on the head table for the reception.
Now, while this is a great way to save there is a caveat. It means that someone will have to be in charge of moving these items from ceremony to reception. If you have your florist do it then there is usually an extra fee for that, so be sure to keep that in mind before going this route. Another thing to remember is that if you are NOT having a cocktail hour this may mean that centerpieces are being put on the table as your guests are walking into the reception. If that is something you are not okay with then reusing flowers is not for you.
I don’t suggest having to completely setup a reception site in between the ceremony and reception, or reusing everything from the ceremony so nothing is on your reception tables before the wedding begins. That is a lot of rushing around and can add a lot stress. But, with careful planning you can find ways to reuse flowers and stretch your budget, especially if you have a coordinator or friend that can help with this transition.
What other ways are you planning to reuse flowers from the ceremony to reception?
