It was decided that I need to have flowers for my wedding party because "what will they do with their hands?" and to make the pictures look better.
Our wedding package includes 1 bride's bouquet and 1 boutonnière for the groom so I figured I was home free.
Today I'm going to call the florist for a quote on adding (main flower - calla lillies):
2 bridesmaid bouquets
1 ring bearer's boutonnière
5 boutonnières (2 groomsmen + 2 dads + grandpa)
3 women's corsages (2 moms + grandma)
I'm bracing myself for the worst... considering the point of my elopment was to keep costs down, some people seem to be forgetting that was the original plan and since they're not paying for it, they don't see that these little things add up quickly. My budget $150. I have no idea if that's even close or appropriate, but if the florist quote is for more, I'm going to order flowers in advance from Winn-Dixie and make them myself. We're not getting married until 5pm so we could work on the arrangements all morning and add extras, like shells and sand dollars.
Is that crazy? Making the flowers the day of the wedding to save a buck?
Tuesday, June 30
flowers - buy or make?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 Comments:
I'd be hesitant about planning any day-of projects that might be as involved as making bouquets and boutonniers. Corsages would be easier to buy yourself already made of course. True you have all day, but trust me, there's plenty going on day of already and who needs the stress?
Of course you could make them the night (or a day or so) before and stick them in a fridge if you have one available large enough to keep them fresh. You just have to do cost benefit analysis of the cost of the flowers versus value of the arrangeing, storing, and delivery being someone else's problem.
With the calla lilly though you don't need a lot of extra stuff, they can carry the bouquet on their own and you just need maybe a bit of filler and some ribbon.
Also what's else in season that your florist could suggest? With it being down south I'd think they'd have lots of stuff since they don't have to worry about the cold. That could cut costs. Also, what is it about the calla lilly you like? Maybe there's something that costs less that has those same features?
You could always mix in a few silk with the fresh to possibly cut down costs. My bouquet had a few fake mixed in and you could harldly tell.
Finally, maybe there's something else fun that the bridesmaids could carry that fit the theme and would be easier than flowers. That way if you find something in budget at a store, you can just pack it along, no worry about keeping it fresh. If it takes some DIY you would at least have more time to make it. They could even use it as a decoration later. For example, a pretty fan might provide some nice color and give the maids something to hold.
Really, you just have to prioritize. Maybe you have to re-adjust the budget and take a little from somewhere else. But if they're really not that big a deal to you, then go with it, tell people you appreciate their opinion, but you think it'll be fine without them and other things just mean more to you. (you know, unless it's a big enough deal to them that they'd be willing to kick a little into the florist fund). Maybe the location is gorgeous enough on its own you don't need flowers for stunning photos.
Sorry that was so long, and you'd probably thought of most of it already, but I just can't help myself :) Best of luck.
Melissa A.
Post a Comment