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Cutting
Flower Costs
By
Megan Mercer
Last Update:
November 5, 2004
Flowers
can be very expensive. If your budget is tight, however,
this may be an area in which you can cut expenses.
Here are some ideas for finding the right look for
your wedding at a reasonable cost.
Do It Yourself
If you a friend, or any member
of your family feel comfortable taking the endeavor on,
you may want to consider this.
Two words of warning are in order. First, give yourself
plenty
of time: not only must you come up with attractive
designs well ahead of your deadlines, but you should
also have the option of deciding things are not working
out to your satisfactions—and calling in "the
pros." Second, be sure you are just as demanding as
you would
be with the work of a professional.
Do It Yourself—In
Places
Instead of using a florist
for all of your flowers and decorations, you might
choose to make some of your own
and then ask
the florist
to focus on a narrower area than he or she normally
would. Many brides choose to make their own table centerpieces
and pew decorations, only using a florist for the bouquets
and
boutonnières.
You could also use cut fresh flowers or wild flowers
for certain
key
decorations.
Use Silk Flowers
Silk flowers are an increasingly
popular alternative to fresh flowers. When they are done
well, they can
be quite attractive—without drawing notice to
the fact that they are not "the real thing." Silk flowers
can also be taken home and used as decorations or keepsakes.
Another distinct advantage to using silk, you will
have a much broader range of flower colors and varieties
to choose from.
If you are making your own
floral decorations silk flowers are great. With silk
you don't have to worry about wilting or refrigeration,
so the arrangements can be constructed well in advance!
Move the
Flowers
It is a common practice to use the same flowers at the
reception that you used at the ceremony. Simply place
someone in charge of retrieving the flowers immediately
after the ceremony and transferring them to the reception
site. This person should be traveling, unloading,
and arranging the flowers while you are having pictures
taken at the ceremony site. Make sure they have specific
instructions of where all decorations should
be placed.
If you are having a
lot of fresh floral arrangements, you can give them to
honored guests or
close family members after the wedding. It would be
a shame to let something so lovely go to waste!
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