When we were growing up, weddings were like this magical event that came together as the perfect celebration of love. Elaborately decorated, dressed to the nines, everyone was dancing the night away.
So when we finally decide to ‘adult’ and our wedding is less Disney and more drama, we can feel a bit short-changed.
Social media only adds to the pressure, as our feeds are filled with extravagant floral displays that may well cost more than your first car!
It can seem like it’s impossible to get affordable wedding flowers, and achieve a look that you love.
Well, I’m here to help you think again.
It is true that the average cost of wedding flowers in Australia has increased. This is largely due to local flood and freight issues impacting wholesale prices. However, it is still possible to beautifully decorate your wedding, without completely breaking the bank.
Here are my top tips for wedding flowers on a budget:
Repurpose your ceremony flowers
Trust your florist
Rethink your tables
Share the love
Reduce your costs by repurposing your ceremony flowers
When people are on a tight budget, it can be easy to think your only option is to cut everything possible and strip it right back to basics. What those people haven’t considered, is how important flowers are in creating a feeling for your day.
Let’s think about it – hundreds of people choose your venue every year. Your celebrant marries dozens of couples. Your photographer captures weddings every weekend.
What will make your wedding look and feel like an expression of your unique love story?
Unless you’ve got a very creative decoration concept, it really is your flowers that set the tone for your wedding and create a mood for the day.
Don’t cut your floral budget to save money.
Instead, get smart about how to spend your floral budget.
We’ve worked with brides with small flower funds, as well as those who can afford The Pinterest Wedding. Regardless of wedding budget, there’s one thing we continually come back to.
Your actual wedding is the ceremony itself.
It’s the moment that you seal the deal. While it’s typically the shortest part of your day, it is also the most photographed part of your day.
Instead of saying no to ceremony flowers, repurpose your wedding flowers for your reception.
We offer our clients with tight floral budgets the option to ‘add on’ the flowers they want for their ceremony, in ways that can easily be reused throughout other parts of the day. For more details on our specific packages, you can download our Weddings Guide here.
· One sneaky trick we have is to arrange our aisle flowers in vases, which can easily transferred to your reception tables.
· If you opt for a floral floor altar, your flowers can be conveniently moved by venue staff to your reception.
· Wedding arch flowers can be reused in so many ways. Many installations can be carefully moved indoors to create a beautiful backdrop for reception photos. Some installations are best removed and rearranged on an otherwise undecorated table, like the gift or cake table.
· Flowers accompanying your welcome sign can be placed with your seating arrangement chart.
The opportunities are endless!
But saving your ceremony isn’t the only thing we can do to help you make the most of your floral budget.
Trusting your florist with your budget
Why is it that we all get bit clammy when we talk about money? I mean, we all know it doesn’t grow on trees, yet it makes the world go around.
At Floral Life Art, we’re happy to tear down the veil of secrecy around wedding quotes to help you understand how to make the most of your floral costs.
You see, when we understand what you have to spend, we can help you to achieve your goals, while helping you to understand the costs involved.
One of our best tips is to decide on a colour palette rather than a specific flower.
When you have your heart set on particular flowers, prices can quickly skyrocket due to seasonal availability, import costs and more.
On the flip side, when you choose a colour palette and allow some creative freedom, your florist can work to create an incredible display that fits your theme perfectly.
By using locally sourced, seasonal varieties, you can shave hundreds of dollars of your wedding flower costs, if not more!
Round tables help reduce the cost of your wedding flowers
It’s simple: round tables have less surface area than rectangular ones, and therefore require less décor.
Banquet tables have dominated Instagram feeds, with lavish table garlands dripping with candles and flexed roses. But the truth is that these displays are costly both in resources and set-up.
The benefits of traditional round tables exemplify why they have withstood the test of time.
These elegant settings encourage conversation, while helping to maximise venue space. In fact, by choosing round tables you may need less tables and linen, which can be particularly helpful if you’re hiring these items for the day.
With fewer tables to decorate, and less decorations required, round tables are an effective way to reduce your wedding flower cost, leaving your guests none the wiser!
You can thank us later.
If you have your heart set on long rectangular tables, we've got you covered too!
Start asking your friends and family to save their wine and beer bottles for you. By supplying your own vases, you can significantly reduce costs. These clear containers can create beautiful height variation for chic, modern table arrangements and are an excellent space saver for family-style platings.
Give your wedding flowers a second day!
One of our favourite ways to see wedding flowers repurposed is to help you donate them to a local cause.
You see, after you’ve partied the night away, your venue’s crew quickly disassembles the reception venue in preparation for the next day’s event. Often, this looks like a few tired casuals on split shifts, who are very happy to get the job done as quickly as possible so that they can hit the hay.
This means your beautiful flowers are thrown straight in the bin.
We can come to your venue to save your flowers from their tragic fate and reassemble them for a new day.
While your bridal party bouquets are less likely to retain their beauty, vase arrangements certainly have plenty of life left in them.
Some of our brides have loved the idea of donating their blooms to a local hospital or aged care facility. Others are happy for their closest friends and family to pick up the rearranged designs to enjoy in their own homes.
Repurposing your wedding flowers can help you make the most of your wedding budget, by sharing the joy of your day with others.
Searching for a budget-friendly wedding florist in Toowoomba?
At Floral Life Art, we value couples regardless of what your bank account allows you to spend. We also realise that wedding flowers are our world, and so you may need an up-front estimate to know what is realistic.
That’s why we’ve created a Weddings Guide to help you gauge how much your 2022-2023 Toowoomba wedding flowers are likely to cost.
If you’re looking for a wedding florist in the Darling Downs for your upcoming day, consider your search complete. Download our brochure and get in touch to secure your date today!
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