Ceremony and Reception Decor

Ceremony and Reception Decor

November 30th, 2009 @ 2:19 pm by Mrs. Spaniel
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I already knew we were not going with floral centerpieces for the wedding, but I got a sort of reconfirmation of this today when I found vases/hurricane candle holders, pillar candles, and river rocks for twenty tables for only $237.80. I will try to sell the vases and the rocks after the wedding, too.

So that leaves for the florist: 1 bridal bouquet, 5 bridesmaid bouquets, 1 groom’s boutonniere, 11 other boutonnieres (6 groomsmen, 2 bridesmen, Papa Spaniel, my step-dad, and FFIL Spaniel), 3 corsages (mothers and grandmother), and any floral decorations we will need for the ceremony.

Well, given that our photography/videography/DJ expenses are going to top the $5,000 limit I’d originally set for them (probably by about $500) and that part of the floral budget is being burned up by candle centerpieces (pun absolutely intended), we need to find all of the flowers for under $1,200. How will we do it?

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With Baby’s Breath, duh.

I don’t really know what these bouquets will cost yet, but I would imagine: not that much. Still, I don’t want Baby’s Breath for the bridal bouquet or the corsages/boutonnieres—I just don’t think they’ll look right, so here is my second floral.

(source)

Why, Green Tea Roses! They match our colors, won’t look bad with some Baby’s Breath interspersed (I think), and they make lovely boutonnieres.

(source)

Of course, this all depends on seasonal availability and pricing, but luckily I’m not too tied to any particular flower (I am tied only to CHEAP!!), so I think it’s fine to plan.

Hooray! Progress!

How did you slash your floral budget?

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21 Responses to “Ceremony and Reception Decor”

1 2 Last

Member

Holly Golightly (message) 39 posts, Newbee

I saved tons by having my bouquets and corsages made on Etsy! I got everything I needed for under $300!!!

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=21958622

11/30/09 @ 2:24 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. D'orsay (message) 2,272 posts, Buzzing bee

love it! I did non floral centerpieces, found river rocks at the dollar store, cut my own vases (b/c i’m crazy) and used baby’s breath as the BM bouquets and mixed the bouts with lavender to cut our floral costs.

11/30/09 @ 2:30 pm (reply)

Member

mcnetn3 (message) 1,675 posts, Bumble bee

You should do the bouquets yourself. I’d leave the bouts to the pros so you don’t have to fiddle with them the day of, but the bouquets you could order roses and baby’s breath from an upscale grocer (think Whole Foods or The Fresh Market) and have them come in on Wednesday before the wedding. You could make the bouquets that day and leave the roses in a vase to open up more and the baby’s breath in a vase in the fridge. You’ll save a TON of money (just don’t skim on the number of roses you buy, at LEAST 2 dozen for a brides bouqet)

11/30/09 @ 2:30 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. D'orsay (message) 2,272 posts, Buzzing bee

oh, and i made our ceremony decorations and pomanders…because i’m crazy.

11/30/09 @ 2:30 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Spaniel (message) 6,792 posts, Bee Keeper

@Mrs. D’orsay: That is a REALLY good idea… I didn’t even think about lavender in the bouts, but they’d really help fill them out! I’m also probably going to be making the ceremony decorations… I’m crazy, too.

@mcnetn3: I’m a little worried about fridge space and my black thumb to do the bouquets myself… but I’ll probably try some practice ones over the break to make sure it can be done (by me)!

11/30/09 @ 2:34 pm (reply)

Member

Dragonsus (message) 1,194 posts, Bumble bee

I got cute purses for my Bridesmaids to carry and limited the ceremony flowers to a few pots of pointsettias. That left my bouquet, 9 bouts, 5 corsages and a mistletoe kissing ball (it’s a christmas wedding). I found a great cheap florist who’s doing everything for under $300. The bouquets you can definitely do yourself if you want to, but I agree with all above - leave the bouts to the pros!

11/30/09 @ 2:42 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Trail Mix (message) 6,328 posts, Bee Keeper

I love your inspirations, baby’s breath is so pretty as a bouquet!

11/30/09 @ 2:48 pm (reply)

Guest

ColaJae

Baby’s breath can be found year roun….and it’s CHEAP! The prettiest is the million star baby’s breath, which you should be able to pick up for around $10 - $15 for a huge bunch. Making a bouquet out of it is a piece of cake! I love it! I just did a post on my blog about baby’s breath weddings…they’re gorgeous and lots of bang for the buck. I even think bouts out of baby’s breath look nice…just not alot of it.

11/30/09 @ 2:52 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Pencils (message) 1,027 posts, Bumble bee

this is a great idea for cutting costs. an even cheaper flower than the rose is a carnation- if you did two side by side or one in a cool color, it can look very polished. to save money, we are having my fiance’s grandmother do the centerpieces- which has a double plus as it makes her feel so included in the wedding!

11/30/09 @ 3:10 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Mrs. Mouse (message) 5,844 posts, Bee Keeper

I love the green rose bout–so pretty!

11/30/09 @ 3:11 pm (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

Love the baby’s breath! It sometimes gets a bad rap, but that pictures shows it can be beautiful. We are incorporating some candles in our decor to save on some floral costs.

11/30/09 @ 3:19 pm (reply)

12.

Member

tea (message) 7,288 posts, Bee Keeper

i plan on slashing it by doing the personal flowers myself, maybe outsourcing the bouts to a regular florist and having non-floral centerpieces that can be made ahead!

11/30/09 @ 3:58 pm (reply)

13.

Bee

Mrs. Moonbeam (message) 1,732 posts, Bumble bee

I love the baby’s breath and there are bunches of other fillers that are similar, but just different enough to be interesting.

11/30/09 @ 4:28 pm (reply)

14.

Member

fromcharleston (message) 651 posts, Busy bee

if you’re not married (no pun intended) to one type of flower, you can ask the florist if they can use-in your color such as green or white-whatever is in season, cheap, or comes in from the wholesaler that week.

i love the baby’s breath poufs!

11/30/09 @ 4:38 pm (reply)

15.

Bee

Miss Cardigan (message) 8,645 posts, Bee Keeper

I love baby’s breath as a bouquet! It’s so pretty!

11/30/09 @ 4:43 pm (reply)

16.

Member

KMSull (message) 6,442 posts, Bee Keeper

That is going to look beautiful!!! I’m going to be so excited to see everything come together.

11/30/09 @ 5:56 pm (reply)

17.

Member

eggman9091 (message) 112 posts, Blushing bee

I also am using baby’s breath in my girls’ bouquets! I think is looks stunning! I saved a fair deal of money also by going with hydrangeas for my centerpieces.

11/30/09 @ 8:04 pm (reply)

18.