I have a feeling that’s what people are going to say to me when they find out that I’m DIY-ing all of my own flowers. That’s right—all of them. I’ll tell you why.
I am a genius who decided that it would be a great idea to get married in one of the most expensive cities in America. Awesome. NOT. I thought that I would at least be able to get my bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets from a florist there…I mean, how much could it really break the budget? *gasp* I almost fainted when I started receiving price quotes. I’m sorry, I just cannot justify paying almost $300 for a freaking bouquet of flowers that I’m going to use for a few hours. I know what you might be thinking: “But they’re going to look so pretty in the pictures…” OK, but so would a bunch of wildflowers picked from alongside of the road. Now calm down, I’m not going to pick wildflowers from alongside of the road to use for my bouquet. I’m crazy, but not that crazy.
Photo by James Christianson via Style Me Pretty
Remember this gorgeous arch from the wedding that made me decide to have our wedding in Colorado? I had my heart set on having it, too, until I found out it was $1,200! Um, no thanks…I’m pretty sure the place doesn’t need a $1,200 enhancement to make it any more beautiful anyway.
After researching more options, I decided against fake flowers as well. Good, real-looking fake flowers can still be pretty pricey, and after searching high and low on Etsy and every other site recommended, I just couldn’t come up with a bouquet that I would really be satisfied with (especially since I heart peonies so much, and it is nearly impossible to find fake ones that really resemble the true soft beauty of real ones). Oh, speaking of peonies—I love them oh so much that if I would have known that they wouldn’t be in season for our early August wedding, I probably would have moved our date up just to accommodate being able to have them! I’d definitely have a bouquet similar to one of these pretties:
Photo by Steve Depino Photography via The Knot
Photo by Kristen Weaver via Style Me Pretty
Photo by Hazelnut Photography
Unfortunately, there’s no magic way that I’m going to be able to make them grow in August, so I started looking for backup options. That’s when I discovered these pretty substitutes:
Peony Rose Pink Metropole at FiftyFlowers.com (36 stems for $149.99)
Helga Piaget Cream Garden Rose at FiftyFlowers.com (50 stems for $189.99)
The option that I ended up deciding on: Ordering wholesale online through FiftyFlowers.com. I’m going to have them shipped to our hotel, and I’ll assemble the bouquets in our room. (We booked a suite with lots of extra room.) I enjoy arranging flowers anyway, and with pretty flowers like these, you can’t really go wrong no matter how you put them together. I researched a lot of reviews of the site, and most people seem to be really pleased with the product and customer service. I also like the fact that they have free shipping and a 100% wedding-day guarantee. The only bad reviews I could really find were from brides who weren’t happy about the colors of the flowers that actually arrived. For someone who really has their heart set on a bright hot pink and receives a light pink instead…I can understand how that would be a problem. For me personally, though, I’m not too concerned that the color would be messed up because as long as they show up in some shade of pink and some shade of white, I’ll be a happy bride. The roses pictured above are some options I’m liking, but there are many other pretty options on the site (like ranunculus!).
OK, so moving on to our at-home-reception flowers. I’m growing them myself (and by “I” I really mean FMIL, Dad, and I ). FMIL already grows a plethora of beautiful flowers every year. Dad and I went and picked up as many flower-seed packets in shades of pinks and whites as we could find. For the reception back home, most of the flowers are going to be placed in various sizes of pretty blue Ball Mason jars, and I think more of a mixed, wildflower-type look would be great. If for some reason the flowers don’t grow well this season, or some other unknown catastrophe happens, I’m just going to remain calm and use FiftyFlowers.com as a backup option.
Normally, doing something like relying on a website to ship me fresh flowers for my bridal bouquet would totally freak me out, hence the title of this post; I would assume that everyone is going to think I’m crazy for doing it this way. I’m determined to remain calm and stress free, though—it’s the foundation for even wanting a small, intimate wedding, after all. So I just keep repeating to myself: Remain calm…and possibly have a cupcake. 
Image and poster via artylicious on Etsy
Do you have any tricks you’re using to save money on flowers? Anyone else used an online wholesale site to purchase real flowers?
We’re getting maried in a rose garden…so we don’t have to buy many flowers at all! They weren’t a big priority on my list, plus they are EXPENSIVE for something that is just going to die. Ugh I can’t wrap my mind around the expenditure.
We are getting bouquets/boutineers and just a couple of peices that we’ll have on display for the ceremony and then move to our tent for the reception. Our centerpeices are going to be mostly vitnage nick nacks, lanterns, and cute little cactii.
My mom and I are DIY-ing all my flowers as well! (Although my mom used to be a florist….) Anyway, I’m ordering mine from Sam’s Club – super cheap! And if something is wrong with them, they will pay to buy you replacement flowers from a local florist 
Love peonies. I made our flowers from clay and everyone loved it. Plus, I get to look at the everyday.
We did our own flower arrangements and we got tons of compliments on them! PM me if you want to see photos! We were able to purchase from a wholesale flower place in town (you’ll need a business license) and it helped being able to see the flowers to figure out quantity, colors, and types. My BMs loved the bonding time the morning we spent doing them and I was so proud of them!
I love those roses, they definitely give you the peony look without the ridiculous price tag and incredibly small season. I don’t think you’re crazy, I think a $300 bouquet is crazy.
I don’t want to scare you, but our very own Mrs. Socks had some flower color drama from fiftyflowers.com. I hope it works out for you, but you may want to think about shopping around review-wise to make sure you are using a vendor that won’t dissapoint! Hopefully it all works out!
http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/12/22/yellow-wedding-flowers/#more-178128
While I LOVE ranunculus, when I went to a florist meeting, they told me that ranunculus don’t do so well out of water – like hydrangeas. Just a thought!
mmmm… loooove peonies!!! My mom has several bushes that bloom and I always loved picking ‘em. 
We’re doing fake flowers. Ribbon roses, to be exact, for the girls and my own bouquet. And, with luck, I’ll also be able to make a “second” bouquet using artificial black roses.
If it weren’t for the fact there is no TRUE black rose in nature and they “made” ones are bloody expensive, I’d splurge on a bouquet of black roses, lol.
The guys are getting guitar pick bouts with picks that have our logo on ‘em. gotta love the internet! LOL!
My FMIL did the bouquets, and I did all the decorations! We ordered flowers for the bouquets from King Sooper (local grocery store in CO, way cheaper than any online wholesaler and no shipping costs. And you pay on pickup so if you don’t like them, you don’t have to buy them), and while my FMIL felt the roses weren’t up to her exacting standards, I thought they were gorgeous. I did the centerpieces the day before with the cheapest grocery store flowers I could fibd (2 bunches of mixed daisies and a bunch of waxflowers: total $21!) in mason jars. I got so many compliments, and it was such a relaxing way to spend the morning before the wedding! Go for it!
I’m DIYing mine too! So if you’re crazy, I’m crazy. I too loooove the peonies, so thanks for opening my eyes to the alternatives. I’ve already looked into fiftyflowers, so I’m excited to hear your review. We can do it!!
Beautiful flowers that you have chosen! And seriously, $3000 for a bouquet? Crazy!!! I’m not DIYing our bouquets, but I will be doing the bud vases on our tables at the reception.
Hi Miss Balloons read this post by Mrs. Socks. She had a not so good experience with fiftyflowers!
http://www.weddingbee.com/2010/12/22/yellow-wedding-flowers/
If you’re crazy, I am too! My fiance and I are doing our own flowers too. Our local grocery store does 3 flower sets for $12. We can make our centerpieces and bouquets using 1 set for each piece. We’re looking in wholsale flowers too, just in case.
I don’t blame you for making all the flowers yourself! I’m doing the same thing! The only flower I was dead set on having was hydrangeas, and it’s easy to find reasonably priced, good looking ones at hobby lobby. So that’s what I did. I made all the bouquets, bouts, and I’ll be arranging all the centerpieces a few days before hand.
Good luck with your flowers though!
My mom, aunt and I did all of our own flowers too. I’m sure you’ll do fine, especially if you do a couple trial runs first (be sure to time how long it takes to make each arrangement). We got a lot of our flowers from a local flower market, and also ordered some from Fifty Flowers with no issues. Maybe just make sure you schedule them to arrive a day before you need them, just in case there’s a shipping delay. As long as you have a cool, dark place to store them in lots of water, and extra day probably won’t make much of a difference. Good luck!
We did all our own flowers! It wasn’t so bad at all – took most of the day before the wedding. I would recommend having a day-of coordinator or someone friendly to make sure all the flowers get on the tables without you having to deal with it.
We did look into FiftyFlowers, but even aside from the bad reviews, I didn’t love having to commit to wholesale amounts of each type of flower. I wanted more variety. Sadly, my area doesn’t have a flower market that’s open to the public. We ended up ordering flowers from Whole Foods and picking them up ourselves, which was amazing. We met with their floral counter two weeks beforehand and they got all the flowers we asked for and more. They were supremely helpful and I really don’t think it cost more than FiftyFlowers would have cost. I felt a lot more comfortable dealing with a real person.
DIY flowers over here, too! Let’s hear it for crazy brides!
All that CO prettiness doesn’t need too much dressing up, anyway BTW, I’m insanely jealous that your venue is in Aspen. I tried to push for Telluride, but my folks put the kibosh on that immediately!
Beautiful flower choices all around! So impressed with all the ladies who tackle their own flowers.
I admire you for choosing to do flowers yourself. I agree that if you use gorgeous flowers, you can’t possibly go too wrong with arranging them. I cannot wait to see how it turns out!
We DIYed our reception flowers- in my opinion, it is a great idea! Love your flower choices.
Mrs. Balloons, Aspen, CO Age and Occupation: 24, Mass Communications graduate, Web Design student, & winery worker Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Engineer Engagement Date: July 10, 2009 Wedding Date: August 2011 Venue: The Sundeck at The Little Nell About Me: I'm a small-town Midwest girl planning an intimate mountaintop destination wedding complete with a huge DIY at-home reception. As an honors graduate fallen victim to the worst job market in history in my area, we're doing everything we can to still have the wedding of our dreams on a tighter budget. I currently enjoy working at a winery, but I'm lonnng overdue for a day job! I am: a big-time daydreamer, one of the pickiest eaters you'll ever meet, and a lover of pretty paper and awesome fonts. I'm a girly girl who loves to get dolled up, but also a country girl who loves to get muddy and go 4-wheeler riding. I also enjoy singing in the car, boating, going to concerts, the History Channel, carnival food, and going to watch St. Louis Cardinals baseball with my handsome engineer.
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