Whenever you think of weddings, the images of beautiful bouquets of flowers are synonymous with the perfect wedding. Having the right flowers for your wedding can either make it or break it. By choosing the right bouquet or floral arrangement can set the tone you want for for a wedding, you will create the perfect wedding that you have always dreamed of. Just by simply adding bright pops of color or creating a soft, romantic mood will go a long way in creating a memorable wedding day. From bridal bouquets for the bride and the bridesmaids to large floral displays ling the church aisles and filling the dinner tables at the reception, there are a number of ways that flowers can be used to enhance both the wedding venue and the reception area.
If you have been to a florist lately, you will know that flowers are expensive. And of course, wedding flowers are much more expensive than your day-to-day bouquet of flowers that you get for an anniversary or for Valentines Day. In fact, they can often cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the look that the bride and groom are going for. Or how deep your pockets are for your wedding.
Wedding flowers costs can vary significantly, depending on both the how many flowers you want as well as the type of flowers that you choose. The recommended spending amount for flowers is usually approximately 10% of your projected wedding budget. That means that if you are having a $50,000 wedding, then you should plan on spending about $5,000 on bouquets and floral displays.
Now it goes without saying, that this figure can be quite a bit higher or much lower, depending on your desires and your willingness to go into debt, if you are paying for the wedding yourself. However, if the sky is the limit and you are going all out on making your wedding extravagant, then flying in exotic flowers from a faraway locations, will cost you an awful lot of money. Alternatively, if you pick up potted plants from a local grocery store, the price will obviously be much lower.
Many couples however feel that flowers are the most important feature of their wedding and thus don’t mind that beautiful bouquets are one of the largest flower-related expenses. Bridal bouquets average anywhere between $100 and $300, while bouquets for the bridesmaids usually range in the $50-$100 range. Those costs can quickly add up – especially if you have a large number of bridesmaids. For example, if you have 8 bridesmaids and you want them to have the best, then this will cost you upwards of $1,000.
Table centerpieces can run anywhere from about $50 all the way up to $400 or more, depending on their size and complexity. Again, these costs can quickly balloon out of control if you have a large number of guests attending your wedding. Again a simple example will be: 200 hundred guests at 10 guests per table means that you will have at least 20 tables. Again for the best you can expect to pay almost $8,000…20 tables at $400 per table. So without even batting an eye, you are already up to almost $10,000. And this can scale upwards and downwards depending on the number of guests you invite.
Fortunately, there are some very simple measures that you can take that will lower the cost of flowers for your wedding. The easiest way is to consider choosing flowers that are in season and that are grown right in your local area. Typically, these types of flowers are far less expensive than more exotic options that have to be flown in from other countries.
Another way of reducing floral costs and still having a large visual impact is looking for flowers that have large blossoms or that take up a lot of visual space. For example, having large vases filled with branches covered with cherry blossoms will definitely create large, eye-catching displays without having to break the bank in the process.
Adding other elements to your bouquets can also help reduce the number of flowers that you need. Rather than relying solely on flowers for your table centerpieces, try adding other elements such as candles, lanterns, or photographs.
Finally, another option that you might not want to consider is to skip the wedding flowers altogether, opting for plants instead. The best part about using potted plants is that they will stay alive long after your ceremony is over. Consider getting in on the succulent trend, creating beautiful centerpieces featuring groupings of unique succulents. This is a far more affordable option than spending a ton of money on expensive bouquets.
Although the average cost of wedding flowers is quite high, there are a lot of different steps that you can take to help keep the cost down. It is all about being creative and coming up with unique ways to save.