wedding wednesdays-the florist

When it comes to wedding flowers, you can spend a lot of money or you can spend a little money. A lot of budget brides these days are going the fake flower route and assembling bouquets and centerpieces themselves. I looked into it and I was shocked at how much fake flowers can be! I assumed that fake would be cheaper, but they really weren't. So I had to find a florist who would work with my budget.

the bridesmaids bouquets

I didn't know a lot about flowers so I asked the owner of the bridal shop who she would recommend for both quality and price. She recommended The Country Florist, which happened to be within 2 miles of my venue. I met with the owner, Kevin, and was impressed with him right away. He was more than happy to work with my budget and give me the look I wanted. I told him the look I was going for and he was able to use certain flowers that would be in my price range but still look amazing. 

my bouquet

The pictures I showed him of what I wanted for my bouquet could have easily cost 2-3 times more than I paid for mine. What Kevin did was use slightly different flowers, but the same textures and colors, and recreated a gorgeous bouquet that fit in my budget and looked exactly like I wanted.

the petals for the flower girls

I saved money in a few other ways. I used very simple concepts for the boutonnieres and the centerpieces. I also did not have any flower covered arch or floral decorations at the ceremony. I chose to use the natural beauty of our outdoor location to be the only decoration I need. 

the boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen

My centerpieces were a simple large off-white hydrangea instead of an arrangement created by the florist. This saved money because all the florist had to do was deliver the hydrangeas as is, and I didn't have to pay for the labor to create a centerpiece. My bridesmaids and I simply cut the stems and put them into the vases I had sitting out on my tables and voila! 

my simple hydrangea centerpieces

In addition to my budget friendly centerpieces, I used our bouquets as the flowers for our head table. I saved money by not having to pay for additional floral arrangements to decorate the head table. I just had vases with water set out and the girls set their bouquets in them when they came in from the ceremony!

the bouquets as arrangements on the head table

I was very pleased not only with my wedding flowers, but with the customer service and ease of working with Kevin and his crew at The Country Florist. I had a budget to stick to and they were able to create the look I wanted, within the budget I could afford. Some brides may have a more grandiose vision in mind and if so, my florist can create beautiful flowers for a wedding whether your budget is $500 or $5,000. However, in choosing simple pieces, I not only saved money but I stuck to the general theme for my whole wedding: simple, classic and elegant.