Bride On A Budget
You might think a good way to save money on your wedding is to do the flowers yourself – or get your mum to do it.
Are you buying large quantities of eggs and flour and icing sugar to bake your own cake? Are you buying lengths of material to sew your own dress and your bridesmaids’ too? If you are, you’re clearly a handy creative type and we wish you well for your big day. If you’re not - why do you imagine that making the bouquet and buttonholes will be any easier?
Of course you can arrange your own flowers if you want a very basic bunch to carry down the aisle, and nothing fancy on the reception tables. However, bear in mind that some flowers will need to be bought just before the wedding day for maximum freshness, and others several days ahead - even a couple of weeks - to allow them to open up fully. Your florist will have expertise in timing this to perfection; whereas you might end up with lots of tight buds or drooping heads in your photos.
• Conditioning – getting your flowers ready for the big day
• Mechanics – the technical skill of making floral decorations
• Supplies – where to get hold of enough flowers
Conditioning – getting your flowers ready for the big day
At the wholesaler, the flowers will come straight from the grower. You will need to take them out of the sleeves, strip all the leaves and thorns off, cut the stem ends, stand them in the right temperature water with correct flower food at the right dosage, somewhere that’s specially temperature regulated to let them drink overnight, before you attempt any arranging with them.
Any florist can show you what this does to your hands, turning them green and scratched and with broken nails - not the best look for a close-up photo on the wedding day! And the day is stressful enough without having to think of making a bouquet and bridesmaid's posies and table centres and church decorations the day before.
Mechanics – the technical skill of making floral decorations
And as for the buttonholes, these will have to be made on the morning of the wedding as the flowers will be out of water from then onwards; the florist will know tricks and techniques to keep them fresh - and in one piece - throughout the day. Buttonholes need careful techniques to be made that involves wire and lots and lots of practice and patience – not to mention calloused hands.
Your florist will have years of experience to create these to perfection. They’ll also know how to decorate the roof of the venue without the arrangements falling on your guests’ heads during the meal.
Many brides ask their florist to do their bridal party flowers but ask a friend or relative to do the reception decorations. The F&PA has heard many a horror story of the bride walking into a reception of wilting flowers after kind-hearted friends and family have attempted this – again, the florist knows exactly how to get the flowers to ‘hold up’ for the entire day. Think of the costs (and stress) involved in forking out for a new set of table decorations at last minute – far better to talk through your budgets with your florist first.
We’ve also heard tales of hideous colour combinations and strange shapes of towering flowers manufactured by well-meaning relatives. It’s important that every aspect of your day is perfect, so it’s worth handing over every last aspect to the professionals!
Supplies – where to get hold of enough flowers
Most wholesalers particularly in out-of-city areas will not sell to the public, and will demand a proof of trading or business references before allowing you to become a customer. If they do let you buy, you will be buying in wholesale quantities, which could be up to 50 stems - or even a whole box-worth of a flower you only want 5 stems of - so this may not save you any money at all.
Remember the prices quoted will not have VAT on yet, which will be added at the final ticket; florist businesses can claim this back of course, but you will need to pay it.
Budgeting – the easy way
If you want to save money, explain this to the florist - they will be able to create something using fewer stems of flowers but with strong visual impact; or they can suggest seasonal flowers which will be more readily available and better value than out-of-season imported flowers. Some florists offer value packages, where you can choose the colour of flowers from a series of options. Be prepared to be very flexible in what you want, if sticking to a low budget is your first priority.
