When we started the wedding planning in earnest, I knew that flowers would never play a huge part in my budget. Having heard of table decorations costing R600 per table, it sounded a little crazy to me and I knew I would go about it differently. Below are the four “main” areas you may need / want flowers for your wedding – and a few thoughts to help you cut down on costs:
Your bouquet:
These are the flowers that will be seen in the most photographs – in almost all of the photos with you in them, in fact. After a little scouting with friends and on social media, I received a few recommendations of florists to try – eventually finding a small, floral studio who created exactly what I had in mind – for R350. I was very happy, it didn’t break the bank and it looked gorgeous.
Reception flowers:
This obviously depends entirely on what type of reception you have in mind. If you are planning an elaborate formal banquet with tall arrangements and candelabras – then you probably don’t have a small-budget-issue and you can use any florist you choose. However, for most other receptions, it’s quite possible to do the flowers yourself, or outsource it to friends and family. There are literally millions of online images and tutorials for inspiration – just print a few out, do a trial run the week before the wedding with your bridal party / family –and leave them to it before the wedding. I bought my flowers from the supermarket the night before the wedding, placed them in vases and let my parents take them to the reception venue the morning of the wedding. It cost me R300. You don’t have to be quite so DIY – but it is possible.
Church flowers:
This, to me, is optional. The church we got married in was quite decorative, dark and ornate – so we didn’t think it needed flowers. The choice (as always) is entirely up to you. You can have one arrangement at the pulpit, little glass jars with flowers in them tied to the end of each pew with a ribbon – or nothing at all.
Bridal party flowers:
As the men in the bridal party weren’t wearing ties, it didn’t make sense for them to have corsages. I wanted to limit fresh-flower-wastage as much as possible – so instead of bouquets, my bridesmaids carried balls made of white silk roses.
Read more from Candice as she planned her wedding in our Bride to Be section.
Photographs courtesy of Tiffany Burnham Photography ©
Happy Wedding Planning!
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