Wedding Flowers without breaking the Bank !

Budget-busting flower ideas

We love these top tips for beautiful big day blooms on a budget

 

1. Go for a retro vintage theme and you can use a mix of second-hand mis-matched containers that you can pick up at fleamarkets or antique stores.

2. Before you start spending, carefully plan your budget and decide where flowers rank on your list of wedding priorities. If you’d rather spend more of your pennies on food and drink than decorating the venue, look to spend less on flowers, but if you want to create a beautiful space for your reception, allocate a larger portion of the budget to flowers.

3. Be upfront about how much you have to spend. Your budget is one of the first things you should discuss with your florist. The average spend is 10-15% of the overall cost of the day but this is not a realistic option for everyone. Be clear about how much you have to spend and your florist should have the experience to rise to the challenge.

4. Choose a florist who is happy to work within your budget. A florist who encourages you to spend more than you can afford isn’t the right person for the job. You may have to compromise on the specific blooms or the types of arrangement you want in order to stay within your financial limits but your florist should be able to suggest alternatives that will look just as good at a lower price bracket.

5. Choose seasonal flowers grown locally. This will cost you MUCH less than flying in exotic blooms from abroad.

6. Bridesmaids’ bouquets can really add up so be inventive. Think about giving each bridesmaid a single statement bloom to carry down the aisle, or opt for just having flowers in their hair or on a wrist corsage. If you’re set on bouquets, consider using them as table centres at your reception afterwards.

7. Concentrate your budget on the areas that guests will spend the majority of time in and where lots of photographs are going to be taken. If you want to get a real wow factor at the reception make the flowers totally different to the ceremony it will make everyone gasp especially going from country chic to modern funky!

8. Instead of having expensive flower arrangements on every table you can alternate tables with displays of candles, which you can get for a fraction of the cost.

9. Be a little indulgent.  If you’ve got your heart set on an expensive flower, use it but do so sparingly. Lots of brides love Lily of the Valley but used in abundance, it can break the bank. Instead, just have a little in your bouquet then you’ll feel like you’re surrounded by it all day.

10. Ask if there are any other weddings taking place at your church or ceremony venue on the same day. If there are, you might be able to share the cost of the flowers with another bride.

11. We suggest a little DIY to cut costs.  Decorate each table with silver votives containing supermarket-bought roses and fresh rosemary from your garden.

12. To make the most of your reception flowers, place table centres on a mirror base and add tea lights around each one. The reflection and flickering light will instantly make any arrangement seem bigger, more opulent and more dramatic.


13. Consider having less flowers and more foliage. A few statement blooms surrounded by lots of greenery can look striking and modern.

14. To save on your reception flowers, use pot plants or potted herbs in pretty containers.  They last well, make a lasting, thoughtful thank you gift for your mum and mother-in-law, or can be taken home by your guests as a memento of the day, and take the hassle out of worrying about arranging flowers for the reception.

15. Make the most of your church flowers by transporting them to your venue to decorate the reception space. Pedestals and trees are easy to move and look fabulous as entrance displays, while pew-ends can be used as chair backs.

 

 

WEDDING VOWS

At the centre of any marriage ceremony are the wedding vows. They are the

words spoken by the couple to each other which express both an intent and a

promise. They express how the couple intend to relate to each other, how they

intend to navigate the path of life together, and what meaning they intend to give

to their marriage. They are a promise to work hard at living out this intent, no

matter how challenging that may be, because of their love and commitment to

each other.

Because the vows shape the foundation of the marriage, I believe that they should

be carefully chosen so that they most accurately express what the couple desires

to create in their relationship. While in some situations the vows are prescribed

by religious requirement, where it is possible the couple should personally select

their vows. They should be real and meaningful to the couple, and be

remembered by the couple as they proceed through life together.


In a personalised wedding ceremony there are usually no prescribed

requirements regarding the vows other than promises or undertaking that may be

required by law. Often the legal question is kept separate from the couple’s

personal vows in order to make the personal vows as appropriate for the couple

as possible.

Couples may have the option to write their own vows, to offer different vows to

each other, to adapt vows found in various resources or to follow pre-written

vows which most closely express what they want to say to each other.

This is a book of wedding vows drawn from many different places. It is offered as

a resource from which you may want to choose your vows, or as an inspiration for

you to write your own vows, either entirely different from anything you find here

or as a blending of some of the vows.

It is a good idea to read through all of the vows and the commentary I have

written about each one, not only as a way of choosing the most meaningful or

finding resources to write your own vows, but also each vow and commentary

contains in itself a short lesson about the nature of a good marriage.

Whatever you choose, I hope that on your wedding day you say the words to each

other which best describe your intent for your marriage and your promise to

work at making that intent a reality.

 www.etcevents.co.za