Two ways to get the most out of your Floral wedding budget.

I was married in 2014. Forever ago, right?

I remember sitting at my kitchen table feeling extremely organized. I had just been gifted a $50 wedding planning binder. You know the kind, a tab for anything and everything you could possibly need. Venue contracts, wedding design sheets, budget sheets, it had it all. I was going to rock at wedding planning. I cringe thinking of the facebook post I wrote that day,

“I don’t know what everyone is freaking out about, wedding planning is easy.”-Yikes, 24 year old Sarah sure had spunk.

I was organized, I was in love, and I was poor.

Pinterest led me to believe that I could have my dream barn wedding on my shoe string budget.

Now, 6 years later, I am well aware that the dream photos I fell in love with on Pinterest were not possible. Chandelier flower arrangements, lined tables of white flowers with candles delicately placed among the florals. White chair sashes set for 300 guests and a giant floral tree with roses hanging off of it. (Yes, hanging off of it). This wedding belonged to a budget closer to $80,000.

Weddings are expensive. Finding a location that you love is not only stressful and time consuming, it can be heavy on the pocket book. I live in the Des Moines metro where you can find some of the most beautiful barn venues. You will likely pay anywhere from $4,900 to $9,000 for a venue. Not to mention, a caterer, booze and a cake. THERE MUST BE A CAKE. I’m not being sarcastic here, don’t forget a cake, especially if I am a guest. 🙂

This post is to discuss options I give my brides that want a Pinterest Worthy wedding on a lighter budget.

Number 1: Cut the boutonnieres

Realistically, if you have at least 5 bridesmaids, two fathers, 2 mothers, 4 ushers, 5 groomsmen, 1 groom, a bridal bouquet, 4 grandmothers, and 4 grandfathers, you should expect to pay anywhere from $700 to $1000 depending on selection of flowers. Thats a ton of people. Bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages are all very labor intensive. It can sometimes takes as much time creating a corsage as it does designing a bouquet. Keep that in mind when creating a floral budget.

If you are looking to trim the fat, I suggest skipping your groomsmen and groom boutonnieres. GASP, I KNOW! Truth be told, as lovely as these men are, they aren’t the best at taking care of the flowers attached to their jackets.This is a joyous day!Hugs, side hugs, and the infamous bro-code handshake pull in for a hug will occur. AS THEY SHOULD! Let the gentlemen breath easy without worrying about a flower. They look clean, they look handsome, that’s enough.

# 2 Table Centerpieces:

This one I feel like is going to shock some of you. If you have a budget that is under $2,000 for your florals, you’re budget can easily be eaten up by your wedding party. When it comes to your centerpieces, 25 tables with a centerpiece on each can easily double your budget. I suggest doing hanging installments and focus on your head table. All of the attention will be on you and your spouse. Truthfully, you will glance over photos of your guest tables but the photos that may actually get printed are of the beautiful newlyweds. Hanging installments are beautiful and a new floral trend most of your guest have not seen before. They draw the eye towards the head table. If you wanted to add something to the tables, I suggest candles, pictures of the beautiful couple or a moss look for a garden trend. Instead of taking a $1000.00 budget and splitting it into 25 centerpieces, create 4 gorgeous and bold floral pieces everyone will be talking about.