After spending twelve years in the wedding industry with the largest national bridal company, I have heard great stories and ideas from tens of thousands of brides-to-be. One topic I hear over and over again is budget. (Not a big surprise in today’s economy and with more and more engaged couples paying for part or all of the wedding.) I love how smart, savvy brides think of the coolest ways to have an affordable wedding, without comprising their vision. Sharing these wonderful tips, insights, and inspirational stories will be the focus of my recurring blog.
 
This week, I would like to share a story about Lisa K’s wedding flowers. Lisa had a September wedding filled with rich warm autumn tones. Each detail was beautiful from her gown to the flowers. Each table had a gorgeous floral arrangement featuring large sunflowers and assorted wildflowers. Each crystal vase was tied with a lovely silk ribbon that perfectly matched the deep aubergine colored bridesmaids dresses. I heard several guests comment on how beautiful the floral arrangements were and, even I, with all of my year’s experience, would have guessed that they cost a pretty penny. 
                       

Lisa purchased the vases, which I later learned were not real crystal through a wholesaler on-line and recruited one of her bridesmaids to fill each one with fresh flowers on the day of her wedding. She purchased high quality ribbons from a fabric store. Each table setting cost about $15 – a fraction of what it would have cost from a florist. Of course, I am not recommending that everyone “skip” the florist, but, for Lisa’s vision, the fresh cut wildflowers and sunflowers added to her theme and was an easy DYI project for a girlfriend. Now, whenever I see simple vases with bouquets of roses at a wedding, I think of how easy it is to save money.

The key is to look hard your wedding vision and look for the hidden savings that will not detract from it, or, as in Lisa’s case, will make it even stronger.

Tags: centerpieces for your wedding, wedding centerpieces, weddings on a budget

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 at and is filed under Events, Events in Boston, Events in Chicago, Events in Los Angeles, Events in New York City, Events in San Francisco, Events on a Budget, Party Ideas, Party Themes, Wedding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.