saturday savings - consider the container

Often the biggest expense as far as wedding flowers is the centerpieces, simply because you need so many of them.  So instead of slashing your guest list to get rid of a few tables, consider the container for the centerpieces first.

Typical rule of thumb: the smaller the container, the fewer flowers needed to fill it.  But be careful - a lot of people look at a vase that they think looks "small" but it is actually just short.  The size of the opening is what you need to look at. 

The vase here is short, but it has a wide opening, and therefore needs a lot of flowers to fill it (of course, depending on the design you go with, this can be adjusted... but in general)

Here are a few ideas for vases with smaller necks:

Eiffel Tower/Maestro vases

These vases are tall and very narrow, requiring only a few stems to fill them and create a simple, elegant look, and provide some nice height.

Bud vases:

These little vases only need about 1-3 flowers to fill them, and look great clustered together on a circular table or in a row on a long table.  You can find a wide variety at thrift stores, craft stores, etc. and mix and match the styles for a unique look.

There is such a huge variety of options when it comes to vases/containers for centerpieces, but if you're looking to cut back on costs without cutting back on the number you need, look for some containers that won't need as many flowers to create the look you want.

saturday savings - make the most of your budget

On a budget for your wedding?  Most likely.  Figuring out how and where to spend your money for your wedding is often one of the most stressful aspects of wedding planning.  So, I decided to start a series of posts with some tips for making the most of your floral budget for your wedding.

The first and most important tip is: Have a floral budget in mind, and tell your florist what it is!
I  know sometimes people think that if they tell the vendor their budget, the vendor will simply try to spend all of it to make the most money.  But really, most vendors just want to work with you to make your wedding vision a reality.  And if you have only budgeted a few hundred for flowers, but you meet with your florist and plan out all these elaborate arrangements and she tells you it will be a few thousand, there's going to be a problem.

Telling your florist (and really, all your vendors) what your budget is allows them to realistically work with you to get you the most for your money.  They won't recommend the most expensive or elaborate options if they know it's not going to work within your budget, so it will save both of you time and prevent you from having to change plans later once everything's been priced out and planned out.



A few things to consider (which I'll discuss in more detail in future posts) as far as making the most of your budget:

• what types of flowers you want
• what flowers are in season
• what different types of flowers cost
• what types of containers you want to use
• what styles of bouquets, arrangements, etc. you want
• who in the wedding party/family will have flowers
• where do you need flowers

Those are just a few things to think about and talk with your florist about.  Maybe you absolutely love orchids, but they're a bit too expensive - consider only using them in select locations/arrangements, or finding a less expensive flower that still achieves the look you want.

More tips on saving money and getting the flowers you want without breaking the bank coming up in the future!

purple and yellow daisies

Some bright, summery flowers to celebrate the fact that it finally feels like summer!

close up on the flowers - daisy actually refers more to the shape of the flowers than the actual species (most here are actually types of mums or asters)

purple and yellow daisy boutonniere 

Mason jars are a really fun (and inexpensive) option for containers if you're going for a summer, garden look.

baby jack

This post has nothing to do with flowers... except perhaps to explain why I haven't posted anything recently or done any weddings recently.  And that reason is Jack!  Introducing the newest and most adorable member of my family:

But now that he's here, I'll be getting back into the swing of things and prepping for some weddings later this summer, which I'm really excited about.  More to come on those soon!

vibrant orange and chocolate brown wedding

Here are just a few more from the wedding in San Diego almost two weeks ago.  I finally got the last of the pictures, so I had a few more I wanted to post.

bridal bouquet - orange calla lilies

groom's boutonniere - orange calla lily and monkey tail (before I put the ribbon on...)

 and groomsman boutonniere - white rose and monkey tail

wedding cake, made by the bride's amazingly talented aunt, topped with orange roses and monkey tails

These next few are up-close shots of some of the flowers, dedicated to my grandpa who loves to take pictures of flowers.  Not as good as his, but I think they turned out pretty good.  :)

(monkey tail ferns, orange calla lilies, orange roses, and orange tulips)

orange and brown San Diego wedding

Here are some more pictures from Courtney and Brandon's beautiful wedding in San Diego.  Special thanks to the Youngrens for their amazing photography!  For more pictures of the event from the photographer, click here.

the beautiful bride 

orange calla lily bouquet

the handsome groom

orange calla lily boutonniere

the bride and her family

the bride with her bridesmaids

the bridesmaids

orange rose, tulip, and calla lily bouquets

the centerpieces

three different designs - each table had a tall vase with a floating candle, and either orange tulips, orange roses, or orange slices in a smaller vase

san diego wedding - preview

I spent last week in beautiful San Diego, California for my cousin's wedding.  The wedding was wonderful, it was good to see family, and made me so happy to be back in California for a few days.  Here's just a few pictures (kind of behind the scenes) from the event.  More coming soon!

Bridesmaid bouquets

Mothers' pin-on corsage

Orange roses suspended in tulle across the arch

Sign-in and seating assignment table