I have a feeling that’s what people are going to say to me when they find out that I’m “DIY”ing all of my own flowers. That’s right all of them. I’ll tell you why.
I am a genius who decided that it would be a great idea to get married in one of the most expensive cities in America. Awesome. NOT. I thought that I would at least be able to get my bridal & bridesmaids bouquets from a florist there…I mean how much could it really break the budget? *gasp* I almost fainted when I started receiving price quotes. I’m sorry, I just cannot justify paying almost $300 for a freaking bouquet of flowers that I’m going to use for a few hours. I know what you might be thinking…”but they’re going to look so pretty in the pictures…” Ok, but so would a bunch of wildflowers picked from along side of the road. Now calm down, I’m not going to pick wildflowers from along side of the road to use for my bouquet. I’m crazy, but not that crazy 
Remember this gorgeous arch from the wedding that made me decide to have my wedding in Colorado? I had my heart set on having it too, until I found out it was $1200! Um, no thanks...I'm pretty sure the place doesn't need a $1200 enhancement to make it any more beautiful anyway
Photo by James Christianson via Style Me Pretty
After researching more options, I decided against fake flowers as well. Good, real looking fake flowers can still be pretty pricey & after searching high & low on Etsy & every other site recommended I just couldn’t come up with a bouquet that I would really be satisfied with (especially since I heart peonies so much, & it is nearly impossible to find fake ones that really resemble the true soft beauty of a real one). Oh speaking of peonies~ I love them oh so much that if I would have known that they wouldn’t be in season for my early August wedding, I probably would have moved our date up just to accommodate being able to have them! I’d definitely have a bouquet similar to one of these pretties:
JK Photography via Clover & Bee
Photo via Lauren Grove at Every Last Detail
Unfortunately, there’s no magic way that I’m going to be able to make them grow in August, so I started looking for backup options. That’s when I discovered these pretty substitutes:
Peony Rose Pink Metropole at http://www.fiftyflowers.com. 36 stems for $149.99
Helga Piaget Cream Garden Rose at http://www.fiftyflowers.com. 50 stems for $189.99
The option that I ended up deciding on: Ordering wholesale online through www.fiftyflowers.com. I’m going to have them shipped to our hotel & I’ll assemble the bouquets in our room (we booked a suite with lots of extra room). I enjoy arranging flowers anyway & with pretty flowers like these, you can’t really go wrong no matter how you put them together. I researched a lot of reviews of the site & most people seem to be really pleased with the product & customer service. I also like the fact that they have free shipping & a 100% wedding day guarantee. The only bad reviews I could really find were from brides who weren’t happy about the colors of the flowers that actually arrived. For someone who really has their heart set on a bright, hot pink & receives a light pink instead..I can understand how that would be a problem. For me personally though, I’m not too concerned that the color would be messed up because as long as they show up in some shade of pink & some shade of white, I’ll be a happy bride. The roses pictured above are some options I’m liking, but there are many other pretty options on the site (like ranunculus!).
Ok, so moving onto my at-home reception flowers. I’m growing them myself (and by “I’m” I really mean FMIL, Dad, & I ). FMIL already grows a plethora of beautiful flowers every year. Dad & I went & picked up as many flower seed packets in all shades pinks & whites that we could find. For the reception back home, most of the flowers are going to be placed in various sizes of pretty blue Ball mason jars & I think more of a mixed, wildflower type look would be great. If for some reason the flowers don’t grow well this season, or some other unknown catastrophe would happen, I’m just going to remain calm & use Fifty Flowers as a backup option.
Normally, doing something like relying on a website to ship me fresh flowers for my bridal bouquet would totally freak me out, hence the title of this post; I would assume that everyone is going to think I’m crazy for doing it this way. I’m determined to remain calm & stress free though~ it’s the foundation for even wanting a small,intimate wedding after all… So I just keep repeating to myself…Remain calm…and possibly have a cupcake
Do you have any tricks you’re using to save money on flowers? Anyone else used an online wholesale site to purchase real flowers?
Where is that gorgeous picture of the wedding? That is what I DREAM of!
That is where I had my wedding! It is the wedding deck at The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado