Please Share Budget Ideas For Flowers & Invites!

[pallette23]

Hello, Ladies! At present we are on a limited budgetLso can you please share your budget saving ideas on flowers, invites? :blink:

[WebLady]

DIY maybe ... or cut back on the guest list and have few attendants ;)

[hmz819]

DIY invites and if you want really flowers use flowers that are in season and have small bouquets. (Maybe 5 stems for the bride and 3 stems or single stems for the girls). You could always skip the florist and DIY your flowers...order bulk from Costco or Sam's or just pick up fake flowers at Michael's or what ever craft store is near you.

[fireprincess2009]

I made my own save the dates and invites. Keep it simple unless you're particularly crafty and have a lot of patience.

We ordered flowers from Sam's Club and couldn't have been happier. We had more flowers than we knew what to do with for less than $300. I got gerber daisies in 3 colors delivered a day before the wedding and then bought a bouquet at the store which my mom and aunt used with the gerbers to make the bouquets wrapped in ribbon. So beautiful! Oh, I should mention that my mom and aunt are not professionals!

[janabm81]

Do it yourself!!!!!!

I did my flowers (fake) and my bridesmaids for less than $67.00 total

My invites and RSVPs done on Microsoft Publisher with supplies from Office depot only cost about $32.00.

[2dBride]

First thing on flowers is to determine how many you even want to have. We had bouquets for the two brides and the MOH, and a bout for the dude of honor, and that was it. We used other things for altar decorations, aisle decorations, reception centerpieces, etc. (Details in bio.) And even the bouquets are not necessary. Check this link (http://offbeatbride.ning.com/forum/topics/show-us-your-bouquet) for lots of bouquet alternatives.

To the extent that you have flowers, think about having fewer of them, and having flowers that are in season. Also, hand-tied bouquets are typically less expensive than traditional (wired) bouquets. We used arm bouquets (also called presentation bouquets) for both brides, and a small hand-tied bouquet for the MOH. See pictures below.

Our bouquets

http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/dresses/accessories/MyBouquet2.jpg?height=335&width=420 (http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/dresses/accessories/MyBouquet2.jpg)

Maid of honor's bouquet

http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/dresses/accessories/MOHBouquet2.jpg?height=314&width=320 (http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/dresses/accessories/MOHBouquet2.jpg)

Dude of honor's boutonniere

http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/_/rsrc/1255924598196/dresses/accessories/Boutonniere.jpg (http://sites.google.com/site/2dbride/dresses/accessories/Boutonniere.jpg)

[RhondaM]

I figured flower arrangements are probably the main thing I would be able to save money on. I'm quite good with my hands so I went ahead and bought an ebook about DIY wedding flowers. It was about $15-16 and worth every penny. Considering how much money florists want I'll be saving a ton, and considering I'm a bride on budget (sounds funny :D ). I don't remember the website I found it on, but Google might help you ;)

Edit: Found the link on my email. Here (http://www.diy-wedding-flowers.com)it is.

[Rylan]

Like the others said, you can save a lot of money with DIY. You can also spend a lot of money and time if you are not careful. If you go DIY, you will be able to really personalize and make something that represents you and your spouse-to-be.

Make sure you watch for sales. Hobby Lobby and Michaels have a lot of wedding items, and you can frequently catch sales around 50% off (if you watch for the right week). If you shop at either much, you may want to get on the e-mailing list and receive the weekly coupons and ads.

My sister saved a lot of money by getting her flowers from a grocery store (Kroger, I think?). She has some talented friends, and the bouquets turned out absolutely beautiful.

[kgvettegirl]

also sign up online at Michael's, AC Moore and Hobby Lobby and you will occasionaly get 40 and 50% off coupons. They usually send me 2 to 3 a month.

[heather2010]

I am using flowers that are in season and locally grown, Dahlias. They are huge flowers so I will be getting small fishbowl style vases (dollar store) and just putting a single flower in each fully submerged for centerpieces, along with the mirrors and tealight candles. I googled local garden clubs and emailed them and happened to find a local dahlia growers club who I am waiting to hear back from about the cost and exact kind of dahlia, but they will be waaay cheaper then the florist.
Try looking up your local garden club and just asking them if they have any ideas on flowers that are in season and if they know a local to get them from.

[dyelle84]

:coffee: I just wanted to say these are all awesome ideas. We got engaged this past feb and we dont have much money starting off. The wedding wont be til next may so we have some time to save up. Im thinking we'll have about 10k to work with. maybe less. but im all about saving money if i can, although i want it to be a nicely done wedding. i dont need glitz and glamour, but i certainly want it looking good. I am checking with Sams club (would that be like a BJs type store?) i dont know if theres a Sams near me. (CT) I would never think of a place like that for flowers. So thanks for the posts!!!

[2dBride]

:coffee: I just wanted to say these are all awesome ideas. We got engaged this past feb and we dont have much money starting off. The wedding wont be til next may so we have some time to save up. Im thinking we'll have about 10k to work with. maybe less. but im all about saving money if i can, although i want it to be a nicely done wedding. i dont need glitz and glamour, but i certainly want it looking good. I am checking with Sams club (would that be like a BJs type store?) i dont know if theres a Sams near me. (CT) I would never think of a place like that for flowers. So thanks for the posts!!!
There are three Sam's Clubs in Connecticut:


2 Boston Post Road Orange, CT 06477
69 Pavilions Dr. Manchester, CT 06040
3465 Berlin Tpke Newington, CT 06111If none of those are close to you, are you near a Costco? They have relatively low-cost wedding flower packages (http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?ec=BC-EC10612-Cat62777&pos=1&whse=BC&topnav=&cat=62789&eCat=BC%7C62777%7C62789&lang=en-US). They didn't work for us, because they assume that you have one bride and more than one bridesmaid, instead of the other way around, but they might work for you.

[dyelle84]

thank you! i will def look at that site. working with a lower budget so any info will help me !!! thank you!

[2010junebride]

I am using fake daisy bouquets in vases, with little water stones in the bottom tied with a ribbon in our colors for centerpieces. We bought a bunch from Michael's craft store and they turned out great, it is hard to tell they are fake unless you get really close and it saved us about $800 coming to a total cost of $130.
For the bridal party we are getting real flowers, daisies for bridesmaids and lilies for bride bouquet. Our quote was $300 including corsages and boutonnieres.

[Krismac3581]

To save on flowers consider this:

Use silk flowers for all the bouquets, boutennieres, etc. If they are done right they will look beautiful during the ceremony and in photos. Think about it: Nobody is up close and personal with the bouquets except your bridal party. Use real flowers where your guests will see them up close (centerpieces, food tables, etc.)

This worked very well for me. I did my own flowers this way, and I've done wedding flowers for other weddings too. I always suggest this for brides trying to save money.

[dyelle84]

OOOH i never thought of silk. thats a very good idea for the bridal party:) i will def keep that in mind.!!! i think a friend of mine did that actually for their wedding. and they did look real!

[~MrsRhodes2B~]

I'm having fake/silk flowers and my FSIL's MIL did them. A friend of mine is doing the cake. I ordered my invitations and napkins from Ann's Bridal Bargains. DIY has been a good part of my wedding planning and it's the best advice I can give! Good luck!;)

[dyelle84]

~i love all these ideas....trying to have a nice wedding but keep the costs on the low side. As im sure most ppl are these days. I appreciate all the advise. Im going to check out that Ann's Bridal Bargains and see what they offer!!

[amjhdrummer]

I'm doing my own invites and save the dates-- However I always make my own Christmas/Birthday/celebration cards anyways, and I scrapbook... I'm printing the words, then adding stamps. Already sent out the save the dates-- here's a link to what they looked like; (kind of bad)- it's from my phone...

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh1/amjhdrummer/IMGP0005-1.jpg

*I erased out our last names and city*

And I'm doing my invites in the following style-- invites I got 100ct from FlowerFactory.com

http://www.flowerfactory.com/p-16429-invitation-kit-white-100-ct-value-pack.aspx

*note the invites are just envelopes, with 1pg of cardstock that's a half-size sheet of paper, not a folding invite... ((But for that price I couldn't go wrong- I was going to cut the cardstock myself but this works and you can always layer or jacket them! I'm doing a similar theme with my invites as I did with my STDs- the sponge on the outside with my colors..



Flower-wise; I did a professional florist for my ceremony flowers because it was important to me as we aren't having other decor since it's an outside chapel in the woods, with trees and flowers. I decided on doing silk flowers, it's much less of a cost because the florist can do it in their time and not rush a day or 2 before the wedding to make the bouquets, plus it's about half the cost.

I'm doing the reception decor myself, which isn't a lot to do because it's an informal/BBQ type thing, and it's on a lake so there's not much to decorate except the table cloths! I found some Brandy sniffers (snifters?) on craigslist, 24 for $25 dollars, he took $20... So that helped- and I'm submerging a single flower into that... Floating candles get expensive!

Music: We're doing an Ipod with speakers (the venue has a PA system/speakers and mics, all we need is our Ipod and playlist!) ...

Good luck!

[have2bme4vr]

Another thought for cheaper flowers if you aren't a DIYer...
My local vo-tech has a program for flower growing/arranging. They take all sorts of orders there and have the teens fill them. It gives the students real life experience and brings a little money back to the school. Priceing is much cheaper than at a commercial florist.:flower4u: Your town or county may have a school like this too!

PS they also do the same with their bakery students for cakes and have a salon for their cosmotology students (that wouldn't help for the day of, but manis and pedis can be done the day before!).:bbwink:

[MargaRita98003]

My sister got her invitations at Costco, and I am leaning the same way. They were really cheap and they used the same books as many other places. To address my envelopes myself, I am using addx.pro - it is so economical, but the envelopes look AMAZING. My sister used it for her wedding, and then used it again for her thank you envelopes and Christmas cards. She sold all of us (she had two friends getting married too, and my MIL bought it for her son's graduation announcements) on the program cause it saves so much time and looks classy.

[THollz83]

Try yourinvitationplace.com....very nice and cheap but good quality

[WebLady]

Try yourinvitationplace.com....very nice and cheap but good quality
Is that your website? The url redirects to a dealer website :bbconfused:

[amjhdrummer]

Is that your website? The url redirects to a dealer website :bbconfused:

Happened to me as well... :/

[Docsgirl]

I got the DIY-kits from Michaels, I believe they were the BRIDES brand. Everyone loved them, and they looked way more expensive than they actually were.

http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq169/talymon/CIMG0703.jpg

[WeddingAdvice]

Michaels and Target are definitely where it's at! Someone posted earlier about the brand Brides and I couldn't agree more. The Brides brand looks so professional and sophisticated. Invitations can cost an arm and a leg but if you're willing to put in a little time and effort, you can still have amazing invitations for a fraction of the price. Get your bridesmaids to help you and it will be a fun little activity you can all do together.

[THollz83]

no its not my website but my cousin ordered her invites off there and i plan on doing the same i checked out the one i plan on ordering they were only $63 and thats with all the pieces i ordered included...

[WeddingAdvice]

no its not my website but my cousin ordered her invites off there and i plan on doing the same i checked out the one i plan on ordering they were only $63 and thats with all the pieces i ordered included...

How many come in the pack?

[hmz819]

Research, research, research!!! I just found a lady that makes wedding cakes and she charges $2.25 a slice! That includes tax, delivery, everything! We can get as many different flavors as we want and we can she can decorate it the way we want.

I also found a lady that does flowers out of her house. I priced out florists and the quote I received from the lady that does flowers out of her house is about $1000 less than the floral shop! (It's for the same exact thing!!)

[Southern Cindarella]

I got invitations off of ebay, I thin kit was called kindead printing? not sure but anywy they look like parchment paper in a cindarella theme. we got our invitations pre printed envelopes and rsvp cards for less than $50 and thats including shipping.

[wed01]

Consider postcards for your invites. It will save you money on postage.

For flowers, I used a book and Kroger. But for centerpieces, you can save even more money using candles in little bowls or even wrapped candies in dishes with flower petals.

[ForeverFilmStudios]

I think a great way to cut costs is to just do the bouquets and lapel flowers for the bridal party. You could do candle votives in place of flowers.... I did this at my wedding. I spent about $200 at IKEA for some nice vases, filled them with $30 of stones from Michaels crafts, and some water. Floating candles on top, and there you go. A beautiful centerpiece. Why pay SO much for flowers that are going in the trash in 24 hours? better to spend the 2k on the honeymoon!

[amjhdrummer]

I think a great way to cut costs is to just do the bouquets and lapel flowers for the bridal party. You could do candle votives in place of flowers.... I did this at my wedding. I spent about $200 at IKEA for some nice vases, filled them with $30 of stones from Michaels crafts, and some water. Floating candles on top, and there you go. A beautiful centerpiece. Why pay SO much for flowers that are going in the trash in 24 hours? better to spend the 2k on the honeymoon!

Or a cheaper place to buy vases might be walmart... we actually considered buying plain glass glasses/bowls, and using them... $1-5 a piece (depending on what size you want to use).. Plus afterwards you can wash them and use them in your own home instead of asking for bowls/glasses. And as a step further, you could buy plates (flat or with a little lifted edge) and put the bowl/glass centered on it, then put wrapped candies/nuts or something in that... which also saves on having to have another bowl or cups with mints or something in it...

:)

[ForeverFilmStudios]

I totally agree. That is a great Idea Amanda. Whatever works in your budget. Just dont be afraid to get out there and try stuff. Aso Michaels has some pretty cheep glass vases and bowls...

[SkippyNXC]

i used michael's for my "vases" (which were giant brandy snifters)... cheapest i found them was like 12 bucks... they were around same @ michaels and i'd just wait til i got 50 and 60% off coupons and would print out a bunch and go in a few times each week...

OR if u have several friends willing to help, you all go together each armed w/a coupon and buy a bunch...

[amjhdrummer]

I totally agree. That is a great Idea Amanda. Whatever works in your budget. Just dont be afraid to get out there and try stuff. Aso Michaels has some pretty cheep glass vases and bowls...

Thanks!

i'd just wait til i got 50 and 60% off coupons and would print out a bunch and go in a few times each week...

OR if u have several friends willing to help, you all go together each armed w/a coupon and buy a bunch...

Haha thats what my mom and I did for my bubbles, ribbon, card stock, etc... We both get the coupons, (for jo-anns & hobby lobby, etc) as well as my sister, plus we set up my FH with a mailing list also... So we'd all go in there, leave and shop elsewhere, then stop by again with another coupon. I honestly don't think I've bought anything at full price at any craft store! Which yes, on one hand may sound like a cheapskate... but weddings are expensive and we're college students! Save anywhere you can! They provide those coupons for a reason...

[SkippyNXC]

and you can sign up via email for their coupons and when they come u just print out as many copies as you like ;)

oh and i'll check online if acmoore or joannes has a better coupon b/c michaels accepts competitors (i think they all do which means they're usually the same but sometimes one will be 50% and others will be 40%)