Help with wedding flowers?

Order just the flowers and do them yourself. This is what I did and I saved a ton! You can order them from a wholesaler online if you want, but that made me nervous, so I ordered them from a florist. I spent $300 on 125 gerber daisies. And I went to the dollar store and Walmart for vases. I cut and arranged the centerpieces myself. I also made my own bouquet with ribbon and pins, it came out great! Another way I saved money was I had my bridesmaids (6 of them!) each carry a single flower, which looked really sweet and saved me a ton.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbish/3972389764/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbish/3989499463/

I had a friend who used fake flowers from Michaels. I would never do that but if you are on a tight budget and okay with it, then go for it! Most people won't probably remember the "fake" flowers anyways. I only do because I was a bridesmaid and had to hold them. (I actually kept mine for over a year after! I only threw it away after my dogs had some fun with it!)

Another way to save money it is buy in bulk, like from costco. We did this for my Grandma's 80th birthday party. They will work with you and let you pick out the flowers! The only problem is that you might only get what they have in stock.

Another great alternative is to talk to a local college or university if they have a horticultural class. Have they do your wedding flowers for a fraction of the costs! This can go for photography as well!

One of the best ways of keeping your costs down is to do them yourself, or get a friend or relative to help out. If you decide this is the route for you, here are some simple tips to start you off:

- Choose in-season flowers

- Buy the flowers wholesale from florists or flower markets

- Use simple ideas for your bouquet, perhaps hand-tied or a single flower

- Select flowers that maintain a good, fresh look when out of water for a long time

For your pew decorations, you can make floral arrangements using the tips above or you can make your own pew bows. They are very inexpensive to make and can be custom made to match your wedding colors and theme.

If you have some skill, order in bulk from bj's/costco/sams club or your local grocery store and make them yourself.

If you need to have them made, then shop around for a florist -- and do compare the skills of your local grocery store floral department, too.

And for the actual flowers, stick to types that are low-cost and in season. I happen to love carnations to start with, but they are an affordable flower that is very full (they take up plenty of space), and comes in many colors and are easily dye-able. They are also very sturdy.

Think minimal with bouquets, bouts., and centrepieces. Skip pew decorations unless the church is so hideous that you absolutely need them.

Do not attempt to make your own bouquets unless you are going for a super-casual look. Do not consider fakes.

Choose something pretty that will make an impact in simplicity, not in volume.

Make your own from silk flowers. Check out a local 4H club and see if anyone is doing flower arranging as a project. Get their help and take lots of pictures and let them have them(except for brides flowers) afterward. If they need the brides flowers for the fair keep them until the fair with the promise of them to be returned.

most budget friendly for me was DIY cost me a grand total of $400 for centerpieces, bouquets, corsages, and arrangements for the church. i got all roses from Sam's club and got the containers for the flowers at dollar tree

Get as many quotes as possible from the vendors in your area! make sure to see portfolio's too to make sure they do high quality work for your low budget.