Flowers

Today I saw a future bride's status about how expensive flowers can be. I never thought about it until I did my own research, and WOW she was so right! Flowers are one of the main decorations at a wedding, not to mention you need them for bouquets and for boutonniere as well. This got me thinking, "hmm... if I was a bride on a budget, what are some alternatives for this headache?" Here is what I came up with:

Buy in bulk
Places like Sam's Club sell flowers in bulks. This makes it a whole lot cheaper if your a bride on a  budget. Do your research and checkout other places or websites that sell in bulks as well. Get informed! Be sure to read ratings from other brides who have bough flowers from this vendor before.

DIY!
This goes right along with buying flowers in bulk. Places like Pinterest and YouTube are filled with awesome DIY ideas and tutorials. Making your own bouquets and decorations adds that personal touch to your wedding. Plus, what are bridesmaids for (haha)? Recruit your ladies to lend a hand and help you out!

Choose seasonal flowers
Be aware of a flower's blooming period. Sunflowers are my favorite flower and they are perfect for a  summer wedding, because this is the season they bloom. This makes them easily accessible during this time of year, not so much during winter. Winter = more expensive!

Choose fake flowers
Silk flowers are a great alternative! They photograph great and last forever.

Use alternatives
Use things like feathers, bows, ribbons, etc, to add some volume to your bouquet and you wont have to use as many flowers. You can also use vases, plastic diamonds, mirrors, candles, etc, on center pieces and nix the flowers all together!

Hope that helped!
--Ana