Learn How to Save on Wedding Flowers with These 15 Brilliant Hacks!

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Wondering how to save on wedding flowers? In many weddings, flowers can make up almost 10% of a wedding budget, and with the average cost of wedding in the U.S. in 2017 being over $30,000, that means brides out there are spending nearly $3,000 on flowers alone!

Of course, we’re totally nuts about wedding arches drenched in peonies and garden roses, (and let’s not even get started on those dahlias…) But the truth is, sometimes it’s just a bit out of the budget! We spoke to our sponsor, Blooms By The Box, who shares their advice for how to save on wedding flowers, and make the most of your wedding flower budget.

15 Secrets for Stretching Your Flower Budget

How to Save on Wedding Flowers

Simplify your bridesmaid bouquets. You can save a lot of money on wedding flowers by simplifying and scaling down the size of your bridesmaid bouquets. Try single bloom bouquets, or substitute some of the pricer flowers using the swaps suggested below. Consider saving the more expensive flowers for your bridal bouquet, making it the focal point of your photos.
Choose greenery-only arrangements, or bulk up arrangements with filler greens. Arrangements that rely heavily on wedding greenery like this can lower your wedding flower costs and give you a lush, natural look for your wedding. Create a greenery bouquet with different varieties of greens, or bulk up a floral bouquet of just 1 or 2 flowers with lots of green fillers. Decorating your space with greenery garlands or greenery table runners are super affordable floral options, too!

(Above) Greenery arrangements are beautiful, very popular and also affordable. Use them to create fresh floral runners and arrangements for beautifying your wedding ceremony and reception. {Images: Randy + Ashley Photography}
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Consider fuller flowers like Hydrangeas which can take up the bulk of a bouquet or flower jar with only one or two stems. While flowers with bigger blooms can be more expensive, they can actually save you money on your wedding flowers if you can fill your centerpiece container with less stems. Just one or two Hydrangeas like these can fill a mason jar.

(Above) Larger Blooms Go Further: Use one or two large blooms such as Hydrangeas or football mums and mix them with tufts of baby’s breath. {Image: Nemus Photography}
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Use single stem arrangements in a variety of small vases to make your wedding flowers go further. Bud vases, milk bottles or vintage glasses are all great wedding vase options and can be filled with only a few stems.

(Above) Artful Single Stem Arrangements: Mix and match single stem blooms of varying heights and textures in the same color family for whimsical, modern results. Add three or more colors to create a rustic or spring garden-esque feel. {Image: Oak and Pine Photography}
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Substitute peonies or garden roses. If you’re really trying to keep flower costs down at your wedding, it’s best to avoid flowers like Peonies, Garden Roses and Ranunculus all together. But if these beautiful blooms are a must-have, use them sparingly! Instead of having an all-peony bouquet, use 3 peony stems and then supplement with more budget friendly blooms. Buy Peonies, Garden Roses and Ranunculus in bulk to stretch your wedding flower budget even further.
Tape three carnation stems together to create the look and feel of full petalled peonies. Some of the most cost-effective flowers, these ruffled little beauties come in a wide variety of colors and can be strung together to create amazing statement pieces. Get the DIY for making your own faux peonies here.
Swap out expensive blooms for more affordable ones in the same color. Sometimes color pairings are more important than the specific flower varieties. Recreate a floral arrangement by swapping out the expensive blooms for something more cost effective in a similar color. Check out ideas for flower swaps here. (Not sure what those flowers you love are called? Look them up in our visual flower dictionary, with photographs, names and seasons for flowers – arranged by color!)
Avoid major holidays when picking your wedding date, as flowers cost more then. There’s a big demand for flowers around Valentine’s and Mother’s Day, so those are times you’ll want to steer clear of to avoid any hike in prices. This is one of the easiest ways to save on wedding flowers!
Choose wedding flowers that are in season. If you have your heart set on certain blooms, make sure you choose a date where they’re in season so that you don’t incur the added costs of having them imported. For example, peonies are only available in the U.S. during the spring, making they they’re more expensive during other times of the year when they need to be imported.
Consider borrowing or renting accessories such as vases for your centerpieces, or make your own. Rentals are great way to save money as you will be returning the items when you are done using them! Or, have your loved ones help you collect glass bottles and jars at home. Turn them into cute vases in your wedding colors using spray paint. Here’s how we did it.
Make Baby’s Breath go further by breaking bunches into smaller stems. Baby’s breath has a ton of little blossoms that can go a long way to helping you save money on your wedding flowers. A bunch of Baby’s Breath like this usually comes with 8-10 stems. Each stem can be broken down to 3-5 stems. Baby’s breath also makes a beautiful filler flower to add body to other wedding flower arrangements.

(Above) Baby’s Breath is versatile and pairs beautifully with almost anything. {Images 1 + 2: Randy + Ashley Photography // Image 3: Nemus Photography}
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Reuse your ceremony flowers and bouquets at the reception. When you’re wondering how to save on wedding flowers, try making your arrangements do double-duty! Reuse bridal party bouquets in vases on the head or cake table, and reuse arrangements which lined the aisle or altar at the reception.
Go wild with wildflowers. A whimsical mix of filler, greens and accent flowers tend to be more affordable and are intentionally used sparingly in arrangements for a rustic look.

(Above) Wedding Wildflowers lend themselves to creating whimsical arrangements that look great in mix and match up-cycled vases. Get packs of wildflowers online here.
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Replace costly hydrangeas with affordable football mums. These eye-catching chrysanthemums are big, fluffy and a great way to take up space in an arrangement. They are a great substitute for hydrangeas!

(Above) CHECK OUT OUR WHITE WEDDING FLOWER GUIDE and learn the names and seasons for white wedding flowers.
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Splurge on a single eye-catching floral curtain or chandelier, and skip table florals altogether. Instead of spreading your floral budget by creating individual centerpieces per table, pool all of that money on a single, eye-catching floral arrangement that will be the focal point of your event! A flower curtain, hanging floral chandelier installation or giant centerpieces on either side of an entrance are great options, and can actually save you money if you stick to 2-3 flowers and order them in bulk! Check out how this tutorial to learn how to make an affordable carnation curtain.