Budget Friendly Wedding Flowers
Alstroemeria
We live in a cynical world-I know, not a good way to start a discussion. But trying to find honest businesses when it comes to wedding trades can be daunting. How do you know that these wedding vendors haven’t raised their prices just because it is a wedding. And how does one know if your florist really respects your budget especially when it is really tight?
I can only speak as a floral designer but a florist who is an expert in knowing the flowers, the seasons, the durability of flower selections for the type of weather conditions and understands your limitations is what The Painted Bouquet does.
I will always work within your budget and listen to your vision. But another way to make sure the budget is on point is to select flowers that are very beautiful but fall in the less expensive category and therefore can be just as lovely and some way more hardy to withstand heat for summer weddings.
Here is a list of 11
Freesia
ALSTROEMERIA-When I worked in a floral atelier, I needed to remember names of flowers and this one I remembered by the phrase “I’ll Still Marry You”. Also known as Peruvian lily, this patterned flower comes in more than 150 different color and marking combinations, ranging from white and golden yellow to red, pink and purple.
BABY’S BREATH of GYPSOPHILA-The French call this flower by its genus name gypsophila-This ethereal flower gets a bad rap or has in the last decade fallen out of favor but seems to be making a comeback with bouquets of the white airy flower as itself a bouquet. I love it and have never stopped loving this flower. It creates an airy texture and the white goes with everything! Lately I’ve seen lots of colors in supply; pink, blues, etc.
CARNATIONS-French-Un Oeillet. Want to talk about the longest lasting flower and the hardiest? Nothing seems to be able to mess with the mighty carnation. And the color choices are huge! They don’t crush, don’t wilt and don’t put up with anything-kind of like your mother…
CHRYSANTHEMUM is listed here only because it is similar to the carnation but I am putting an asterix here because the French only use these flowers for All Saints Day-Toussaints which is November 1 and a national holiday. So if you’re having your wedding here, and really want mums, you may need to think again. When in Rome…
DAISY “He loves me, he loves me not” Let’s hope it is the former! Daisies are ubiquitous and inexpensive! Here in France we have fields of them like a giant white carpet. They’re tough little happy faces and come in many different colors such as yellow, white, violet and pink. They add texture as they are multi-petaled and fill in the holes of a bouquet nicely.
FREESIA-Upon at first glance, a freesia seems exotic. It has this beautiful flower on a long stem with many green flower buds waiting to open;as many as eight blooms grow on one stalk, and they come in multiple colors like white, yellow, red, purple and pink. For a long-lasting floral, consider this fragrant stem.
GLADIOLUS or un glaïeul in French. Don’t ask me to pronounce it in French though-that letter combo always has my tongue twisted. I mention them here because some people really like them. I have a love/hate relationship as it is love of flowers and it’s hard to hate a flower but for me these are funeral flowers. That said, nice bouquets can be done using these long and straight flowers on green stalks.
QUEEN ANNE’S LACE is also in the carrot family and so in French it is une carotte sauvage. I love this airy flower that grows wild along roadsides. Don’t confuse it with yarrow as the two can be similar. This flower is actually a compound flower that when you look closely is hundreds of tiny umbrella shapes of white flowers. It adds beautiful texture when mixed with other blooms in a bouquet and can add a lovely shade of green to a bouquet.
SUNFLOWER seems synonymous with Southern France and fields of these happy faces that turn towards the sun and move with it during the day therefore in French it is a tourne sol. Their happy faces make you happy! Golden, yellow, orange-there are plenty to choose from. The downside is if you have an elegant black tie type vision for your wedding, sunflowers are a little too business casual for your event.
WAXFLOWER or in French jasmin de Madagascar. With so many blooms on each stem, one can get a lot of bang for the buck. There are tons of small bell-shaped flowers on stems and a pine-like branch. Makes a great filler flower and adds texture and lightness to your bouquet. Comes in pink and white and a deep magenta.
ROSES AND SPRAY ROSES- I’m going to add roses to this list. Stay away from the garden roses that look like huge peonies and stay with simple basic colors or white roses and you can fill out a bouquet nicely without a lot of expense. And what wedding doesn’t have roses. Spray roses are multi-blooms on a stem and can fill in spaces with cute little buds or blooms. I love spray roses and the colors are plenty!
