I’ve been getting a lot of weird looks lately when it comes our wedding and it all stems from one thing: the flowers (Get it? Stems? Flowers? Eh? Eh? Hardy hard har…)
People are shocked, appalled, speechless, accusatory, even, when I tell them that I plan on avoiding real flowers if possible.
Their eyes widen. Then they narrow. Maybe an eyebrow lifts. Then their noses turn up. Well, missies, let me explain something to you.
FLOWERS ARE EFFING EXPENSIVE. Here are prices I found on the first few Google websites when I looked up “toronto wedding bouquet.”
And sweethearts, that’s just for the bridal bouquet. Let’s not forget:
- Bridesmaid bouquets
- Tossing bouquet
- Groom boutonnieres
- Usher boutonnieres
- Fathers’ boutonnieres
- Mothers’ corsages
- Family members (?)
And then there’s the decor:
- Centrepieces
- Church decorations
- Head table decorations
Of course you can always go for a full package and pay $2,000. For flowers. They wilt, they die. They’re seasonal. And it’s just extra stress when you’re amping up for the wedding and you don’t want to worry about things going wrong. So what, I’m a little bit of a control freak here. But I’d be pretty upset if my centrepieces met an early disaster and couldn’t make it to the hall.
Of course real flowers are pretty, but so are a lot of other things that are a lot more cost-effective and just as pretty. Guess what, the flowers for all of the items listed above are running me $164 so far and all I’m missing are the church decorations. So yes, I would say the tradeoff for having real flowers is more than worth it.
Besides, how can you say no to such fun and inspiring bouquets!
Buttons and feathers from the Offbeat Bride
Feather bouquet from the WeddingBee forums
Tissue paper flowers from Intimate Weddings
I love, don’t you? So much more flair, and a souvenir to keep when the whole wedding shebang’s done!