What other options do you have for flowers instead of a florist?

I’ll be doing them myself. Making bouquets out of wood flowers

So our round tables will have white table cloths and we bought dark rust cheesecloth cloths to go on them as well .. Our centerpieces are bronze lanterns .. our florist is just going to add eucalyptus and baby’s breath around the lanterns and it only costed 20 dollars per table which I didn’t think was to bad !!

Here are the bronze lanterns, dark cheese cloth and table number sign I made ! The bottom picture is kind of how it will look around my centerpieces

I am thinking about floating candles with cala lillies

We used potted tuberous begonias - because they were potted, they were less expensive than an arrangement in a vase. At the end of the night, we offered the plants to those who wanted one (not too many takers, because 99.5% of our guests were from out of state), and then our photographer took the rest to a nursing home with whom she has a relationship.

We used Fiftyflowers.com for daughter's wedding. They are significantly less than a florist and have pre-made arrangements/centerpieces. Their customer service and delivery were excellent. Costco is another alternative.

We are doing heart-shaped balloons for sure. I think ours will be similar to these but we probably will put them lower than those we can see on the photos :

I forgot:

As for my bouquet: I'm going with a small one of silk flowers, it will be more or less similiar to this:

And we are skipping boutonnieres, corsages altogether. If some of our parents and/or GP insist they want one, they are free to book a florist by themselves, to "book" a corsage/bout and to pay for it but we are not offering them since we would prefer a totally fresh flowers-free event.

I am doing a combination of artificial flowers from Ling’s Moments, fresh flowers from Fiftyflowers.com and a few things from local grocery store. I have seen all of these options recommended here! I have also seen people recommend Costco/Sam’s/BJ’s.

Ling's Moment and Southern Blooms are alternatives. Michael's is a cheaper alternative but will require DIY.

I ordered flowers from fiftyflowers.com and bought bud vases from various craft stores and my mom and I arranged centerpieces ourselves (plus pre-made greenery garlands from Costco). A fraction of the price for fresh floral centerpieces! I ordered bouquets, boutonnieres, and a floral swag for our ceremony arch through a florist, though, as I didn't trust my bouquet-making abilities lol.

My sister got her florals from the farmers market! My mom then put the bouquets and centerpieces together that morning

My florist is giving us buckets of flowers and we are using bud vases/vintage bottles to hold 1-3 stems each for centerpieces. Probably 3-5 bud vases per table. My family is putting these together morning of. A lot cheaper than arrangements made by the florist.

I'm thinking of using those balloons that light up
https://www.etsy.com/listing/700983229/6pc-led-clear-balloons-for-table-tops

You can order cut flowers from COSTCO in bulk. My mom did the flowers for weddings for family members as a hobby and that’s where she got hers.

I ordered wood flowers and dyed them myself. Currently working on making small arrangements with them and fake greenery for the cocktail tables and guest book/seating table.
I'm planning on ordering bulk flowers for the reception centerpieces and doing something similar to what Kasey mentioned.

For us, fresh flowers are non negotiable. We looked at fiftyflowers.com and Costco.com. Major cities have wholesale flower districts open to the public at cost. Some vendors there will arrange them and deliver for a small charge. Another option is a grocery store florist.


We decided that DIY is not completely cost efficient because we have to factor in time and labor on top of that. For that reason, we’re looking at the wholesale florists who offer arrangement/delivery

There's a company called Evergreen Bride that does preserved greenery and wooden flowers! You get the classic look a regular florist would offer but its a cheaper route, especially if you get their DIY kits and make the bouquets or arrangements yourself.

I skipped using a traditional florist because it was way over my budget. Instead, I ordered flowers in bulk and did simple arrangements with help from family. It ended up saving a lot of money. I compared a few wholesale suppliers and ended up liking FMI Farms Flower Wholesale for the variety and pricing. If you're comfortable doing a little DIY, it's definitely an option worth considering.