Thanks to Nancy at Moss + Clay for being our first guest blogger today! She has some awesome tips for keeping within your floral budget. Give her some love on her Instagram and Facebook pages and also check out her website for more information! Also note, the images below are of flowers she worked on for our bride Madison at Wahoo Grill in Decatur for her fall wedding last October (and aren’t they fan-freaking-tastic?!?). 

1.If you’re going to DIY, take a class! A great bridal shower/bachelorette party idea is a bouquet workshop! Get all the girls together and everyone can learn to make their own bouquet and/or arrangement. You don’t want to be learning the night before the wedding that arranging is actually difficult. Pro tip: have the class 2 days before the wedding so you can use them in the actual wedding!

2.  Bud vases are a budget’s best friend! There are some really gorgeous minimal bud vases in my collection that only take 2-3 blooms, or even just one very special one! They can be such a great conversation starter. Put one on the cocktail tables and a grouping on the guest tables with some votive candlelight.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column]

3. Candlelight! Big impact, small(er) cost. I know we want flowers everywhere, but renting candlesticks from your florist is less expensive. And you have so many options: lanterns, taper candles, pillar candles, floating candles, all the candles!! I love a room filled with candlelight and ambiance.

4. Potted plants are a great way to combine costs. At the end of the night, your table centerpieces become gifts for guests or the wedding party. Or, I love the idea of saying your vows surrounded by lush greenery, and then bringing it home and nurturing it and watching it grow. You can actually have a completely lush setting without any cut flowers at all!

5. Don’t be picky about what varieties of flowers you get. Bang for your buck flowers are carnations and mums, and they’re beautiful too! And both of these flowers come in the biggest variety of colors! You’d be amazed what can be created with them. You don’t need peonies for your bouquet to stand out.

6.  Here is a little industry secret that I know to be true for so many florists: like any artist, when we are excited about a project, more time and money is spent working on it. Find a florist whose style you trust, so you can feel comfortable letting them take the lead stylistically. Become your florists passion project and get more bang for your buck!