Does anyone know of any good resources for how to make your own bouquets and bouteneires?  Also, does anyone know of inexpenisve places to get flowers?  My sister is getting married in early May.  It is too early for wildflowers here.  She isn't a fan of fake flowers or brooch boquets.  Do you think the men need boutenieres if they are wearing button down shirts and khakis instead of suits?  Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

One good source for flowers, if she doesn't have anything specific in mind, might be those bushy flowering plants that you can sometimes buy at the grocery store or Wal-Mart-type places. They generally have lots of flowers and greenery on them and are sold as annuals, and I would think that you could do something nice with a couple of those, for only about $7.99 per plant if you shop right (more if you want bushier bouquets etc.) - plus, they'd match since they all came from the same or similar plants.

Some cities have florists who will discount in a big way at the close-of-day, too, so you might check those... in my experience, it's the shops that have the highest prices, who will actually sell on discount later on, so you might call around to a couple of those. There was specifically one in Kansas City (where I used to live) that would cut the price all their exotic blooms that were not as fresh as the blooms their affluent clients desired, at around 6 p.m. most days. You could get blooms for orchids, Hawaiian flowers, etc. for about 25%-50% of their normal (super fresh) prices.

 Hope this helps!

Chrallen:

Do you think the men need boutenieres

There are no real needs in a wedding. It's really up to the bride and groom and what makes the moment for them. If they are ok going without those then it's perfectly.

 

 

I agree with Brandy. It's not a necessity. If it is something the bride and groom want, then you can look around for low cost options. A dozen roses are often under $10 a dozen and you can practice making your own with those. Men often don't want adornments like ribbon/pearls/ etc. so merely having a rose bud pinned to the shirt may be ok.

You can use any flower, really. But a simple rose bud came to mind.

One of my DIL bought the grocery store boquets of flowers. She devided them to use one flower for each man. Tied several flowers with a ribbon for the girls. She carried roses tied with a bow. Low cost and pretty. Babs

Hi! Around here, places like Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Joann Fabrics usually have good things for bouquets and other arrangements. Sometimes you can even find supplies at Dollar Tree! For boutonnières, you really only need florist's tape to wrap the bottom of the flower and a pin. They can be very inexpensive since they are just a single flower usually! It is trendy now to just wrap bridal bouquets in a pretty satin ribbon, and then put them in a vase for decoration at the reception. (Be careful doing that beforehand so that it doesn't drip down the dress during the ceremony!) You could also try to find those little water tubes for the flowers and then wrap the satin around those as well. If you want the lace cone type bouquet with the green foam oasis, I've seen those at Wal-mart. As far as inexpensive flower sources, grocery stores can have some good options. Don't necessarily rule out using a florist though. They give free consultations, and even though I used to work at a flower shop and had planned to do all of my own flowers, I actually found one that they could do it as cheaply as I could myself because they could get better prices on flowers and supplies. The lady knew what it was like to be on a tight budget and directed me to beautiful flowers that I wouldn't have thought about that were less expensive. It never hurts to ask! (Inquire at different shops because the prices can REALLY vary.) Rose petals, strands of ivy or even pretty confetti with candles or candles floating in bowls of water (from Dollar Tree) can be really pretty in place of table arrangements. (You could even tint the water with a little bit of food coloring to match the color scheme.) May is such a gorgeous time here. We often have lilacs by then, which are sooooo pretty in vases and smell fantastic. I think azaleas are in bloom around then too. If you're farther north, branches of forsythea in vases or made into simple swags with ribbon would be pretty. You could also buy tulips or daffodils in pots and then wrap the pots in something pretty to use them as decorations for the ceremony/reception and then plant them later. You might be able to get some lavender in little pots at that point. Those replant beautifully in full sun and smell wonderful. Oh, if you've never used florist's tape (which I've seen a lot at Dollar Tree) it's not really sticky until it is against itself, so you overlap it as you wrap the stems. I hope this helps! P.S. You might do a search on YouTube for instructions on making your own. I've learned all sorts of unique things on YouTube! :-)

Thank you all.  You have all helped quite a bit.  :)  I will pass the info on to my sister.

I wouldn't think boutonnieres would be used if the men are just wearing khaki pants and button down shirts.

As for the rest of the flowers, I would go with your sister in person to local flower shops, and ask to speak to the owner. This is better done face to face, as it is easier to decline someone over the phone. Once you're meeting with the owner, tell them your concerns about cost, and the wedding, and ask if you could pick up any flowers they discard the evening prior. You might get lucky and someone be willing to work with you on cost. I would definitely do this before going to a large retailer. I've done this so many times with small business owners, requesting flowers, food, etc for fundraisers. I've gotten deep discounts many times just for having it put in a program or having an MC announce that product was provided by that business, and they got a bit of advertising very cheaply for them, and we got a great discount. That wouldnt happen at a wedding of course, but I would definitely approach small Mom & Pop type florists first.