Wedding Flowers - Would That Be Silk or Real?

Flowers are the perfect accessory for many aspects of the wedding.

Choosing the right flowers for your wedding can be a challenging task particularly if you don't know much about flowers, the varieties or their growing season.

Fresh wedding flowers can be very expensive depending on what type of flowers you choose and in what season.


A popular alternative is to use silk flowers instead. They may not be fresh but the biggest advantage is that you can buy the flowers at anytime as you don't have the hassle of trying to keep them from wilting. Many silk flowers today look so real that most people wouldn't notice the difference. You can also get them in the exact colour and shade you desire.

List of Wedding Flowers You May Need

• Bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids
• Bride's throw away bouquet
• Hair flowers for the bride and bridesmaids
• Boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen
• Corsages for the mother of the bride and groom's mother
• Flowers for the flowergirl
• Flowers for the ceremony
• Flowers for the reception
• Flowers for the table centerpieces
• Flowers for the cake table

Popular Wedding Flowers In Season

Flowers                                                                        Available
Arum lilies                                                              Winter/Spring
Baby's Breath                                                          All year
Calia lilies                                                               All year
Carnations                                                              All year
Daffodils                                                                Winter/Early Spring
Daisy Chrysanthemum                                           All year
Frangipani                                                              Summer
Freesias                                                                  Winter/Spring
Gardenias                                                               Spring/Some all year
Gerberas                                                                All year
Hyacinths                                                              Winter/Early Spring
Gladiolus                                                               All year
Hydrangea                                                             Summer
Iris                                                                         Autumn/Winter/Spring
Orchid - Cymbidium                                            Autumn/Winter/Early Spring
Orchids                                                                 All year
Oriental lilies                                                       All year
Peonies                                                                Mid Spring/Early Summer
Roses                                                                   All year
Tulips                                                                  Autumn/Winter/Spring

Some Budget-Conscious Tips

Buy fresh flowers in season.

Bouquets
Choose simpler or small bouquets that don't need so much work.

The more structured and formal the bouquet, the more expensive it will be. Why not go for a bunch of your favourite flowers tied with a ribbon or piece of tuille.

Instead of a bouquet why not go for a long-stemmed flower, this would add an elegant touch as well as cut down on the cost.

Do away with bouquets for the bridesmaids and instead have them carry a simple bunch of flowers or why not an umbrella or fan.

Ceremony Flowers
The ceremony only lasts a short amount of time so why not choose a couple of flower arrangements that can then be taken and used at the reception.

If you're having a church service, then find out if they will supply the flowers or use the person who does their flowers.

If you intend decorating the aisles with bows or flowers, try making them yourself.

As an alternative you could pick up some potted flowers very cheaply and arrange them in the church.
You could choose a park or garden as your ceremony venue and that way you wouldn't have to buy the flowers.

Reception Flowers
Ask the reception venue if they can provide the flowers are part of the package.

Use the bride's bouquet as the table decoration for the wedding table or the cake table.

What about thinking outside the box and go for a fruit or vegetable display instead of flowers.

Another idea would be to use candles or sculptures as centerpieces for the tables.

Wedding Stationery - DIY And Save $$$

Image via WikipediaYour wedding invitation is the official announcement that says your getting married so you want it to be something that sets the tone for your wedding and all the other pieces of stationery as well.

Wedding stationery is one area where you can spend a lot of money if you choose to have your invitations printed by a professional stationer.

On the other hand you can save loads of money if you are willing to make your own cards. You don't have to be creative or artistic to get truly professional-looking results. It also gives you the opportunity to add your own personal touch
and stand out from the crowd.


If you're short on imagination then there are loads of websites that
have some great designs and detailed instructions for making DIY wedding stationery.

If you're not up to the challenge of DIY then the internet is a great place to choose wedding stationery at a discount. There's no middleman so you can often get some great deals. You can also get samples sent to you and you can place an order online when you're ready.

When adding up how many invitations you'll need, always order a few extra just in case you may need them. At least get extra envelopes to cover for any mistakes made when writing out the addresses.

List of Wedding Stationery

• Save the Date Cards
• Wedding Invitations
• RSVP Cards
• Thank You Cards
• Order of Service Booklets
• Gift Registery Cards
• Place Cards
• Cake Bags or Boxes
• Menus
• Wine Labels

The other way to save money if you're not making the stationery yourself is to delete items that you don't really need, such as Save the Date cards, RSVP cards Gift Registery cards, Menus and Wine Labels.

When To Buy Your Stationery
You should decide on your stationery about 4-6 months before the wedding and make sure they're ready to be mailed out about 2 months before the wedding. Depending on whether you are inviting overseas guests, invitations are usually mailed out at least 2 months before the wedding. This gives people plenty of time to free up their schedule and for interstate guests to make travel and accommodation plans and get time off work if they need to.

Tips To Save Money On Your Stationery
If you know someone who is good at graphic design then ask them to help you with designing and printing the stationery.

Make sure your invitations are regulation size otherwise you may have to pay for extra postage. Buy standard designed wedding stationery from the internet.

Buy standard blank invitations from a craft store and then dress them up to your own taste. Print out the wording on the computer and then print them out on some good quality paper and cut to size to fit inside the card.

If you're having your stationery printed, double check all the details and the spelling. You don't want to have to pay for them to be done again if there are mistakes.

Go online and find a free wedding template and print out your own invitations.

Here are some more great ideas you can use to create your own invitations.....