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Original poster

I don't think flowers are important at a wedding, are they?

96 replies

BatShitBuns · 05/07/2018 17:57

We are getting married in January on a mid-range budget.

I am not fussed about flowers. I cannot think of a single wedding I've been to where I've remembered the flowers.

Everyone else I speak to says the flowers are really important and you need to allocate 10% of your budget for them - 10%!!!!! Can that be true???

OP posts:
Original poster
BatShitBuns · 05/07/2018 21:05

Can people really tell the difference between supermarket and professional flowers? I wouldn't have a clue. A flower is a flower.

OP posts:
susurration · 05/07/2018 21:18

I recently attended a wedding where there were no flowers at all. Apart from initially thinking the bride had forgotten her bouquet, we otherwise didn't notice. It was a lovely day and didn't take away from the niceness of the venue.

We had silk flowers instead of real ones for hayfever purposes. Cost almost as much as real flowers, but we still have them as a keepsake.

susurration · 05/07/2018 21:19

Also, the baby's breath thing is fine. My cousin had only that for centre pieces and bridesmaid's bouquets and in their hair too. She carried a brooch bouquet. It was lovely. She got married new year's eve.

OverByYer · 05/07/2018 21:20

I love flowers and they were important to me for my wedding, but it’s your wedding your choice.

Shockers · 05/07/2018 22:09

My wedding was so cheap. Our reception was in our garden- with (cleaned!) oil drums cut in halves laid end to end as barbecues; a tiered pavlova (made by a lovely friend) as a wedding cake and live music, both in church and in the garden, by friends (DH is a musician).

The flowers were probably a quarter of our budget (I was working part time at a local florists, so they were at cost). Simple wedding made beautiful by blooms. I loved them.

buzz91 · 05/07/2018 22:13

I carried a “bouquet” of fake ones I brought from the works for a few quid, means I’ve got them forever which I like. We had books as centrepieces for the tables

Sunrise888 · 05/07/2018 22:26

I had a moderate sized bouquet, buttonholes and very small, simple "wild" table flowers in rustic vases i.e. jam jars. If the venue is lovely then you don't need flowers to accentuate it. I think they are a bit of a waste tbh, though I loved my bouquet and took it on honeymoon with me!

I did try, for the table flowers, to buy some Tesco bouquets and arrange them in jam jars, but it looked pretty rubbish. Give the job to someone who knows what they are doing, otherwise you can buy tiny vases from the florists for just a few pounds each.

happymummy12345 · 06/07/2018 01:36

I think bouquets, buttonholes, corsages and carnations for all other guests are worth spending money on. But I don't see the need for all the extra flowers some people have.
A beautiful bouquet will be remembered:

stressedoutpa · 06/07/2018 07:49

Can people really tell the difference between supermarket and professional flowers? I wouldn't have a clue. A flower is a flower.

Confused

Have you ever visited a decent florist? I'm not sure you'd be able to recreate some of these flowers with a few bunches from Tesco.

You clearly don't 'get' flowers so I wouldn't bother if I were you.

greendale17 · 06/07/2018 08:27

Can people really tell the difference between supermarket and professional flowers? I wouldn't have a clue. A flower is a flower.

^Are you really that clueless?

merlotmummy14 · 06/07/2018 09:11

I'm getting lots of little succulents and cacti for the tables and then will tell people they are welcome to take them home as wedding favours - I hate seeing flowers wilt and then seeing them thrown in the trash at the end of the night.

Eeeeek2 · 06/07/2018 09:24

My friend bought supermarket flowers and her gran and her friend made bouquets, looked lovely

I bought bouquets and buttonholes and flowers by the stem from a florist, picked them up the day before and had single stem vases from ikea and arranged (plonked them in) down the tables. Also had large vases on top table and the bouquets became table decs.

There are lots of things people will say are important to a wedding, absolutely nothing apart from 2 people getting married is. Choose what you want to spend your budget on. For me I wanted a lovely dress and bridesmaids dresses and a good self done buffet and a hog roast. Not important to me was wedding cake or a posh car!

letsallhaveanap · 06/07/2018 09:29

They are important if YOU like them!!
I had a 'tight budget' late afternoon wedding in the woods and I spent a lot more than 10% of the budget on flowers simply because I love flowers and that was what I wanted... loads of flowers and loads of bubbly and a giant cake! Thats what I wanted at my wedding!

So no, if you dont really care for flowers just get a load of bunches of roses from Asda and put them around the place rustic style in jam jars or whatever... or even dont have any at all

slowrun · 06/07/2018 09:33

I had bouquets for my bridesmaid and me plus buttonholes. No flowers at venue. Didn't look bare to me. There were plenty of glasses and water jugs etc on the tables for them not to look empty.

KatieMarieJ · 06/07/2018 09:39

I did all mine (bouquet/cake/button holes) including florist knife, feed, twine, button hole and corsage holders, and flower refresher/shiner stuff for sub £100 from an online wholesaler. The bouquet was in a deep purple cala lily which the florist local to me wanted an extra £100 for on top of the £200 she quoted for a white bouquet. Oh and not as many stems.

I'll allow it was dead easy to do my bouquet because I knew what I wanted and how simple, but my point is that I don't think you need to blow the budget on flowers. In fact even just some store bought roses could make for a simple bouquet tied with ribbon or twine.

Original poster
BatShitBuns · 06/07/2018 13:16

Yes, I'm afraid I genuinely don't see the difference between those and the bunches you buy in Sainsbury's.

Sorry for being a pleb, stressedout and green.

I LOVE the idea of succulents/cacti!!!

For me I wanted a lovely dress and bridesmaids dresses and a good self done buffet and a hog roast.

Yes sounds like me. Except I'm not fussed on the bridesmaid's dresses, I'm letting them wear whatever they want.

I DO want a lovely wedding cake as we are having it as our dessert. That's more important to me than flowers. I always remember when the wedding cake doesn't taste nice.

OP posts:
sashh · 06/07/2018 14:23

I was given a bunch of wooden red roses once, they had been on the tables at a wedding.

No you don't need flowers.

Yes you can have artificial ones if you want.

You can have candles,fairly lights in jam jars, chunks of driftwood - it's your wedding.

stressedoutpa · 06/07/2018 16:15

Yes, I'm afraid I genuinely don't see the difference between those and the bunches you buy in Sainsbury's.

Well, if you buy them in Sainsburys and arrange them yourself I can guarantee it won't look like that. A lot of those flowers aren't available in the supermarket and the quality is different. In the same way, you wouldn't go to Nando's (pile it high/sell it cheap) and expect to eat a meal by Tom Kerridge.

stressedoutpa · 06/07/2018 16:17

DIY flowers Wink

Original poster
BatShitBuns · 06/07/2018 16:29

Love Nando's

The worst thing about that picture is the naff chair covers!!!!

OP posts:
stressedoutpa · 06/07/2018 16:58

Ha ha! Don't DIY your flowers. You might think they're okay but the ones in that photo are pretty awful.

isambardo · 06/07/2018 17:05

We had a low key wedding. Mil went to the supermarket in the morning, bought up all their roses and we had beautiful vases of roses everywhere, it was lovely.
I’m very into gardening and plants so flowers are important to me, and it was perfect. Also made it seasonal with big bowls of apples and blackberries picked from the garden. Just have it how you want it op.

Original poster
BatShitBuns · 06/07/2018 17:07

Pretty hard to mess up bouquets of gypsophilia though

I'm really liking the catcus idea, I'm going to put those on the tables.

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HyacinthsBucket70 · 06/07/2018 20:33

I used to work in a florists (my mums business). I can't tell you how many rescue missions we had to attempt when well meaning family and friends had decorated venues and chuches or the bride had tried DIY.... I can't understand how people are prepared to spend ££££s on venues, dresses, table favours, chair covers, stag and hen do's and then go to supermarkets to get their flowers.

And just beware OP, gypsophila can stink of rotting fish. It may look delicate and pretty, but it doesn't always smell it.

Original poster
BatShitBuns · 06/07/2018 20:56

I can't understand how people are prepared to spend ££££s on venues, dresses, table favours, chair covers, stag and hen do's and then go to supermarkets to get their flowers.

We aren't! Cheap venue (but nice, we got a good deal because it's off season), dress is ovely but it's off the peg so it's not a fortune, I'm not doing favours, I hate chair covers, I'm not having a hen do!

I'm thinking of dried flowers actually, a friend of mine had them last year and they looked lovely. And didn't smell!

OP posts: