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Tips for Cutting Your Wedding Flower Bill

Doesn't every bride want the most beautiful wedding imaginable? Doesn't every bride want a unique affair tailored to the tastes of her and her groom? Doesn't every bride want to spend zillions of dollars on her wedding? The answer to the last question is a definite NO!

While there are many easy ways to cut the budget for the reception, chicken instead of veal, house brand liquor instead of top shelf, it is much tougher to know where the flower budget can be trimmed. I attribute this to the fact that choosing flowers is probably the most difficult decision brides have to make during the wedding planing process.

For most, flowers are a completely foreign aspect of the wedding planning process. Brides may see pretty pink or lavender flowers in a garden or gaze at a gorgeous display on a restaurant's hostess station, but have no idea what the flowers are called, what their life span is, how well they would hold up in the summer heat out of water, how much they cost or if they are available year round. They know what colors they like or a style they like, but most have a very difficult time choosing the exact flowers.

My first piece of advice is to find a florist or wedding flower specialist who knows their stuff. The last thing you want is someone who is uneducated. Make sure the person has your best interests in mind. Make sure they will suggest flower options for you that will save you money and not pad their pockets. Make sure they know up front that you want gorgeous arrangements but not outrageously priced flowers.

Before you attend your consultation appointment, know what you like. Look in magazines or look at online wedding sites. Know what kind of style you like and what color scheme. You can be flexible on the exact flowers, but know the over-all look you are going for. Bring those pictures to your appointment.

Choose a style for the bouquets. Hand-tied styles are extremely compact and require many blooms to make sufficient bouquets. If you like this style, natural looking with the actual stems of the flowers being your handle, start with a few large flowers. A good base is three or four peonies. All you need to do is add a few roses then filler flowers and greenery around them. Bridesmaids bouquets can be a smaller version or even just the peonies alone.

Another style option is a bouquet in a holder. I know you all have seen the cheesy plastic handled bouquets. They may not be the best looking, but there is so much that

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