Raleigh Wedding and Reception Guide

Yes, you can have a beautiful wedding with wonderful flowers -- without breaking the bank!

All you need is a little creativity and these eight tips to help cut your floral costs. Read on!

1. Use balloons with your flowers.
Balloons are decidedly less expensive than flowers and can be used at your reception location to provide an elegant and festive atmosphere. Many balloon artists are now mixing balloons with pretty white lights for evening weddings. These are beautiful!

2. Select flowers that are in season.
This will definitely cut your costs. If you have your heart set on exotic flowers that either out-of-season or hard to get in your region, consider using silk flowers instead.

3. Limit the size of your wedding party.
The math is simple, fewer bridesmaids, groomsmen, and ushers means less money spent on corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres.

4. Use a fewer but larger and more dramatic displays.
The overall cost will likely be less, AND your flowers will get more attention! Be sure to transport the arrangements from the ceremony to the reception location so you can enjoy them the entire day!

5. Use silk flowers.
This is a nice idea if you want to keep your bouquet. If you are creative and willing to learn, you can buy a floral book and make your own wedding flowers with silks! Any craft store will have these readily on hand. If you have plenty of lead time before the wedding, watch for sales at the craft shops. You'll often see sales of up to 50% off seasonal silk flowers.

6. Use greenery and twinkling lights.
Greenery is far less expensive than fresh flowers. If you use live plants, you can keep them for years to come. You can also rent live plants from local nurseries or silk plants from local rental companies.

7. Have your wedding outdoors.
You can save money on floral decorations by using the natural beauty of the outdoors. Some places have pretty gardens or nice atriums for your ceremony. Parks are also a nice choice!

8. Opt for less expensive flowers.
Rather than exotic and expensive buds, opt for less expensive flowers, like carnations, for your cake table, gift table, and other decorative arrangement. You can still use the more expensive flowers in your bouquet and save a lot of money at the same time!