Frugal Wedding Flowers

This is part two of my six-part series on saving money while planning a wedding.

One of the most enduring symbols of a wedding is the bridal bouquet. It is a focal point during the ceremony, when the bride traditionally bears it down the aisle, and again during the reception when it is tossed to a clamoring crowd of single ladies hoping to catch the fragrant prize. The flowers worn or carried by the groom and wedding attendants often match or complement the bouquet; the same goes for other decorative flowers and plants used as centerpieces. The price tag for all of these blooms can add up significantly; according to The Knot, couples spent an average of nearly $2,400 on flowers alone in 2017. I think you can keep a lot of that money in your pocket and still have beautiful wedding flowers! This is NOT a sponsored post, but I will be name-dropping some brands below.

Here are some options for more affordable wedding blossoms:

Big Box Stores

I must admit, I am biased toward this option since that is what I went with for my own wedding in 2019. I personally opted for a calla lily package from Costco that included a bridal bouquet, a throwing bouquet, three boutonnieres, three corsages, and three bridesmaids bouquets all for the low price of $200. You could easily pay that much for just the bridal bouquet, or you could enjoy dozens of gorgeous flowers shipped right to your door, wrapped carefully in a special box for transport. Costco also offers a mixed roses and calla lilies package as of 2019, which one of my friends chose for $450. Other big box stores offer similar floral packages at similar prices, but I can vouch for Costco personally. You can net some additional savings by purchasing loose flowers from a big box store and arranging them yourself, or enlisting helpful friends and family.

It may be worth noting that the big box stores differ from location to location in terms of floral options. If you order online for home delivery, you will get just what you ordered on the website and the order will be fulfilled by a third party contractor. If you go to the store, you will be speaking to the floral manager (if there is one) or they may refer you to another contractor.


My bridal bouquet, courtesy of Costco, the frugal wedding ally.
Photo credit: Simply Sweet Snapshots


Grocery Store Flowers

Local, regional, and national grocery chains all offer flowers at reasonable prices and in customizable arrangements. For example, Trader Joe's offers fresh flowers that are sourced locally, which may jive with your twin goals of both thriftiness and ethical sourcing. I personally contacted Big Y, which is a Northeastern grocery chain with individual franchisees, and they offered a wide array of flower styles and colors. These stores also source locally (you will need to speak with a floral manager to make your sourcing and design decisions if you go this route) and create the arrangements right in store.


Artificial Flowers

When I started to consider budget-friendly alternatives to extensive wedding flower arrangements, I really thought there would be more resistance to using artificial flowers. Surprisingly, everyone I asked, from fellow frugal brides to traditional family members, seemed to think it was perfectly reasonable to use silk or plastic flowers in place of live ones. My best friend actually used her mom's artificial bouquet as her bridal bouquet. She added additional flowers and ribbon from the craft store to update the vintage bouquet, and created a new bouquet. The flowers looked great in person, in photos, and now they make beautiful keepsakes of her special day. She also fulfilled the bridal traditions of "something borrowed," "something old," and "something blue" all in one!

My best friend's beautiful heirloom bouquet.
Photo Credit: CT Photo Group

Some companies such as Afloral specialize in creating particularly lifelike artificial flowers. Some of these flowers are advertised as feeling like real flowers, which does sound amazing! I decided not to go with these due to their price. They looked gorgeous on the website but I did not want to spend $3-$12 per flower and then need to arrange the bouquets and boutonnieres myself. If you would like realistic flowers as a keepsake, they may be an option for you.

Sola wood flowers also appear to be growing in popularity. These flowers made of thin pieces of lightweight wood are another option for permanent keepsakes in a wide array of colors and styles. Again, I cannot vouch for this style personally, but I wanted to bring it to the attention of fellow frugal spouses-to-be.








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