This is the final From Here to Eternity post, where my colleagues, Anna Wu of Anna Wu Photography and Vera Devera of Va de Vie Events, and I collaborated on an inspiration photo shoot. Check out the sneak peak for some history behind the project, and the “inspiration to creation” post from last week.
We created table scapes on 2 budgets ~ moderate and luxury. Many brides who contact me share beautiful floral arrangements from various wedding sites, blogs or magazines. The cost for that particular look may or may not be within their budget :-O. Our goal was to show how one particular look could be achieved on 2 different budgets.
Flowers are very scalable in terms of cost because so many factors come into play ~ size, types of blooms, seasonal availability of materials and the complexity of design. When I first meet with clients, I ask about the experience they’re trying to create. That experience, or emotion, can be captured by many different looks. I often say I’m in the business of emotion, and just happen to use the medium of flowers. Sometimes it’s difficult for a client to choose just one kind of look, but if we start with a specific experience or feeling, then we can choose the blooms and designs that are best going to capture that.
Centerpiece ~ moderate floral budget:
Comprised of many small arrangements to create an ensemble look. It can work along the length of a long rectangular table, or grouped on a round table. The great thing about this look is that it’s scalable in terms of the number of arrangements, and therefore cost. Here’s the breakdown:
~ Arrangement in frosted vessel: $25 (featuring grevalia, ranunculus, roses and craspedia)
~ Arrangement in light blue vessel: $22 (featuring roses and ranunculus)
~ Arrangement in faceted glass vessel: $10 (featuring Anastasia chrysanthemums and lambs ear)
~ Vintage clock table number setup ~ RENTAL: $12 (featuring tallow berry and preserved roses)
For our photo shoot, we included 3 each of the above arrangements and the vintage clock setup.
Moderate budget table scape
Arrangement in frosted footed vase: $25 (featuring grevalia, ranunculus, roses and craspedia) Arrangement in light blue vessel: $22 (featuring roses and ranunculus)
Arrangement in faceted glass vessel: $10 (featuring Anastasia chrysanthemums and lambs ear)
Vintage clock table number setup ~ RENTAL: $12 (featuring tallow berry and preserved roses)
Centerpiece ~ luxury floral budget:
This look included tall arrangements interspersed between the smaller arrangements. They can be spread out along a rectangular table, or used individually on a round table.
~ Arrangement in glass vessel with colored blue water: $225 (featuring French tulips, eremerus, mokara orchids, genista, roses and ranunculus). Containers are RENTAL items.
~ Vintage clock table number setup ~ RENTAL: $8 (featuring tallow berry and preserved roses)
For our photo shoot, we included 2 of the above arrangements and vintage clock setup, as well as the arrangements from the moderate budget setup.
Luxury table scape
Arrangement in glass vessel with colored blue water: $225 (featuring French tulips, eremerus, mokara orchids, genista, roses and ranunculus). Containers are RENTAL items.
Vintage clock table number setup ~ RENTAL: $8 (featuring tallow berry and preserved roses)
Bridal bouquet
The bridal bouquet is the single most important floral arrangement in a wedding. It should be a true reflection of the bride, and is a focal point during the ceremony. I encourage clients who are on a tight budget to scale back in other areas, like the centerpieces (since there are so many of them), or the altar arrangements.
Bridal bouquet: $225 (featuring grevalia, roses, ranunculus, craspedia, lambs ear, bursilia and tree fern)
For couple’s on a tight budget, a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach may be the way to go. The easiest arrangements to do would be centerpieces, which also tend to be the largest overall cost. And it’s a great way for family and friends to contribute to the wedding! Personal flowers such as bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages can be more difficult since they require some skill, so you might want to hire a floral designer to provide just those.
Your floral designer may also be able to provide design services on an hourly basis for advice on how to choose the right types of flowers and where to source materials. They may even be open to hosting a workshop on creating a sample centerpiece for your wedding.
A DIY wedding can be fun to pull together, especially if you have props or other elements you can prepare way in advance, and that fit in with a theme. The flowers could be just one component of the overall look, and added right before the wedding. This way, you’re not stressing out 2 days before the wedding scrambling to put together 20 centerpieces!
Having a theme is also a great way to personalize your wedding. It can be related to the venue, such as the beachside or a winery, or a shared hobby. A recent client of mine got married at the Chabot Space and Science Center, and their theme was “A Match Made in Heaven” ~ does it get any sweeter than this?
