Flowers
WHICH FLOWER ROUTE TO TAKE FOR A BUDGET WEDDING?
My mom took on flower duty, but I don't think she knows how expensive they can get for a wedding;I only have a slight idea and it's not within budget. So! I found a site called Afloral for silk flowers, and we'd use Michael's for the rest? Will a florist make my flower arrangements with silk flowers and a couple of choice real flower arrangements?
Re: WHICH FLOWER ROUTE TO TAKE FOR A BUDGET WEDDING?
How many flowers are you looking at having? I'd cut everything besides bouquets, bouts, and corsages. If you're going to do it yourselves, arranging flowers is a lot of work, even with silk. You don't need floral centerpieces, aisle decorations, etc.
You can get inexpensive fake petals at Michael's in a bunch of different colors (get a mobile coupon by googling "Michael's coupon").
As far as bouquets and boutonnieres, I would not try to coordinate getting silk flowers from multiple sources and then trying to find someone to assemble them. So much work. Just tell the florist what your budget is and how much of each thing you want and ask them what they can do.
Why silk flowers? Is it just to save money, or is that what you really want?
Try Sam's Club, Costco, or your local grocery stores. They often have floral departments. Go simple. A ribbon tied around a small bunch of long stemmed flowers (tulips, jonquils, carnations) can make a lovely bouquet for your bridesmaids. My sister had her attendants each carrying a single, long stemmed rose. Daughter had her attendants carry one single hydrangea bloom. (Not a good warm weather flower, as they wilt quickly.)
Years ago, the florist I used was very sympathetic, and used inexpensive flowers, carnations, daisies, and baby's breath, to make beautiful bouquets.
There are many ways to stay on budget and still use real flowers.
One thing is to pick one inexpensive flower one colour, and go for volume. For example, carnations are very economical, come in a range of colours, and look great in large round bold bouquets.
I did use artificial flowers but my florist specialized in artificial and had many distributers to select from. I also got to see my bouquet/bouts/corsages as they were bring made and provide feedback. Everyone was very surprised that my bouquet was made of artificial flowers. It didn't save me any money but I really wanted to keep the flowers as a memory. Try calling up several florists to ask if they work with artificial and if you can see some samples.
DIY doesn't mean cheaper. Have you done bouquets and arrangements before? If not, a wedding isn't the best time to be trying things out. If you are a bouquet and arrangement guru, try pinterest for ideas. Most florists can work within a budget. If you say, I have $ money to spend and I need x bouquets/bouts/corsages and table arrangements, they will likely be able to help. They will work with in season items and know how to make arrangements.