Bridal Bouquet Inspiration Board {& a peek at my own…}

September 6, 11 | 7 Comments

Hope those of you here in the US enjoyed your three day weekend and did something fun! We didn’t do much but cleaned house and had a movie marathon. =) Oh! And we also came across Dance Moms on Lifetime and woah- those women are a mess! It just breaks my heart to hear kids say they really don’t like doing something (sports, dance, play an instrument, etc.) but do it for their parents. Uh- huh? When the sport, dance, instrument playing becomes more like a job for a child and is no longer fun- then they shouldn’t be doing it! Okay, I digress…

On to today’s inspiration. Although we’re turning over into the fall and winter months here, there are still many brides out there planning their upcoming beach weddings in other parts of the world. In fact, the “peak season” for many tropical locations is during our North America winter season. Couples and families flock south where it’s still warm. And yes, that might have been a better idea for us too because it would have gotten us out of the cold for a bit. Instead yes, I was that bride who chose to do it smack dab in August and it was a freakin’ scorcher!

But while planning my oceanside event I was undecided for many months about what kind of bouquet or flowers I would have. Did I want something tropical with bright colors? Do something simple and elegant like Cally Lilies? I had no idea where to begin when there were so many options!

See the wedding and photography behind the bouquets via the Credits below!

These three factors were key for me in making my final decision:

1) My Vision- I knew I wanted something simple for the bouquet and our centerpieces. We were going for the modern-vintage vibe too so I had to take that into consideration. So at first I thought of bunching peonies together and wrapping them with simple ribbon or lace. I also LOVED the idea of using Astilbe and had been searching high and low and asking family and friends for it’s name since last fall- because it was unknown to me until recently. Of course I should have known Jacin (from Lovely Little Details) would have the answer. I kicked myself for not sending her pictures while she helped me plan my wedding! Oh well, I was happy with my final choice. =)

2) Location and availability- Okay, then came the harsh reality that although Peonies were my favs, they weren’t in season down in Mexico in August (boo!). So I just had to hit the internet and do a little more research on what was in season. The florist was of course helpful with this too because she could tell me quickly what options I had in Mexico in August and could give me some close alternatives to help me achieve the “look” I was going for.

3) Budget- This was a major factor obviously. After going through my options with the florist, I settled on single stem flower centerpieces (mixed flowers) and bouquets for my girls and I and waited on the quote. I then received an invoice for close to $1,300!!! Ummm yeah, not gonna happen. I know flowers are one of the most expensive details for a wedding, but I was not going to let this pretty detail break my bank so I went with another plan.

So my $250 wedding flower decision came down- Gypsophila! Okay, okay, more commonly known as Baby’s Breath! Haha- if want to make it sound fancy, just use it’s official name. =)

Image: Bubblerock Studios

That is a picture of my bouquet! =) Simple, sweet and classic is what it came down to. We bought about 12 bunches of Baby’s Breath and used it to create five bouquets and table arrangements (more to come on that!) and had plenty left over. All for a whopping $250! One thing I feared was that it would look cheap or like we were cutting corners in this area and yes, although it saved us a ton of money, I can’t be more excited about the way it all turned out. I think my bouquet was absolutely gorgeous (as were my bridesmaids) and I thank Jacin for making them all look so lovely!

What are some important factors you are considering/or did you consider while choosing your own wedding flowers? Was/is it the season? Colors? Budget? Location? Tell me! Tell me!