Budget blooms for a beautiful wedding

Every bride wants her wedding to be a beautiful memory,” said Clee Miller, head floral designer at Skillings Greenhouse in Brunswick. “And flowers have always formed a central part of that memory.”

However, with budgets tight everywhere, few families can afford to lavish big bucks on bridal blooms.

“Flowers for the average wedding and reception can run over $500,” Miller observed — a price tag that would take most newlyweds’ breath away.

However, Miller said, wedding flowers can be just as memorable without the big price tag. She offers the following tips:

Midsummer matrimony. “There is still a mystique about a June bride,” said Miller, “but in Maine, where flowers are concerned, it really isn’t the best month. A June bride up here is pretty well committed to store-bought flowers or to using tulips and daffodils. Roses — the traditional wedding flower — don’t really get going here until early July. Midsummer is really the best time for flowers in Maine.”

A July or August bride, said Miller, can cut costs dramatically by using flowers donated by a family member or friend with a garden, or by using wildflowers. “I have seen Queen Anne’s Lace, black-eyed susans, lupines and even goldenrod work beautifully in a summer wedding.” (Goldenrod, she points out, is no more of an allergen than any other flower when it first blooms.)

If none of the family or friends of the bride or bridegroom want to take on the task of arranging the flowers, a free-lance designer can easily be found through the local church or garden club providing a substantial savings, Miller suggested.

Keep it simple. “Simplicity really is the essence of elegance,” Miller asserts. “You don’t need a big bunch of flowers to make a lovely statement. In one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever seen, the bride carried just two stems of big pink stargazer lilies tied with a white ribbon.” A single rose in a cloud of baby’s breath with fern and satin ribbon for accents has a delicate beauty for the bouquets of bridesmaids or even brides. Given the same treatment, carnations — at about one-fourth the cost of roses — work almost as well as the more traditional roses. Such simple bouquets are much easier to create at home than are more elaborate arrangements, Miller noted.

Keep to a budget. “Decide what you want to spend and be firm about it,” said Miller. “There are so many different varieties of less expensive flowers that it should be possible to create a beautiful wedding for almost any budget. A good florist’s concern will be to make the bride happy — and that means respecting her budget as well as helping her achieve her goals.”

Bride’s bouquet comes first. “The most important single element of any wedding (in terms of flowers) is, by far, the bride’s bouquet,” Miller observed. “When figuring costs for wedding flowers, this should be a top priority. It is one of the things the bride — and everyone else — will remember most clearly about the ceremony.”

Color. “Use of color can dramatically emphasize wedding flowers without adding cost,” said Miller. “Just the right color statement made by “economy flowers” can be more effective than the most costly blooms.” A special tip — plain white daisies or carnations can be sprayed with special floral tints to achieve just the right, unique shade of lavender, coral, etc. needed to make a bridal ensemble “bloom.”

Accessorize. Simple bouquets can be given more “glamor” with the use of fancy ribbon, a dramatic accent of dark green fern, or the delicate touch of baby’s breath or lace, said Miller. “Another idea is to nestle sprigs of scented herbs, such as lemon verbena in among the flowers for a unique “sensory effect.” For a meaningful departure from tradition, the bride can carry a white Bible decorated with flowers in place of a bouquet.”

Tie the knot after eight. “By candlelight, even the simplest flowers and gowns have a romantic glow,” said Miller. For a memorable wedding procession, bridesmaids can carry candles in small hurricane lanterns decorated at the bases with a garland of flowers and a cascade of ivy.

Think small. “A small wedding party with a limited number of bridesmaids to dress is desirable for everyone’s budget,” advised Miller. The setting can be scaled down too. “Many brides are appalled by how dwarfed even the biggest alter arrangement looks once it’s set up in a big church or hall. There are so many charming little country churches available for weddings that will give the ceremony an intimate feeling while making the most of modest floral decorations.”

Think green. Instead of using large and costly ($50 and up) floral arrangements, large potted plants (at $20 or $30) can be used to decorate the church or hall. “After the wedding, potted geranimums, shrubs or palms can be transferred to the couple’s home for interior and exterior landscaping,” said Miller. Plants also can be rented for as little as $2 per day. (“Plan to pick them up yourself as delivery can cost more than the rental!” Miller warns.) Cedar garlands accented by big bows are an attractive, inexpensive alternative to multiple flower arrangements at the church or hall. But where flowers are concerned, “Gladiolas are a good choice,” said Miller. “A few tall stalks — for as little as $1 each — go a long way.”

Reception tip. A single flowering house plant at each table with colored foil wrapped around its pot, said Miller, is very pretty and costs only $2 or $3 each as opposed to a bud vase at $5 or more or small centerpieces at $10 to $20.

“It saves costs and hassle to have the ceremony and reception in the same building,” said Miller. “There is no traveling for the guests and plants and flowers can be quietly transferred to the party area while your guests are in the receiving line.”

Boutonnieres and corsages. “A sprig of richly colored statice, a single carnation or a twist of ivy with baby’s breath is elegant and economical for the men. Satin bows and fern can flatter blooms of chrysanthemum, carnation and other inexpensive flowers for the ladies.”

Cheryl Seal of Dover-Foxcroft is a free-lance