So let me start off by saying I hate the word “inexpensive”. It implies cheap and I am definitely not taking cheap when it comes to dried flowers. I am, however, talking about a more cost effective wedding flower option. Most people want the vibrant colors of fresh flowers, however, they can’t wrap their head around spending thousands of dollars on flowers that just die the next day or, in some cases, wilt the day of. I know I just couldn’t entertain that thought for my wedding, thus my ever growing passion for dried wedding flowers.

As every bride knows, their wedding budget somehow seems to just keep shrinking and shrinking until before long it’s non-existent, leaving them scrounging up spare money for those little-forgotten details. Flowers are often times the last thought because most brides want to pick out the big essentials, in their minds, like their wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses, venue, color scheme, etc. In a bride’s mind, all of these things take precedence because they really shape the theme of their wedding. Sadly, they don’t realize the important role flowers play and by the time they do, their budget is practically non-existent. They are then faced with the shocking reality that they now have to dig into their pocket for a “spare” few thousand dollars. Now they have the decision to make. Honeymoon or flowers… Hmmm… Which one to pick… a tropical vacation, cocktails on the beach or flowers that sadly don’t last… Need I say what wins! After a bride finds herself with a teeny tiny flower budget, she is left with few options. Silk flowers or DIY fresh flowers, both being a valiant attempt to save some money! But, what if I told you there was a third option that almost nobody knows about. Read on and I will enlighten you.

DIY flowers are a nice thought, but when you factor in the fact that these blooms will have to be assembled and refrigerated right before your wedding, suddenly it becomes clear that this is not so appealing after all. If you don’t listen to anything I say, hear this… don’t do it! It’s not worth the stress and you may not have the time. First off, who wants to run around on their wedding day fiddling with flowers? Sure, you can assign that task to someone else, but are you really going to be able to relinquish control over the end product? Yes, I’m talking to you, the control freak bride that want everything perfect! I didn’t think so! No judgment here, though that was totally me too!  On top of being forced to relinquish control, you have to have a lot, and I mean a lot, of fridge space! That’s right, all of those beautiful fresh wedding flowers will need to be refrigerated and let’s face it, who has that kind of fridge space? Definitely not me! The next problem with attempting to DIY your wedding flowers is that you are not a professional florist and what happens if you picked the wrong type of flowers for your climate or season? Or you just don’t have the technical skill to get those little guys arranged just right? Now this is not to say that there aren’t some nifty people out there who can pull this off beautifully, but for the rest of us, I’d recommend checking out “Pinterest Fails”! Need I say more!

Then there’s the lovely silk option. I opted for this for my nuptials because they can be assembled in advance, don’t need to be refrigerated and are much cheaper… Or so I thought! My personal regret with silk flowers was first and foremost, the cost! Good quality silk flowers are expensive as heck and I found myself not really getting much of savings. Secondly, when photographed they do have a sheen that can show up in the photos. So you may not only spend a pretty penny on the “good quality” silk flowers, but you will also run the risk of them looking tacky in your wedding photos. Who wants to spend thousands of dollars on a photographer to only end up with lackluster wedding photos thanks to your sheeny flowers? I’m guessing not you! And my final point, silk flowers do have a stigma of being cheap and cheesy. Now I’m not saying that it’s justified because lord knows when done right, they aren’t, but sadly it’s there. I remember people touching my bouquet or my centerpieces and the faces they would make! “Oh, these are silk?”, they’d say. Trust me when I say, this was not said with love or admiration. Now again, I’ve seen some drop dead gorgeous silk bouquets that have more of a real touch feel, but as I mentioned earlier they can be just expensive as fresh flowers and I’m talking about a more cost-effective option here.

Now enter preserved flowers and dried flowers! Beautiful, more cost-effective, won’t die, no fuss no muss dried flowers! In my opinion, this is the best of both worlds! There are so many benefits, where to begin… First, they don’t die! So no wasted money or time here! Plus you can save them as a keepsake from your wedding day. Second, they are not any more fragile than fresh flowers are. Now most people think dried flowers are brittle, crunchy, and super delicate. Not really true. I won’t lie to you and say they are indestructible, however, they are not any more fragile than fresh flowers. Third, they are real flowers and not an impostor like silk flowers are. You don’t have to worry about the hefty price tag and definitely not the negative stigma associated with silk flowers. No embarrassment when you tell people these are dried blooms! In fact, you will dazzle them with how smart you were to find this unique idea! Fourth, dried and preserved flowers absolutely do have vibrant colors and are not brown. Some flowers are dried and others are naturally dried, but in any case, they retain their color. I would especially direct people to the preserved roses! They are breathtaking and come in almost every color!