Wedding flowers can easily eat up a large part of your budget. But modern brides are working on smaller budgets and flowers are an easy element to cut back on. One way to save big on wedding day flowers is to go fake. There are a number of paper or silk flower options that will look gorgeous at your wedding and will last long past your big day. But if you’d like to stick to the tradition of using real, seasonal flowers at your wedding there are other ways you can cut back.

this color combination is gorgeous

Focus the majority of your flower budget on the bridal party bouquets. They are a centerpiece of your ceremony and wedding photos so they are worth the extra splurge. Cut back on your reception table flowers. There are so many options for taking some of the budget off your arrangements without taking away any of the focus. Use non-traditional elements in your bouquets. Rather than all lilies or roses, incorporate some unique flowers from the shop. And don’t worry about every bouquet matching; allow each table to have its own look. If you’d like to stick with traditional wedding flowers put add a modern twist by using interesting vases or just placing a small cluster of flowers in a few spots, which will be much less expensive than one large centerpiece.

got bright and bold or subtle and traditional with small bouquets

Flower arrangements for a wedding can pricey pretty quickly. While I am a huge fan of real flower arrangements for weddings, paper flowers are a cheaper, equally as pretty alternative for brides on a budget. Paper flowers add a shabby chic touch to reception tables or guests’ drink glasses. Be your own florists – but don’t just arrange your flowers, make them!

paper magnolias

It may be slightly time consuming and usually a little more difficult than Martha leads on, but these DIY paper flowers are a gorgeous detail. Since you make the flowers yourself, you can easily customize these flowers to your wedding color palette. Also, these flowers have no shelf life so feel free to make them far in advance so it’s one less detail you need to worry about near your big day.

paper swizzle sticks

And don’t forget to save a bouquet! Put it on display in your home for a constant reminder of your amazing wedding day.

A black and white affair is classic - but that doesn’t mean you can’t add fun touches here and there to make this timeless color palette modern. Keep your black and white theme dominant in your major components but add bits of color in the details such as on your cake, wedding reception tables or flowers. Here is this week’s black and white wedding inspiration board.

Also, I love these white flowers with black centers. Those reception tables look amazing, showing you can strictly follow your black and white theme and still look modern, fun and stylish!

I don’t know where the term ‘shabby chic’ came from but I am constantly drawn to the images that fall into this category. It’s an unrefined elegance - a combination of natural, seamlessly-careless pieces put together to make for some stunningly beautiful pictures. And it usually has a very subtle touch of country. So this week I am planning the ultimate shabby chic wedding, an easy wedding theme for those couple looking for fabulous presentation on a limited budget.

Here are a few images that would make perfect details at a shabby chic wedding, so you know what we’re looking for this week.

soft, untraditional flower bouquets

the perfect guest book signing table

a pop of hot pink is always necessary