Planning flowers for a quick wedding ceremony

This is a guest post by Brittany West.

A bouquet may or may not be necessary for an elopement. From my point of view, that is the case 100% of the time! When planning a micro wedding or your simply eloped function, your bouquet is often the only piece of decor you need to worry about. In addition to helping you look your best on your big day, it can also serve as a meaningful symbol for loved ones who could not be there in person.

It is a different story if you are celebrating your wedding in Chicago. There would be so many elements and services, such as transportation, decor, and music that you should consider and a Chicago Wedding photographer is only one of them.

This post is for you if you’d rather elope your wedding without so many things to give thought to.

Elopement flowers and decorations, however, need not be over the top. We’ve made it easier than ever to decorate with flowers without breaking the bank. My advice is to ensure that the fundamentals are in place first, and then, if time and money permit, add in some flourishes. Read this article for helpful advice on how to arrange flowers for an intimate wedding ceremony.

FLOWER ARRANGES FOR A CELEBRATION

Flowers for a ceremony can be decorated in countless ways. There are a few things you need to figure out before you go down the Pinterest and Instagram rabbit hole collecting ideas:

REGULATIONS: Learn the rules of the venue before the big day. Many popular ceremony locations, such as those found in national parks, state parks, and US Forest Service lands, have rules against staking or setting up floral arrangements because protecting the surrounding environment is a top priority. No decorations are permitted at the ceremony site in Rocky Mountain National Park. The US Forest Service prohibits staking or nailing anything to the ground at another popular lookout spot.

Learn how much time you’ll have before the ceremony to prepare. The small Colorado wedding venues may only allow a total of two or three hours for the ceremony and reception. That leaves enough time for preparations, the ceremony, photos afterward, and the eventual breakdown. Therefore, the species must be pre-assembled with minimal on-site assembly required if you want them to serve as ceremony decor. The weather is something you should be well-versed in. If you go to a lookout in Colorado, for instance, you may find that the wind is blowing strongly. This is not good news for anything precariously perched atop a pedestal. And unless it’s absolutely necessary, you should hold off on scattering petals down the aisle.

COST: 

The more elaborate arches and larger flower varieties can set you back a thousand dollars or more. Favorite Pinterest floral-covered arches can easily cost $2,000 or more to rent, what with requiring a florist to drive to the site in their floral van.

The first option is to use small accent pieces to decorate ceremony chairs or to line the ends of benches with ground arrangements that can be easily moved to the restaurant and used as centerpieces there as well. If you’re set on using an arch, make sure it’s well-weighted at the bottom to prevent it from toppling over, and then add a couple of smaller accent pieces that can be pre-arranged and zip-tied to the arch. If you are planning to elope you just take the elopement packages which are available in markets.

Though we think they look best when complemented by fresh flowers, you can also include non-floral elements such as rugs to stand on during the ceremony or lanterns (no open flames, please use fake candles).

If you are interested in an Elopement wedding, Brittany West is a great artist, but if you prefer to have a classic wedding and celebrate with your friends and family, take advantage of my Free consultation session.