Weddings are expensive. Plain and simple.

The dress, the venue, the rings, the church, the favors, and well, even the flowers add up to a big cost.

Flowers are, though, can be arguably the most beautiful part of any wedding. They can bring out an accent to any color scheme the bride and groom desire, naturally, and their symbolism is something that can’t be transformed into any monetary amount.   

Suggestions have been made that flowers can cost as much as 10 percent of the entire wedding budget, or even more. These are based on how many flowers one orders, what kind of flowers are ordered, and how much preparation a florist takes to prepare the flowers for the wedding, which includes the bouquet, boutonnieres, corsages and flowers for the reception.

To figure out how much you think floral for a wedding would cost, simply break down how much each specific wedding flower will cost.

The bouquet ($75-300), bridesmaid’ bouquets ($30-75 each), corsages and boutonnieres ($10-30 each), the pew flowers ($25-50 each), centerpieces ($30-50 each), flower girl bouquet or petals ($20-40) and even random things like flowers for the cake, flowers situated in the altar, sometimes the bride and bridesmaids have flowers in their hair and other accents situated around the reception and wedding facility.  

These costs add up. They could be as little as $500 or as much as $5,000. Whatever your wedding budget is, though, there is a solution for the flowers involved.

No matter how much you spend on flowers for your wedding, Buffalo Wedding Florist and Plant Place can cater to any envision one has, from simple to extraordinary.

When it comes to giving your guests a gift to show your gratitude, there is an innumerable amount of options and ideas. Many of them are bland, and let’s be honest, no one really wants another small plastic tub of bubbles (well, maybe some of us do).

So what can you give your closest friends and family to show them just how much it means to you that they helped celebrated the most important day of your life? What could be better than something to watch grow and love? No, we aren’t talking about puppies or kittens, we don’t expect you have an unlimited budget – give them the gift of plantlife! Plants become wonderful decorations and boost morale whether in the office or at home.

The Knot and MarthaStewartWeddings.com give us fantastic ideas to integrate our green, living friends into your wedding favor plans. Take a look at these five fantastic ideas and steal one, or let them spark your own creative green thumb!

Image Courtesy of: www.marthastewartweddings.com

1.) Plant the Seed of Love – Purchase packets of your favorite flowers’ seeds. On the outside of each packet, attach a personal note, your vows, lyrics… anything that makes the gift personalized and meaningful. Make it extra special and put the seeds into tins like the ones above.

2.) Potted Herbs – Small clay pots with planted herbs such as basil or lavender make a cute, useful gift, but can also double as a placeholder if you place the name cards inside. Two for one!

3.) Mini Bamboo Plants – Not only do they last forever, they are extremely decorative and very low-maintenance! The small decorative pots are typically see-through can be filled with pretty rocks, seashells or glass. To top it off, they’re lucky! Who couldn’t use a little extra luck?

  4.) Centerpiece to Share – By investing in lush, beautiful floral centerpieces, you’re also taking care of your wedding favors. At each place setting, leave waterproof bags in which guests can place flowers to take home with them. Custom print each bag with your names and wedding date so they remember all that bloomed that day!

 5.) Individual Bouquets – Give guests their own personal bouquets that match your wedding color scheme! This will lighten up each table and give each guest something beautiful to take home. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

One thing is for sure, you can never go wrong with flowers. Whether your guests are men or women, these planted pleasures are sure to be a crowd pleaser. Your guests will thank you for your thoughtful creativity and for the green, leafy addition coming home with them!

You will never go wrong with giving flowers as a holiday gift. Whether it’s coming over early to give your parents a wonderful bouquet of flowers, or showing up at the host of your family’s Christmas party with a flower or fruit basket, flowers will always be accepted and welcomed.

Think about it. How many times have you given a gift (clothing) that had to be returned? Probably too many times.

You know how many times you’ve given the gift of flowers that had to be returned? Probably never. Flowers are a great gift to give for any occasion, but sometimes people overlook the holidays as giving flowers as a gift. Don’t do it this year.

Check out some of the Christmas flower selection at our friends at Plant Place and Flower Basket and have a unique gift that your receiver will enjoy. This can include Poinsettias, red and white roses, white alstroemerias and even some Christmas cacti. Remember the vases too the flowers come in, these can be used time and time again to host other flowers throughout the year.

A great gift for a party that everyone can enjoy is a fruit basket.

Called the Ultimate Christmas Basket, it comes with fresh fruit – apples, pears, bananas, oranges – chocolate and cookies, cheeses , sausages and much more. With a sturdy wicker basket, it’s a long-lasting gift and a true party-pleaser.

Keep flowers and fruit baskets these in mind as your running through your Christmas list and say “What am I going to get them for Christmas?” Remember, you’ll never go wrong with flowers.

To many of us, the words “winter” and “flowers” just don’t mix. We equate winter with harsh cold temperatures that do not facilitate plant life well. When it comes to wedding bouquets, the mind often wanders to lush and vivid springtime flowers, which are so desirable.

Yes, it’s true; winter weddings are often overlooked, but the truth is, they can be truly magical! The flowers unique to the season give potential winter brides-to-be a wonderful selection of whimsical floral collaborations. Take a look at these stunning winter wedding flowers that will undoubtedly give you a new perspective on taking your vows in a winter wonderland.