Planning Tools, Ideas, & Advice
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For Wedding Pros
I get a lot of questions about how I used dried flowers in my wedding so I thought I would create a more in depth review about my experience using dried flowers, along with additional ideas for incorporating them into your wedding, when and where to order them, and some of my top recommendations (including a link to my flowers) for bouquets, centerpieces, confetti, and more!
I won’t make you wait for my opinion on going this route. I would definitely recommend this route for an easy solution if you plan on using flowers. Whether you’re planning a small wedding on a budget or you’re looking for a simple way to incorporate this into your decor, dried flowers are the way to go.
You might be wondering if dried flowers are trendy. When you think of dried florals you might have visions of dusty, drab arrangements collecting dust on your grandma’s house. But dried flowers have come a long way and now they’re an affordable, convenient way to add beauty to your small wedding, even coming in a variety of bright colors. Here are some of the benefits of choosing dried flowers for your wedding.
In most cases, dried flowers will be cheaper. The average wedding bouquet costs $250 and you can get a great dried flower bouquet for about half that and potentially even less if you buy bulk flowers and build your own.
This isn’t the only convenient wedding flower option but because of their low-maintenance nature you don’t have to worry about timing your order perfectly or keeping them alive.
These travel super well so if you’re having a destination wedding or just need to transport them to your venue you can rest assured that all you need is some boxes and some paper for cushioning to have them arrive in perfect condition.
Dried flowers are already preserved in a way so they will stay looking beautiful for 1-3 years which should be plenty of time to host your wedding ;). You can fully check this item off your list by ordering them early and completing any DIY decor projects well in advance of your wedding day. That’s not something you can do with fresh flowers.
Dried flowers are available through a bunch of websites, including Amazon and Etsy. I've included a bunch of links to my top recommendations throughout the blog.
Pre-made floral decor comes in all shapes and sizes, color palettes, and price points. You can order bouquets, centerpieces, swag, hair pieces, and even decor for your furry friends. If you plan to DIY your flowers, I recommend Etsy or Amazon, but if you want to partner with a floral designer you will want to find a boutique online shop that offers those services.
You can order long-stemmed flowers, short stems, just the blooms, or petals so you can select the appropriate material based on what you’re making.
If affordability is top of mind, I recommend ordering from Etsy or Amazon. In most cases, affordability doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality (just be sure to do a little research by reading reviews) which is why I recommend these two sites for your dried flower wedding project.
There are plenty of online dried botanical shops like Idlewild Floral where you can order more premium products. If you’re hoping to keep these around for years to come, then going for quality could be a good option.
The timeline for ordering dried florals is a little different than fresh flowers with the primary difference being that they can be ordered (and delivered) much much sooner than dried flowers. Additionally, if you’re not using a flower designer you won’t need to worry about booking ahead of time.
As I note in our checklist for planning a wedding, at 12-18 months, you’ll want to have a plan for your flowers. Knowing if you’re going to have any fresh flowers or are going all dried will help dictate next steps and timing for the rest of your flower tasks.
If you’re incorporating any fresh flowers into your wedding and/or involving a floral designer the 9-12 month timeframe is when you’ll book. Even if you’re DIYing your own fresh flowers to incorporate into your dried plan, you can place your order with a specific delivery date in the future. If you want, you can also order your dried flowers now, too!
If you haven’t already, get your order in 3-6 months before your big day. Even dried flowers require some lead time and waiting until the last minute might limit your choices. I say check this off your list early because you can and order ASAP (my favorites are linked below).
Choosing a dried flowers bouquet for your wedding is similar to a fresh bouquet. While not every flower is a good choice for dried bouquets, many are and there are a ton of options to fit every style, color palette, and budget.
There are tons of pre-made dried flower bouquets available to order, and usually have plenty of sizes to choose from. Check out the pictures and the reviews to confirm the size is right for you and if you’re not sure, ask the supplier for guidance. I ended up removing some of the longer blooms to reduce the size of my bouquet because I felt that it was too large so that’s always an option, too.
I was lucky to have a great experience using dried flowers in my wedding so I recommend the bouquets I purchased because the quality, colors, and customer service were great! They offer several different sizes, colors, and formats and are really affordable.
Buying bulk for your DIY wedding bouquets or decor is a great option if you love crafting!
There are so many things you can do with these for your small wedding centerpieces. Here are some examples.
This is how I created affordable centerpieces for my wedding. I purchased an extra bouquet, deconstructed it and used vintage bud vases to create simple little centerpieces to line the long tables. I had simple decor for every table for less than $100.
These are perfect as little bud vase bouquets for centerpieces, boutonnieres for the wedding party, or at individual place settings. They could even double as wedding favors. You can pick up 12 for just under $20 on Amazon making them a really affordable way to add additional detail to your wedding. Find them here.
If you’re looking for more robust decor on your tables, consider flower meadows. Flower meadows are installations or pieces that display flowers in a way that looks more natural as if they’re still in a meadow. For dried flowers, you’ll most often find these installed into a wooden bar.
I am obsessed with this flower bar (I almost ordered one for my house). Using this as a centerpiece adds so much to a table and it doesn’t obstruct your guests view of one another. Bonus, you can gift these or take them home to use as decor in your house! Check it out here.
Flower garland is a beautiful way to decorate your tables. As a bonus, it can double as aisle or ceremony arch decor for your ceremony and then be transferred to your reception tables. Having decor play double duty like this is a great way to make your wedding decor more affordable.
I love this one from VA Wreath Maker on Etsy.
Keep it simple and just sprinkle dried stemless flowers or flower confetti down the center of your table.
Sprinkle flower confetti along the aisle as opposed to fresh flower petals or use flower garland to line the aisles.
For your exit have your guests throw flower confetti. This is a gorgeous alternative to the traditional rice throwing, just make sure your venue allows it.
I love this option because the confetti comes with cute little paper cones which make it really easy for your guests to throw. Find it here.
These come in cute little packages, ready to go. They do have labels already and if you don’t feel like they match your wedding theme you could just get different labels to put on instead. Get yours here.
If you’re planning to use a wedding arch, ordering swag is a great way to add interest and beauty to your ceremony. A swag is a longer arrangement of flowers of any type and is designed to be hung or attached to a structure like an arch.
This gorgeous swag (pictured below) adds a ton of visual interest to your wedding arch without breaking the bank.
You could easily elevate a simple round or sheet cake by adding dried flowers. You will want to be sure they’re food grade, or placed on a protective layer that won’t be consumed like fondant or wax paper. Since they’re really fragile, special care will be required to ensure they don’t end up broken all over the cake.
Use dried flowers in your hair. You can find pre-made crowns or combs that can easily be added to elevate any hairstyle. I don’t recommend using loose dried flowers (unless you find a hairstylist that has experience doing this) just due to how fragile they are.
Another way to save a little on your wedding flowers is by incorporating dried flowers into spaces that are less prominent and using fresh flowers for things like your bouquet. When mixing dried and fresh just make sure the florist doesn’t have a clause in their contract stating no other florals can be used. And take special care to ensure the fresh and dried blooms are complimentary so you don’t end up with clashing decor.
While going this route for flowers is one of my top recommendations, especially if you’re on a budget or don’t really care that much about the flowers, there are a few things to be aware of.
Colors can look really different in person versus online so be sure to read plenty of reviews to confirm colors and overall quality. Better yet, if you give yourself enough lead time, you could even order a small bouquet ahead of time to ensure it's the right pick for you.
Dried flowers are fragile and you’ll want to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading. If you have them shipped to you, just keep them in the box for safe storing, or if you buy them locally, pack them in a box or tub with craft paper for padding and protection. Stay away from using any material that could get caught on the delicate blooms.
Transferring flowers from your ceremony to your reception is a great way to save on decor and reduce overall waste. Additionally, if you’re not finding exactly what you’re envisioning online, grab a bouquet, deconstruct it, and make it into something that better fits your vision.
Since dried flowers have a longer shelf life than fresh flowers, you can easily resell them (as long as they didn’t take too much of a beating at your event). Dried flowers can be used again and again as long as they’re handled with care.
As you can see, using dried flowers for your wedding is totally an option. Whether you’re looking for a way to cut costs on florals or just have a convenient way to add gorgeous decor to your wedding day, this will check the box. Be sure to do your research to ensure quality and leave plenty of lead time so you can get the exact flowers and look you’re after. And don’t forget to put them up for sale when you’re done!
