More Than a Name
When choosing your flowers add meaning to the arrangements. For instance Stock represents lasting beauty, Snapdragons represent Desire. Make sure to ask your florist what flowers are in season at the time of your wedding.

Fresh Herbs
These little potted beauties can be picked up at the local Farmer's Market and make a wonderful centerpiece. Not only do they have a great fragrance but make a nice gift for your guests.

Find a Farmer's Market in your area.

Create Your Own Bouquets and Flower Arrangements
Creating your own bouquets and flower arrangements can save you a ton of money, especially if you buy your flowers directly from growers. You can create your own simple arrangements for your tables and bouquets without a lot of work or stress. Use a lot of flowers to create simple elegance for your tables. Check out some of these resources for more information on how to do your own bouquets and flower arrangements:

• 2G Roses - Provides fresh cut flowers directly from the grower. They also have a list of flower availabilities by month.
• How to Make a Bouquet for the Bride - Provides suggestions on how to make one-of-a-kind bridal bouquets.
• Design Your Own Flower Arrangements (from Lowes) - Detailed instructions that tell you what supplies and materials you'll need, container choices, how to care and prep your flowers, and various different arrangement styles. There is also a guide for what flowers are best for each season.

Centerpiece Favors
Why have both centerpieces and favors when you can combine them into one? Let your centerpieces become your favors for your guests to take home. You'll decorate your reception and have a wonderful gift for your guests to take home with them. Here are a few ideas:

• Bouquets and flowers: Break up your centerpiece into smaller pieces by using smaller vases or jars and fill those with a few stems of flowers in one. You can even use potted plants instead!
• Edible centerpieces: make your centerpiece your guests' dessert. Here are a few ideas: a stack of cupcakes, elegantly decorated; a bowlful of beautifully wrapped chocolates (perhaps in a designer bowl as well); mini cakes designed by your baker for each table; small bushes of tabletop rosemary for guests to take home and spice up their future meals; personalized cookie bouquets.
• Wanderfuls: These clever centerpieces look like a bowlful of beautiful flowers but in fact they are sweet treats that double as a centerpiece and favor. They are filled with your choice of treat and come in a variety of colors. Centerpieces are made to come in 8, 10, or 12 favors per centerpiece.

Make Your Own Floral Headband

Materials: floral wire (18 gauge recommended), floral tape, silk or dried flowers, filler (such as ivy), ribbons or other accessories (such as rose ribbons, pearls, or other embellishments), measuring tape, wire cutters.

Basic Instructions:

• Measure the circumference of your head. Add a little extra room to this measurement (an inch or so for extra room).
• Wrap the ends of the wire with floral tape.
• Bend and shape the wire into a wreath shape.
• Wire and tape your flower pieces together (the flower and fillers).
• Floral tape the flowers and leaves and other pieces together onto the wreath.
• Add ribbon streamers to the end or other embellishments.

• Headpiece Wreath Instructions
• How to Make a Fairy Wreath Headpiece
• How to Make a Floral Garland
• Headbands Pacific Style

You can opt to make headbands for the bridesmaids and flower girl as well with this method, using different colored silk or dried flowers. The different resources listed above should give you some detailed pictures and different style ideas on how to make your own floral headband for your wedding.

Flower Arrangements

Save some time and money for your floral arrangements and centerpieces with a few of these ideas.

• Purchase your flowers at the farmer's market. Talk to the vendors and see what you can get from them. Many would be willing to aside some flowers just for you to pick up and buy before your wedding day.
• Buy a variety of flowers from the farmer's market, too. A lot of them already have bunches of flowers ready to go, which you can easily transfer into your centerpieces.
• Visit thrift stores or flea markets and pick up vintage bottles for a steal. Lots of dishware and glass can be picked up a great price, saving you money and giving your reception a unique, homey look and feel to it.
• Save the tin cans from your food and use those as vases for your flowers. Pick cans with your favorite labels on them or strip the labels off and creative your own labels or collages for each table at your reception.
• Use something different for your vases, such as sake sets (which could also be used as favors), etched drinking glasses, used wine bottles, mismatched tea cups or pottery.
• Learn how to grow your own flowers for your wedding and what's best to grow and when you should plant.