MYTH: You can cut floral costs by purchasing your own candles and/or containers for floral arrangements, instead of having the florist or event designer provide them. DIY is always more sensible and will save you money.
TRUTH: I love DIY in many cases...but sometimes you must really considers the pros and cons, not just think about the cash savings. Beyond cost, consider the following: where are you going to store these containers (until the day before the wedding), what are you going to do with them after (do you need 20 candelabras?), how are you going to transport them (will 20 candelabras fit in your 4 door sedan...not likely!), are you sure the florist can use them (will they be the right size, etc.), do you want to be responsible for them on the wedding night...chances are the florist will not transport them back to his studio and store them until after the honeymoon...they are yours!
In actuality, these are not the items that the florist is making their big money on. What you end up with instead is a string of problems ranging from containers that cannot stand up to the complexities of the floral arrangements you desire, mismatched containers, and storage/transportation issues.
In terms of candles, you need to be sure to buy tempered votive holders and hurricanes, as well as ones that meet current fire code for the city in which your venue is located. Again...who is going to haul them to and from the sites...think about it!
Also, scented candles can irritate the senses and distract from the meal service - just imagine the lovely scent of Gardenia and Filet Mignon. Or worse yet, you buy candles at the dollar store, and they burnout 2 hours into the evening. Many brides also like to purchase their own twinkle lights, and miscalculate the number they need, forget adapters and extension cords, and worse yet, for the battery-operated strands, forget the batteries (by the way battery operated ones don't really last all that long!).
Also, scented candles can irritate the senses and distract from the meal service - just imagine the lovely scent of Gardenia and Filet Mignon. Or worse yet, you buy candles at the dollar store, and they burnout 2 hours into the evening. Many brides also like to purchase their own twinkle lights, and miscalculate the number they need, forget adapters and extension cords, and worse yet, for the battery-operated strands, forget the batteries (by the way battery operated ones don't really last all that long!).
HIP TIP: Smart and Final has the best votives candles...an 8 hour burn and no scent!
Happy Planning!
Holly
Happy Planning!
Holly
9 comments:
GREAT POST!!!
Your HIP TIP is 1 A !!
As I did some photoshooting for a gorgeous wedding in an old, elegant Tuscan Villa, Tablesettings most refined and really elegant; the sweet bride choose red(!!) heart shaped(!!) candles... fortunately they lighted only about 2 hours, so they had been replaced by the Villas caring stuff with gorgeous neutral and excuisite, simple candles....all different light..!!
ciao
elvira
This is a great post!!
I'm new here...what a great blog.
Now, I'm a follower!
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Hi!
Great blog! I love your hiptips!
Thanks for visiting my blog - sorry I didn't reply sooner but I've been so busy lately - hopefully soon to be sorted!
I'm just gonna go now and hit the follow button!
Have a great day - from a fellow Sitsta!
xx
Amen, sister! Sometimes brides need to leave some things to the professionals. Great post!
I learned the hard way about the pitfalls of trying to cut costs in flowers. We worked with a florist who didn't have a shop, but had been highly recommended. We provided our own containers and thought we had provided some pretty simple requests for the floral arrangements, but what resulted was a major disappointment. I wish we had sprung for a real pro and had them do the whole kit and kaboodle.
Thanks for the cool tip. MY sister is engaged - good to know!
http://candyflosspersie.blogspot.com/
So many great tips. Thanks for following my blog. It couldn't have come at a better time. My oldest just got engaged and we are just starting to plan the wedding. Your blog is going to be a HUGE help. Thank you so much for all your wisdom. Looking so forward to following along.
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