Love at The Ranch: Reception Flowers (Budget Breakdown)

I broke down the pricing on our bouquets and boutonnieres for you, so I wanted to finish our floral budget breakdown with our centerpieces. And, since I just showed you the details of our reception, I thought fleshing out our flowers would be the most organic next step on this recap train.

The main thing I told our florist, Plum Sage Flowers, was that I wanted our centerpieces to feel garden-y, loose, and flow-y. Almost like wildflowers but in creams, peaches, and golds.

Before sending my final order for flowers, Erin of Plum Sage had me look through Amato Wholesale Florist's flower gallery (for the month of October) and let her know which flowers caught my eye. She made sure to tell me that not all of the flowers in the October gallery would necessarily be available but it would give us a good guide, at least. This flower gallery might come in handy for your wedding, but keep in mind that this flower gallery is specific to the Denver area and climate. If you live in the South, for instance, you'll probably have a very different selection.

The flowers from my list that were available and in my budget included light pink delphinium and larkspur, cream mini gerbera daisies, cream spray roses, apricot stock, billy balls, pale yellow dahlias, feverfew, yarrows and mums in pale pink, apricot, wheat, and cream with wheat sprig accents.

Budget Breakdown:

• Centerpieces: 24 jars (8 small, 8 medium and 8 large): $35 x 8 tables = $280
• Reception decor: Additional 6 jars (small and medium) for windowsills = $50
• Flower girl petals (for one small basket): $10
• Dahlias (for moms/grandmas/aunts): $3.50 per stem x 8 = $28
• Total (with 7.72% tax) = $396.41
• Total for our bouts/bouquets (with 7.72% tax) = $382.41
• Delivery fee from Denver (about 2 hours away) = $200

• GRAND TOTAL: $978.82

How did we get here?

Mr. CB and I road-tripped it to Colorado.

I spent a peaceful morning with my girls.
Followed by a rowdy bachelorette party.
Two days before the wedding, we fought.
Then, we made up.

On Saturday, Mr. CB recuperated while I hiked with friends.

We celebrated our rehearsal dinner.

Sunday Morning: The girls got ready.

And the guys got ready.

Mr. CB and I had our First Look.

Budget Breakdown: Bouquets and Bouts.

Potraits of the bride and groom.

Our wedding party braved the cold for photos.

We all lined up for the ceremony.

The wedding party walked (and performed hand shakes).

Papa CB walked Ms (soon to be Mrs.) CB down the aisle.

Our ceremony began with a song from Grandma Cowboy Boot.

And ended with a kiss.

We hugged and took some family portraits.

Then our guests to to see The Details.

**All images above by the ridiculously talented and awesome Tec Petaja, unless otherwise noted. Head to his blog for some serious eye candy.**

Love at The Ranch: Bouts and Bouquets (Budget Breakdown)

Before I get on with the portraits Mr. CB and I took after our First Look, I thought I'd fill you in on my bouquet, my bridesmaids' bouquets, and the guys' boutonnieres. After the post on the guys getting ready, I had some requests for close-ups of the bouts and since my bouquet debuts during our portraits, I figured now was the best time for the first flower post!

My bouquet:

The bouts:

And, the bridesmaids' bouquets:

If you remember, I had very strong opinions about how I wanted my flowers to look. I wrote about inspiration here, here, here, and here. That said, I didn't have the biggest budget in the world for flowers. A total of $1000 to be exact. Compared to estimates for what I wanted, that wasn't very much and had to include a $200 travel fee from Denver as well.

The morning of the wedding, Erin Hornstein, owner of Plum Sage flowers, which specializes in organic flowers, showed up around 11 AM. She readied the flowers on the porch and since the temperatures outside were in the 40s and 50s, she had no worries about refrigeration to keep them fresh. The year before, Erin had gotten ready for her own wedding in the same cabin so there was something bittersweet about her preparing the flowers there.

Erin of Plum Sage, cutting raffia for the bridesmaids bouquets

Photo by Amanda Wilson

Originally, my bouquet was to have white dahlias mixed in but when I came outside to look at the flowers, I wasn't keen on them. Even though the dahlias were white, they were green toward the center (as it's hard to get a pure white flower) and I, personally, don't love the peach-and-green color combo. It took away from the romantic ruffles I was hoping for. So, with no hesitation, Erin agreed to take them out of my bouquet and put them into my bridesmaids' bouquets. In return, I stole their garden roses. Bridezilla, I know.

So, my bouquet ended up a concoction of peach juliet garden roses, peach stock, white ranunculus, chamomile, and dark green Israeli ruscus tips.

The bouts were a spin on Mrs. Cherry Pie's use of wheat sprigs, which I adored. The groomsmen got a mix of wheat and chamomile while the dads, grandfathers, uncles, etc, got simple wheat sprigs. The chamomile was a bit fragile and wilted sort of quickly from hugs and whatnot.

Photo by Erin Hornstein from Plum Sage

The bridesmaids bouquets were a reflection of mine but contained more white to compliment the girls' dresses. And, to save a few dollars, we used light peach carnations instead of garden roses. They have a similarly ruffly effect but are a quarter of the price. So, the girls' bouquets contained: light peach carnations, white lisianthus, white dahlias, butter stock, white ranunculus, and candor pompom mums.

Budget Breakdown (for bouquets and bouts):

• Bridal Bouquet (8-9", with garden roses, ranunculus, chamomile, stock, and Israeli ruscus tips): $110
• Groom and Groomsmen Bouts (with wheat sprigs, chamomile, and ribbon): $8 x 6 = $48
• Bouts for Grandfather/Dads/Uncle (wheat sprigs only): $7 x 4 = $28
• Bridesmaids' Bouquets (6-7", with carnations, lisianthus, dahlias, stock, ranunculus, and candor pompom mums): $33.80 x 5 = $169
• Total (with 7.72% tax): $382.41*

*Note: Because this is flower post part 1, I will finish the budget and include the travel fee ($200) into part two (which will include flower girl petals, centerpiece decor, and corsages).

My favorite flower photo (and a signature Tec photo):

How did we get here?

First, Mr. CB and I road-tripped it to Boulder, CO.

Then, I spent a peaceful morning with my bridesmaids and maids-of-honor.
Followed by a rowdy bachelorette party that night.
The next morning, two days before the wedding, we fought.
Then, we made up.

On Saturday, Mr. CB recuperated from his bachelor party while I hiked with friends.

Until evening, when we celebrated our rehearsal dinner.

Sunday Morning: The girls got ready.
And the guys got ready too.

Mr. CB and I had our First Look.

**All images above by the ridiculously talented and awesome Tec Petaja, unless otherwise noted. Head to his blog for some serious eye candy.**

Hive Knows Best

Hive. I need help with a decision. After that last flower post, I had a sudden change of heart. I get a little uneasy when this happens because then I'm suddenly heading down a path that involves lots of back-and-forth with my vendor. In this instance, my florist. And I hate to seem flighty and indecisive--It doesn't do anyone any good.

But, the feeling I got was so intense, I can't ignore it. I started thinking that maybe I want more cream or white in my bouquet with hints of peach, instead of having an all-peach bouquet with touches of cream which was my original plan. I am worried that the bouquet will disappear into my dress if it is too creamy and white will be too stark against ivory. But, now I'm thinking the peach bouquet might not seem classic in 30 years. If I go cream and white, I can use a colored ribbon to add pop. Or, vice-versa if I go for colored flowers. Give me your vote!

Peaches with pops of whites and creams wrapped with leftover ivory fabric and a little raffia:

Sources: Juliet Rose, Lisianthus, Dahlia, Hypericum Berries, Larkspur, Ranunculus, and Stock.

Some peach bouquet inspiration:

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Mostly white with pops of peach and apricot wrapped with peachy ribbon and raffia:

Sources: Juliet Garden Rose, Lisianthus, Hypericum Berries, Larkspur, Ranunculus, Stock, and Dahlias

Here are a few inspiration photos of mostly white bouquets with bursts or tinges of color:

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So, which do you like better? Option 1: mostly peaches with bursts of white? Or Option 2: White or cream with pops of peach or apricot? Or should I mix up the color variation differently or do different specific flowers in peach or cream?

My Flower Decision

First I want to say thank you for voting on my bouquet inspiration. I never let you in on which image was my favorite. Well, to be honest, it got the least votes--a mere 3%. Maybe that's why I was a little bit hesitant to write this post. Nonetheless, a girl can't question her taste. Okay, that's a lie, but with wedding stuff, it is best to go with your gut. I will blame the fact that the image was small and hard to see.

But before I start making excuses, let me give you a larger spread of my flower inspiration. It comes from the wedding of Sharon and Francis in Bristol, Tennessee, that was featured in MSW.

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When I came across this wedding, I swooned at the loose garden-y feel of the flowers. I particularly liked the "trailing" affect (as my florist likes to call it) of the paper-like petals. I sent these images to my florist, Erin at Plum Sage, and she also loved them. But, she thought the color palette (ivory and soft pink) wasn't going to go with the peachy bridesmaid dress palette I'd been going for. And, most of these flowers are not available during October. She mentioned the florist had used peonies (of course!), hypericum berry foliage, sweet pea, spider mums, azalea, and other spring blooms.

After a few back and forths with Erin via e-mail (she's SO awesome at responding to my many, all-over-the-place ideas and requests and changes of mind), we came up with a fall variation on these bouquets that accommodates my apricot, dusty rose, peach, cream, and pink color scheme.

Stay tuned to find out how we did this.

How did you come up with your flower plan?

Centerpiece Envy

My signature adorns the line at the bottom of the florist's contract, but only for a few select items. Plum Sage will be doing my bouquet, the moms/aunts/grandmothers' corsages, the guys' boutonnieres, a wristlet for our junior bridesmaid, and helping my bridesmaids put together their five bouquets. That's it. For now. 

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I haven't decided, yet, if I want to DIY my centerpieces or if I just want to throw responsibility into the wind and hand the entire project over to Plum Sage. In both cases, I'll be supplying a selection of vintage glass vessels for vases. I have quite a few but plan to spend the summer collecting the rest of them. And if I can't fill out the collection, the florist has my back. 

I haven't seen a centerpiece using mason jars and vintage cans that feels full enough for me. I thought about using a lantern in the middle to keep things from looking sparse. Miss Labrador blogged about a lantern that I thought might fit into my decor and is affordable (thanks Ms. Lab!). There were a few other options on the Jamali Garden website that also struck my fancy. 

Until I figure it out, here are a few images that also strike my fancy. 

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Any suggestions on how I can fill out our centerpieces?

My Unrequited Love Affair

I just learned that I have a serious thing for ruffly, girly flowers called (you guessed it) peonies. I started sending my florist images of my bouquet inspiration. Beautiful, overflowing, loose, garden-y bouquets full of, yup, peonies. It was then I found out that peonies just weren't interested in loving me back. 

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I'm an October bride and apparently, peonies have a very strict schedule--about a five-week window that exists a solid four months before my wedding. The closest I'm going to get? The ever-expensive and elusive garden rose. Luckily, I have a very talented florist, Erin Hornstein from Plum Sage Flowers, to recreate the just-rolled-out-of-bed-but-perfectly-designed loose, ruffly look I'm going for. And, in fact, she got married at Devil's Thumb Ranch recently with a gorgeous yellow blooming umbrella. 

So, I've been hunting for bouquets that don't involve peonies. But rather garden roses, regular roses, hydrangea, dahlias, and any other flower that has a smidgen of a chance of poking its head up around the first week of October. My options are also limited because I'm looking for flowers with color--I'm afraid that too ivory will vanish into my dress and stark white just won't match. 

Here are a few images of my (new) inspiration. Please excuse me if I happen to include a few peonies in there--their beauty is blinding me. 

Bouquet 1

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Bouquet 2

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Bouquet 3

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Bouquet 4

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Bouquet 5

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Bouquet 6

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Bouquet 7

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Which bouquet is your favorite of the bunch? After you tell me, I'll fill you in on which is my fave and which won the vote.