Cheap Fall Wedding Flowers and Inexpensive Bouquets

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Are you having a fall wedding and looking for the perfect flowers to decorate with? You can save quite a bit of money by using flowers that are in season during the fall months. Wedding flowers can cost a lot if you don't know which varieties to look for.

Fall Wedding Flowers — Varieties in Season

Here is a list of recommended wedding flowers for the fall season:

Hydrangeas — Often come in pink, purple, and blue shades. They have a full shape and lots of volume, making them a good choice if you're trying to buy less flowers to save money.

Dahlias — These flowers are sculptural in style and come in an amazing variety of red, yellow, and orange hues. They look modern and striking in photographs, and fit perfectly into a fall wedding color palette.

Gerbera Daisies — These vibrant daises come in reds, pinks, oranges and yellows and add a fun touch to any wedding decor. These also photograph well.

Chrysanthemums – These are hearty flowers often used in a wedding bouquet with other flowers. The white and green shades contrast nicely with other flowers with red and orange fall tones.

Sunflowers — These classic flowers symbolize happiness for many people and are perfect for a fall wedding. The bright yellow looks good in both centerpieces and bouquets, especially when complimented by other blue and purple wedding flowers.

Other options — Roses, baby's breath, iris, orchids, and zinnias should also be available during the fall months. Check with your local florist and or wholesale flower seller to find exact pricing. Some varieties or orchids, for example, can be quite expensive. Your wedding florist should be able to give you some good advice.

Contrasting bouquet colors —Use yellow and blue together for a complimentary and fresh color palette. Sunflowers and irises or blue hydrangeas look quite pretty together.

Monochromatic bouquets —  Find flowers in the same color family (reds and oranges, for instance) that have different shapes and textures. Red dahlias, orange daisies, with a hint of green chrysanthemums will make a beautiful fall-colored bouquet.

If you are brave enough to create a wedding bouquet yourself, you can save a lot of money. It's really pretty easy, depending on what you want. Look online for a wholesale flower seller in your area. They should be able to tell you which flowers are in season and give you a good estimate of what your wedding flowers will cost. Select 2-3 varieties of flowers and one type of green foliage for contrast. Buy some wide ribbon (satin ribbon is lovely, and you shouldn't need more than a couple rolls), selecting a color that matches the bouquet and compliments the color of your bridesmaids' dresses. Buy a box of pearl-headed pins, a few rolls of green flower tape, and some floral wire. Don't forget your flower/wire cutters.

It is not recommended to buy delicate flowers if you are making your bouquets and arrangements ahead of time. Choose flowers than can last 1-2 days in water and will not wilt. Talk to your flower seller about this. Make sure you have plenty of jars and cans filled with water to keep your flowers fresh. If you live in a place with a hot fall climate, be sure to bring your flowers inside to keep them cool (ideally you would be able to put them in a cool storage unit). Find boxes and containers that will help you transport the flowers easily to the wedding site. Enlist family and friends to help transport the flowers in their cars (you don't want them to get crushed on the way).

Bouquets —

Step 1: Gather photos of bouquets that you like, and take them with you to talk to your flower seller about how to create your favorite look for a reasonable price.

Step 2: Once you choose your flowers and bring them home, keep them cool and follow any advice from your flower seller on how to prolong their shelf life.

Step 3: Creating the bouquet— choose one or two pieces of the green foliage and lay down on the table in front of you. Pull a few stems of each flower (or several stems if you are only using one kind of flower) and arrange them in layers against the foliage. It takes some finesse, but you should be able to look at your photo reference and adjust the flowers to suit your taste. Once you've arrange them just so, tightly grip the stems of the flowers and wrap the floral wire around a few times (not too tightly or you'll crush the stems). Cut the wire and make sure that the bouquet is sturdy and won't fall apart. Tuck the ends of the wire so that they won't poke anyone's hands. Next, starting just below the base of the flowers, place one end of the floral tape and gently turn the bouquet to wrap the stems. Pull slightly so that the tape become tacky and sticks to itself. Use enough tape so that it's nicely securing the stems and hiding the wire. Place in water until the next day. NOTE: If you'd like a round bouquet, start with one large bloom in the middle and build outward from there.

Step 4. On the wedding day, take the ribbon and wrap tightly around the floral taping, moving from top to bottom. Tuck in both ends (hiding frayed edges) and secure at the bottom with 1-3 beautiful pearl pins.

Boutonnieres —

These are surprisingly easy to make. I can't believe some florists charge $30 and upwards for each of these. You can save hundreds of dollars by making these yourself. Grab a green leaf or a single piece of the foliage you selected, and one or two flower stems. Lay the foliage down, arrange the flowers on top of it, and wire the stems together. Take your flower cutters and cut off the long stems. Leave just enough (an inch or two) so that you can tape over the wire. Refrigerate and attach the next day with a pearl pin.

Centerpieces —

Use your imagination! Find clear glass vases or jars at yard sales and discount stores and use your judgement to create simple floral centerpieces. The bright colors of fall flowers look lovely in simple arrangements. Grab a few stems and mix with the green foliage and gently wire together if you'd like to have them done ahead of time.

Sunflowers look great in tall cylindrical vases. Create a rustic look by tying the stems together with raffia.

Other items like apples, pumpkins, or squash can make beautiful arrangements as well.