By: Jessica Bishop
Let’s face it… fresh flowers can be expensive. We’ve talked about the fact that cutting back on fresh flowers can save you a chunk of money when it comes to your wedding budget. Finding other wedding flower alternatives is a key way to save money in this area!
But if you don’t use fresh blooms, what are you supposed to put in your wedding bouquets, reception centerpieces and miscellaneous decorations? You may actually be surprised at the sheer number of options for decorating your wedding without flowers. And most of them are far less expensive as well, so they’ll free up some cash in your wedding budget to put towards higher priority items.
To give you some savvy inspiration, we’ve rounded up a whole list of options to decorate your wedding to use instead of live flowers. This list of wedding flower alternatives is sure to inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to your wedding bouquets and other floral decor. We hope you’ll consider one of these unique flower alternatives and non-floral decor ideas for your wedding– and not just because they are inexpensive, but because they’re just as gorgeous as the real thing!
Wedding Flower Alternatives for Bouquets and Wedding Decorations
Fabric Flowers for Wedding Decor
photo by Sherry Sutton Photography
Fabric Wedding Flowers
Who says you can’t have flowers — just make them out of fabric! Not only will you spend less (depending on the fabric you choose) but you’ll create a memento you can keep forever! The options are really endless and you can completely customize your look with your color choice, fabric choice, and add-ons like buttons or gems. Go to town and make your perfect wedding bouquets from fabric!
Wheat Wedding Decor
photo by Carden’s Wedding Photography
Wheat Wedding Ideas
Wheat is a beautiful decorative choice for fall weddings. It’s a great filler for bouquets and looks super chic as a centerpiece, like pictured above! Dried wheat is pretty easy to get, and fairly inexpensive – plus it just adds that extra touch of rustic whimsy to any event. Pair wheat stalks with a burlap table runner. Wheat also looks great in a bouquet with a colored ribbon to match your wedding color scheme as well.
Brooch Bouquets for Weddings
photo by Alice Hu Photography
View Brooch Bouquets
Brooch bouquets feel so personal and special — especially if you use brooches that belong to family members. We’ve seen some bouquets made with pins given by each of the grandmothers from the couple’s family and it’s such a sweet and touching detail that it makes us tear up. They also make incredibly gorgeous mementos to keep to remember the wedding day.
Felt Flowers for Wedding Arrangements
photo by M. Newsom Photography
Felt Wedding Decor
Felt is super versatile for crafting, and making flowers is no exception! We love these felt flower tutorials from our friend Jen over at Something Turquoise! Another great thing about using felt is that the resulting projects make such darling keepsakes!
Vegetables as Wedding Decorations
photo byAnn Althouseon Flickr
Veggies. Who knew they were pretty in addition to being delicious? Think leafy greens like kale- there are even some varieties that look like roses! Vegetables are a great eco-friendly wedding idea for couples who want to “go green” while saving green! We’ve even seen items like artichokes added into the mix. Maybe you could even eat them afterward – how’s that for not being wasteful? ?
Baby’s Breath Wedding Accents
photo by Mikkel Paige Photography
Baby’s Breath Inspiration
Okay, so technically baby’s breath is a type of flower, but these “fillers” are cheap and look super chic when used en masse. Versatile and perfect for anything from bouquets, centerpieces, hanging decor, etc. Baby’s breath is really one of our favorites for weddings, so it’s awesome that it’s so inexpensive.
Silk Flower Wedding Arrangements
photo by Ashleigh Jane Photography via Afloral
Silk Flowers
Would you ever think that these are SILK flowers? If you love the idea of a traditional floral look for your wedding, consider using silk flowers instead. Not only do they give you the most realistic version possible, but after the big day you can always sell the blooms to another bride in need.
Check out these silk wedding flower arrangements you can rent!
Button Wedding Bouquet
photo by The Big Affair
Button Wedding Accents
Buttons are a colorful and unique way of creating a “bouquet” that won’t wilt and wither. Love this as a keepsake to treasure for years to come! Buttons can easily be turned into decor for centerpieces as well, and adds a quirky and playful touch to any wedding!
Feather Wedding Bouquet
photo from Kristin Danger Designs on Etsy
Feather Wedding Decor
We just love the soft and ethereal look of a feather bouquet. Feathers are amazingly versatile when it comes to what you can do with them – there are so many varieties, styles and colors. We think a feather bouquet adds an extra touch of glam to your day — and the cost would be easy to recoup if you sell your pieces after your wedding day, as this is becoming an increasingly popular style for weddings!
Fans in Lieu of Bouquets
photo by Luminaire Images
Instead of splurging on fresh flower bouquets, consider some lace fans for your bridesmaids to carry instead. There’s something regal and glamorous about them, don’t you think?
Tissue Paper Flowers
photo from The Budget Savvy Bride
Why not create your own flowers out of tissue paper? These blooms are poofy and large and can create a big impact for a tiny price tag! Tissue paper flowers make great aisle decor, altar decor, centerpieces or even bouquets! Using Tissue Paper Pomanders is especially impactful in terms of getting the most bang for your buck compared to fresh blooms.
Burlap Flowers
We know, Burlap is just another form of fabric, but this style is distinct enough to stand on its own. Burlap comes in a variety of colors now and is great to use to make flowers for a rustic or farm wedding. Burlap is a great choice for rustic brides and fall weddings, in particular. You can use burlap as an accent within your bouquet mixed with other fabrics, or do a full burlap design!
Paper Wedding Flowers
photo from More Paper Than Shoes on Etsy
Paper Wedding Flowers
We just love all the things you can do with paper. After a quick search on Etsy, we saw dozens of gorgeous options for paper wedding bouquets, including the stunner above. Again, just like fabric, choosing the right variety of paper can really change up your look. Cardstock, crepe paper, tissue paper, etc can all create a unique and different effect!
Wood Wedding Flowers
photo from Candice Becerra, Shabby Road Weddings
Wood Wedding Flowers
Have you heard of Sola Wood Wedding Flowers? These eco-friendly products are made from a tapioca plant root so they are sustainable for those who want a “green” wedding! They will last for years and can be reused in your home as decor after the wedding — what’s not to love? This is one of our favorite new wedding flower alternatives to consider!
Books as Wedding Decorations
photo by The Burks
Book Wedding Inspiration
Books are a super convenient and inexpensive way to create a centerpiece. Pick them up at thrift stores or go through your bookshelves for old ones to repurpose as wedding decor. You can choose books in a similar color scheme or even remove the covers for a more primitive look. We love books as wedding centerpieces, or you could even use the pages of books to create paper flowers!
Browse More Flower Alternative Ideas:
Want more wedding flower alternative inspiration? Visit the posts below to see other options to consider instead of using fresh flowers for your wedding!
Choose a flower alternative to save money on your wedding decorations
So – we want to know – what do you think of our list of wedding flower alternatives? Is there anything we missed?
Are you planning to use an alternative to fresh flowers for your wedding day? Opting for fewer fresh blooms is just one of our tips to save money on your wedding. Check out more budget wedding tips!
Join us in our community to chat more about wedding decorating and more!
📌 Pin This! 📌
Get the Wedding Planning Quick Start Guide! 📋
Sign up for our wedding planning jumpstart series and we'll send you a FREE copy of our wedding planning timeline and checklist!
