A couple weeks ago, I had the chance to attend my first flower potluck — a completely genius idea, if you ask me. With every guest bringing along their favorite blooms to mix and match, we were able to craft crowns, bouquets, and of course, have a ton of fun along the way. So when I got wind of this bridal shower flower potluck, my interest was peaked. AND then I read the reasoning behind this flower shower and my heart literally swelled with happiness. A Bride and Groom planning a budget wedding for $2000 and raising the remaining $25,000 for charity. Amazing right? Read all about it below and learn more about their charity here!
From the Bride-to-Be…For our upcoming October wedding, my fiance and I have decided to do something a little different. After researching the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. (around $27,000), we began discussing how many people that amount of money could help. We did more research and determined we could put together our dream wedding for just $2,000, and we could raise the remaining $25,000 of the average wedding cost to give to others in need. We are doing that through an organization called Pure Charity–you can read more on our fundraiser here.
Creating our dream wedding on a budget means we don’t plan to leave any of the important things out, we just have to think up creative ways to make them a part of our big day. When it came to looking through my options for flowers, I figured a DIY approach to making bouquets for my bridesmaids and myself would be the most affordable option. When I discovered the concept of a flower potluck through Kinfolk Magazine, I knew I wanted to organize one with my best girl friends. It hit me when my Matron of Honor began asking where and when I’d like to have my personal shower–we could combine the two!
I’ve always loved the look of dried flowers–I have four dried bridesmaid bouquets around my house from the weddings I’ve been in–and I think they’re beautiful for fall decor. When we decided July would be the best time to have my shower, even though I’m not getting married until October, I knew we had to try to implement the flower potluck into the actual wedding day. We all brought a bundle of a single type of flower to my shower, then spent a lovely hour or so around my dining room table putting together the biggest, most beautiful wild bouquets. The girls who aren’t in the wedding took their bouquets home as favors, while my bridesmaids and I gave the stems a fresh cut, tied them with twine, and hung them to dry. We plan to carry them on my wedding day!
I definitely recommend this approach to affordable, gorgeous wedding flowers. My bridesmaids and I spent about five dollars each at the Farmers Market on our bundles, and we were able to pick out exactly what we wanted. Plus, it was so much fun to get creative and girly with my best friends, and our bouquets are way more special since we put them together with our own hands.
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And in true TGIF fashion….we have a few lucky winners to announce!
Congrats to Jamie M. who snagged five High Low Honey Dresses for her maids and a Boudoir Set for herself from Plum Pretty Sugar!
And oh, happy day to Sheri and Ivette Martinez who are each winning a ticket to the Something Lovely Wedding Event – congrats! Tickets are still available here.