I would definitely say that next in line after diamonds, flowers definitely make the cut~~flowers are a woman’s best friend or at least a way to her heart! I mean there is no wonder that a wedding cant take place without the ornate presence of flowers—everywhere! Beauty, color, and smell seem to make them irresistible to any bride, plus these decor items really do an amazing job in adding beauty to any element they are added or combined too. In all their beauty, when it comes to weddings or any other large scale event, flowers can be pretty pricey considering the fact that their life span is short-lived and can serve no viable purpose after the wedding/event.  Despite this, flowers have become a necessary part of the wedding, which I can not argue. While some brides may have a nice budget to work with that allows them to go flower-crazy (which is awesome), others may have to pull off their dream wedding cutting corners to work within their budget. A great place to start is by trimming the amount of flowers, which depending on your venue, theme, colors, flower choices, and time of the year can be done without taking away the beauty and “wow” factor of your wedding. Here are some pictures that I found that totally reflect this concept:

Flower Plants for the centerpiece with japanese laterns hung above:

(http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/real-weddings-hanna-and-mathews-sunny-diy-at-home-wedding/)

(http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/look-four-fun-diy-paper-flower-centerpieces-from-the-kitchn-070278)

Besides flowers you can use plants, candles, tree branches, and vases/bottles decorated or filled with a variety of items (buttons, fruit/vegetables, sand, rocks, feathers, etc) for your centerpieces. Here are some DIY idea substitutions for flowers:

Wheatgrass Centerpiece

Other flower alternatives:

Source: www.intimateweddings.com (http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/looking-for-inexpensive-centerpiece-ideas-flower-free-centerpieces-on-a-budget/)

 (http://www.oncewed.com/8242/wedding-blog/diy-wedding/diy-rustic-centerpieces/)

I used a fruit centerpiece as part of my decor:

Also, if you are the DIY type or have some experience in flower arrangements you could just go down to your local wholesale flower shop/wharehouse and pick your flowers. The only problem with this is that most flowers dont have a long “shelf-life”, so this will require you to get these items at the last minute, design your arrangement, store them, transport to the venue and have them set-up. As the bride, you may not want the additional stress of having to deal with all this, so the easiest way is to pay someone else to do it or have a wonderful friend/family member take care of it for you. Here are a couple DIY flower centerpiece options:

 Source: www.intimateweddings.com (http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/the-diy-centerpiece-spring-flowers-make-gorgeous-centerpieces/)

(http://www.edytaszyszlo.com/blog/2009/01/28/trends-of-2009-diy-wedding-flower-vases/)

Here is a gem from my “white book” that sells wholesale flowers and petals online for a reasonable price: www.fiftyflowers.com .

I really have more to share about centerpieces, so I will continue to post beautiful DIY centerpieces and flower alternatives.