Here’s A List Of Fun Flower Bouquet Alternatives
So often, in my decade-long career, I’ll clients ask me, “is it okay if I do this?” or “what do people normally do?” My response is almost always, “this is your wedding day! Do whatever the hell you want!” The difficulty of going with something that everyone does, like getting married, is that you feel beholden to wedding traditions but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s 2021! Do whatever you want, especially if you don’t actually value flowers or garter tosses. Speaking of, let me say what everyone is thinking: flowers are expensive!!! Goodness gracious, those fragile beauties are so temperamental and they die so quickly. Now, don’t get me wrong—I love florals. An event can be elevated from, “awesome” to “holy shit” with stunning arrangements. However, my particular clientele is less likely to have an entire ceiling replicate a garden, so I wanted to provide some inspiration for flower bouquet alternatives, to get those creative juices flowin’!
If you’re looking for some more inspiration blogs, make sure to check out the gender-neutral playlist and some sparkler alternative grand exits!
Book pages
This is one of the most common flower bouquet alternatives I’ve seen. Since my clients tend towards being nerdy, they usually focus on their favorite books, like Harry Potter, and tear out pages to make into rosebuds. This is a great way to carry what is important and influential in your life while saving some real monies in the process. You can buy these beauties on Etsy or if you’re feeling DIY, you can spend a few hours doing it on your own. Either way, it’s a lovely touch in your photos, like Kris and Nathan below for their Dr. Who-inspired wedding!
Maracas
Carina is one of my favorite brides and she’s the only one I’ve ever seen use maracas but it’s a genius idea. While I neglected to ask her where she bought them or if she made them (those beautiful lace designs are definitely time-consuming!) they were a great personalized touch to her wedding. The lace flowed in the wind as well, which added a bit of fun motion to her pictures!
PUPPIES!
Okay, are you ready for this one?! My bride Sara and her husband Joe who were hitched at The Vinyard at Florence are massive fans of fostering rescue dogs. They worked closely with Austin Pets Alive! when they lived in Austin and on their wedding day, they made a donation to the rescue in return for puppy play on their big day. They were not only bouquets but also, at cocktail hour, guests were allowed to play with them as well. Let me tell ya, that started some serious puppy fever for me!
Hoops
Okay, this might slightly be cheating. Technically, these are flowers. Aren’t these absolutely adorable though?!!
A Bird
Alright, alright. This definitely might not be for everyone but imagine having a bird deliver your wedding rings (this is absolutely a thing!) or walking down the aisle with an owl or something else with eyes big enough to see in your soul. It would certainly make a great memory and of course, incredible photos!
Broaches
Looking for flower bouquet alternatives that will stand the test of time? Broaches are the ticket! My client below actually MADE this bouquet and you can too, with a little glue and stick-to-itness. Then it can sit somewhere in your house, preferably near the morning light, where it can sparkle the day’s joy onto the walls.
Pins
As you can see, this bride loved Disney. If you aren’t familiar with Disney fanatics, you collect different pins while you’re at the park. You can buy them and trade them with characters (pre-Covid). Some are worth so much, especially the older ones. Well, this idea for flower bouquet alternatives is probably my favorite, because you could spend some real-time looking at these different pins. Each one holds a different memory I’ll never be able to access but you’ll know when you see them. It’s almost like the inception of memories into a memory.
Stuffies
I mean…does this actually need more explanation?! Liz decided to use stuffies as a flower bouquet alternative because…why the hell not?! It’s soft, fluffy, doesn’t wilt in the heat and plus, you can cuddle with it when you’re home! How is that not the most amazing thing ever?!!
In Conclusion
Make your wedding all your own. You don’t need my permission or encouragement to do so (or maybe you do?). It’s your day and you deserve to have an event (that costs thousands!) to reflect who you and your partner are. So many people become wrapped up in what their family wants or what society requires. Repeat after me: “fuck it, it’s my day.” Give society the middle finger and do what feels right! If you’re feeling lost about the logistics of the wedding day, I highly recommend you hire a wedding planner/coordinator or head on over to AstroWed to get the most kickass wedding planner. It’s chock full of ideas, worksheets to discover your own day, and of course, organizing tools to make it easier to bring the day together. But really, at least hire a coordinator. Please. Check out my blog that breaks down all of the different wedding planner/coordinator options of who can save (and ruin) your sanity. Actually, it also saves MY sanity too! Have a radtastic day!
