Frugal florals: You can still have your dream wedding flowers on a budget

From decorating the church to centerpieces for the reception and, of course, the bride's bouquet, flowers can be a large part of your wedding budget. So, we've got some tips on how you can get the most for your money:

PLAN AHEAD

The best way to save money, says Joyce Kuntze, owner of Arrangements by Joyce, is for a bride to work with a professional florist.

"Brides bring in pictures of things they've found on the Internet, and that's helpful to some extent," Kuntze says. "But not necessarily everything they see (online) is the most affordable way to approach it." By opening up a dialogue with your florist, she can steer you to the flowers of your dreams, and on your budget.

If you're planning a large wedding with lots of flowers, you'll want to start working with a florist up to a year in advance, Kuntze advises. On the other hand, "a smaller, more informal wedding, we can accommodate with two weeks notice," she says.

BALANCING THE BUDGET

"We do see some girls who come in with ideas that they want the ceremony to be a very romantic setting (with lots of flowers), something they've dreamed of since they were little girls," Kuntze says. "Others don't want to put much into the church, because they say they'll only be there an hour."

But, Kuntze says, if you're taking a lot of pictures in the church, she "wouldn't go too skimpy."

For decorations, she says there are some flowers that can help stretch your flower budget. "We find that working with Fuji mums, especially in reception and church work, is a nice bang for the buck. And asiastic lilies, we like to work with those."

Carnations are another affordable option for decorations, though Kuntze admits most girls have a "love-hate relationship" with the flower.

If you save dollars on the decorations, a bride can use more novelty-type flowers for the things she'll be more focused on, like her bouquet.

As for the bridal party, Kuntze says the focus should be more on the bride's bouquet and the groom's boutonniere. You can always scale back the bouquets for the bridesmaids, if necessary.

SENSE OF SEASON

"We hear a lot from girls (that) they want something in season," Kuntze says. But using seasonal flowers isn't as necessary -- or as much of a money saver -- as it was 20 years ago.

With most flowers imported from South America, blooms used in 90 percent of weddings are available year-round.

There are exceptions, like peonies, which are grown in the U.S. and are in bloom at the end of May. "There are few other flowers we can't get other than in season," she says.

Still, she directs brides to seasonal flowers for a seasonal look in their bouquets and decorations.