Flowers are a beautiful part of any wedding-but what happens to all of the floral after the big day? While the bridal party will take home their bouquets and boutonnieres, that still leaves the bridal bouquet, the ceremony arrangements, the guest table centerpieces, etc…, it’s impossible to expect one person or the newlyweds to bring home all of the leftover flowers. It’s even trickier if the bride and groom are going on their honeymoon right after the wedding and don’t want to take home any floral at all. We’ve put together a list of a few ideas for what to do with your floral after the wedding.
What to Do With the Bridal Bouquet
- Bouquet toss
This is a classic tradition at many weddings, and the easiest way for the bride to give away her bouquet. For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, it’s when all of the single female guests stand a few feet behind the bride. Usually a song like “Single Ladies” or “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is playing. The bride throws her bouquet backwards. Each girl has one mission: to catch the bouquet. The gal who catches it is labeled “the next one to get married.”
- Give to the longest married couple
Some brides order a toss bouquet for the bouquet toss and still have the bridal bouquet. A new trend is to give the bridal bouquet to the longest married couple. This can be a fun way to honor all of the couples in the newlyweds’ lives. This usually involves the DJ or MC asking for all of the married couples to come to the dance floor while playing a slow song. Then throughout the song, the DJ will announce, “If you’ve been married for one year, stay on the dance floor.” Couples who have been married for less than the given length of time return to their seats. The DJ continues with random years until only one couple (the longest married couple) is left. They win the bridal bouquet, and usually the DJ asks them to share some marriage advice to the bride and groom!
- Honor a special woman
For those who’d rather keep it simple, a nice gesture is to give the bouquet to a relative such as a mom or grandma. After the toasts, the bride and groom can ask the special woman in their lives to stand up as they recognize her.
Other Floral
- Give away to guests and vendors
Twenty centerpieces is not ideal to haul home. Instead, offer floral arrangements to the guests to take home. Or the couple can tell just the bridal party to each take one arrangement or any other people who helped out on the big day (personal attendants, family members who volunteered to help set-up and clean up, etc…).
Another idea is to let the vendors or venue take the floral arrangements. Let the DJ, photographer, videographer, planner, catering team, bartender, etc… take home an arrangement. It’s a nice way to lessen the floral load and to give the vendors an extra thank you.
- Spread the love by donating
The morning after the wedding, the bride and her mom can bring the extra floral to a local nursing home and give one to each woman. This can be a fun way to ask for marriage advice and hear their stories. Contact the nursing home a week or two before the wedding to arrange this!
Another idea would be to choose a local charity and give the flowers to either the volunteers or those using the charity’s services. Consider a women’s shelter, homeless shelter, a food bank, etc… Ask a coordinator if you could drop off the flowers the morning after the wedding and have them handed out throughout the day.
The couple can also donate the flowers to a local church or place that could use the floral as decoration.
- Share with another couple
If one wedding is on a Saturday morning wedding and another couple at the venue is having a Saturday evening wedding, ask if they want to split the floral costs and share the decorative flowers for the ceremony site, banquet room, etc… Ask the venue to email the other couple and extend the offer and contact information. As long as flower types, colors, and visions are agreed upon, it could be a great way to save money!
Featured image at top of blog photographed by J. Louise Photography and Rachel Marie Photographie.
