Question for people who have gotten married...?

When I watch all these bridal shows, they spend thousands of dollars on flowers and decorations. What is done with this stuff after the wedding? Are people keeping them, or do the wedding planners keep the stuff, or is it thrown away?

Question for people who have gotten married...?
A lot is rented. Cake stand, tables, even often arches are rented and returned while the B%26amp;G are on their honeymoon. Everything at the ceremony that I used (the candleabras, pew decorations, etc) was owned by the church. Brides are stuck with leftover favors so I always suggest pick a favor you really like. My in-laws are still burning the candles from mine, but luckily she loves the smells I picked. I often suggest to brides who are searching for vases to contact former brides. I kept many of my vases from the reception but I gave a lot a way. One of my friends sold her entire lot of 20--the votive holders, the river rocks and the vases--to another bride for half price. Everyone was happy.





Most of my flowers didn't make it much after the ceremony. I have no idea what happened to my alter flowers but I think they were donated to the church.





Some brides are using live flowers for the centerpieces. After the wedding, they get planted in the backyard. So now the landscaping is more colorful.





I did preserve my bouquet and dress. A great lady presses the flowers in between two panes of glass so its a really pretty framed glass that sits on my shelves.





The wedding planner doesn't get to keep it b/c she didn't pay for it. So most of the time those big weddings you see on tv--those $100,000 or more affairs--they throw all that away. I mean if you have the money to spend 100 grand on one night of entertainment, you really aren't the type to try and save it afterwards.
Reply:For 'real' people, the trick is to NOT waste too much money on these. Flowers for our wedding were just under $800 - and it was just right for us!
Reply:Most of the time they just keep a flower arrangement or two for their home and the guest and family take it or it is just thrown away.


At my wedding I didn't spend much, and I did most of it myself, but the decorations on the tables and the flower arrangements I told my guest to take it and the rest I left for the hall to keep. (It was a knights of Colombus hall so they were happy to be able to have decorations for the hall)
Reply:I borrowed candle holders from my flower store they just had to be cleaned before being returned. The candles were all melted the flowers I kept and put in vases for the party the next day. I kept the rest of the decorations and lent a lot to my friend who gat married after me.
Reply:We're going to throw away the flowers (bought wholesale, so we just spent about $250 on flowers) and the rest of the decorations (glass vases, votives, cake stand, etc.) will be sold on craigslist.
Reply:We kept our personal flowers - bouquet and boutonniere, let everyone who received flowers - wedding party, etc. keep theirs. We certainly didn't throw anything out! We didn't over do either.
Reply:I know sometimes the flowers are donated to local nursing homes or hospitals. It's a really nice gesture and I believe it really does perk up the patients.
Reply:My reception hall provided artifical flowers as the centerpiece and it was part of our package. It was only $100 extra as opposed to spending $20-25 per table for a live floral centerpiece arrangement.





However, all of the other live flowers did not survive much longer after the wedding. My best friend's mom tried to preserve some of the flowers from my bouquet. Unfortuantely they did not hold up well in a move.
Reply:keep it simple...My daughter went to Gatlinburg and got married in a beautiful mtn chapel for $1100...we had 20 ppl and it was a grrreat day..
Reply:some things i rented such as chair covers and back drops. Center pieces were given to those who wanted to take them home. And the left over favors I left to the hotel's event planner. She is able to reuse some things as decorations.
Reply:geez - what bridal showers have you been to? I don't know any normal people who spend thousands of dollars throwing a bridal shower. Usually, it's done by close friends who do all the decor and food on their own so it's maybe a few hundred dollars.
Reply:I donated the flowers to the church. We had enough from Sam's Club that we made some for the wedding and some for the reception. Only the big arraignments went to the reception. It is my Grandmother-in-laws restaurant so she used them the next day at a party she had booked. As for the decorations I made them myself, they were used as gifts to people who helped out but weren't in the party. They had our names and wedding date. It was a candle plate. I think I spent like a total of $600 on the whole flower and decoration thing. I had my mother who did flowers so we bought the flowers from Sam's and she made them at the church. I put the decorations up by myself and I picked them out they were simple because the church was beautiful in it self. I didn't want to take away.
Reply:i have no idea, since i never had thousands to just throw away.


the stuff i bought i kept.
Reply:I kept my flowers and my husbands and all of my girls kept theirs, but the rest was thrown away, some wedding planners may reuse that stuff but i dont think thats the case with flowers