Cheap lanterns, bulk flowers, metal stamping...

...these are the things on the long list of ideas I've googled* today.  My sister, mom, cousin, and I made the the flower arrangements for another cousin's wedding this past weekend.  It took us about 6 hours to make a bunch of boutonnieres and corsages, one bouquet, and about a dozen table centerpieces.  If we were to do the flowers for my wedding, I'm estimating that it will take at least that long.  We're going to have more bouquets and boutonnieres, but because I have very few requirements for the types/number of flowers used (appropriate colors, not too many, and inexpensive) I doubt we'll need the extra hours is took to strip delicate tulips in the middle of August.  Here are some photos I'm using as inspiration:

I love the hypericum (what looks like berries) mixed in this unstructured bouquet.  I LOVE what is generally considered greenery and fillers.  I'm hoping that by purchasing large flowers I'll need less of them and can compensate for the lack of flowers with a lot of greenery.  

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Again, large flowers, greenery, and fillers.  This centerpiece is appropriately low and small.  No one will have to move it to accommodate our family style meal or speak to some one across the table.  (Smaller = less expensive = happy bride)

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The following photos have been sitting on my desktop for so long that I no longer can remember where I found them.  If you know, please comment and I'll add credit!

This is the right size, but the more I look at it the more I think it's not full enough.  It looks like a second - day centerpiece instead of fresh and perky.

I  LOVE this arrangement.  It's small, fresh, with enough green and white.  If we added some magenta/purple/whatever-the-heck-our-accent-color-is-called it would be perfect.  My fear is that I love this because it's in milk glass, which we will not be using.  Unfortunately it doesn't fit in with the overall theme of the wedding. Sad day.

If I had long rectangular tables I'd definitely do this.  It may still be an option if I work up the courage to go on the hunt for that many gorgeous bottles.

When baby's breath is used alone in bunches it looks less like a filler and more like a flower.  (A filler that's a flower? Sign me up!)  Assuming my DIY goes well, we'll be using baby's breath in monogrammed hanging cones down the aisle.  

My mom looked and I could see the conflict in her face that I know I feel.  This is so gorgeous but will probably last 5 minutes and not be worth the cost at all.... just like gardenias.  

How my heart yearns for gardenias.  

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That's 50 (OMG FIFTY) hand wired gardenias y'all.  When we lived in Alabama my mom planted them all along the backyard and I don't think I've ever really loved any flower since.  It's such a shame they are so fragile they'll turn brown when you just look at them.  Sigh.

Most of the flowers I like can be purchased at Costco or Sam's Club in bulk.  If we're getting married, we can have them delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday, make all the arrangements on Thursday, and then deliver them to the venue on Friday morning.  My cousin has already very generously offered to help putting them all together and I'm hoping that we can enlist an aunt or two to help.  The boys are going to have to be responsible for the transporting.  (Thanks in advance, babe!)  Any suggestions for working with deliverable flowers?

*Isn't it cool that "googled" is a verb?