2024 Brides Are Loving TikTok's Stunning Gardening Trend
Floral arrangements are as vital to a bride's big day as the statement veil or tiered wedding cake. Whether she's getting hitched at a mountain lodge, a banquet hall, or simply saying "I do" down at the courthouse, you can bet that flowers will (somehow) be involved. While couples will want to put their own personal floral stamp on a venue, it may be helpful to consider the freshest trends of the moment. According to Brides, more is more in 2024, especially as people come out of the pandemic and plan all-out celebrations to make up for time spent self-isolating. Be that as it may, lavish flower arrangements come with a hefty price tag. And users on TikTok are throwing out the whole "more is more" advice in favor of frugality and sentimentality. For example, some people are (literally) taking matters into their own hands by planting and growing flowers for their weddings.
After all, gardening is a labor of love, just like marriage. Even better, what may start as a way to reduce wedding costs can end up becoming a sweet bonding project for you and your significant other. Whatever the draw for you, this trend is clearly striking a chord with users on social media who like the idea of incorporating home-grown blooms into bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. In fact, one person on TikTok said that the best wedding planning decision she made was growing her own flowers.
Save money on wedding flowers grown from scratch
In 2023, TikTok user @taylor.weikel documented the process of planting and growing wedding flowers for her followers. Explaining that she and her partner began planting seeds on May 11, @taylor.weikel cut her beautiful harvest right before her wedding on July 29. In one video, she documented the 43-day difference in her blooms between June 3 and July 16. In another, she proudly showed off her first pink bloom. A third video outlined her farm-to-aisle process, including installing a 10-foot rebar (which her husband-to-be cut into smaller pieces) and using trellis netting to support the fragile stems as they grew.
As you may imagine, growing your own flowers is much more economical than enlisting a wedding florist. In the comments of @taylor.weikel's video, her followers estimated that she saved close to $5,000. This doesn't seem that far-fetched. According to The Knot, the average cost of wedding flowers in 2023 was $2,800. Of course, this is just a benchmark. As floral designer Yumiko Fletcher explained, a good rule of thumb is to allocate 10% of your wedding budget toward flowers, so that number goes up if you're planning an extravagant affair.
If you're looking to cut corners but don't have a green thumb, there are still things you can do. Swapping out florals for greenery or trendy branches will save you money in the long run. Additionally, Fletcher advises springing for seasonal flowers, which can help reduce costs.
Tips for growing the garden of your dreams
Say you're into this trend, but not feeling confident in your ability to grow a garden from scratch for such an important event. Take some of the pressure off! You don't have to go all out with lavish blooms; simply growing wildflowers for boutonnieres and bridesmaid bouquets will alleviate costs and make for an extra-meaningful wedding party. Plus, there are tons of easy-to-grow plants for beginners. Flowers like daylilies, black-eyed susans, and petunias are perennials, meaning you only have to plant them once and they come back every year. Others, like zinnias, are annuals and will need to be replanted — but they are fairly hardy and low-maintenance.
TikToker @taylor.weikel got married in July, meaning she could plant her flowers in spring and early summer, giving her lots of variety to choose from. But what if you're having a winter wedding? Depending on the climate where you live, flowers like poppies and primrose thrive in cooler temperatures. You can also think about cultivating indoor plants like orchids or begonias.
Whatever flowers you go with, timing — both when you plant and when you cut — is key. If you're harvesting flowers in warmer weather, be sure to cut the blooms in the morning to prevent them from wilting in the afternoon heat. Additionally, snip the stems a few days before the wedding, leaving enough time to prepare the floral arrangements. You can store them in water with flower food in the meantime. Happy planting!