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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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A Tennessee bride took an innovative approach to cut down wedding expenses before her big day.
Taylor Weikel, 30, opted to plant and grow her own wedding flowers ahead of her special day. It became a decision that not only saved her a significant sum of cash but also captured the attention of viewers on social media. The sports and brand marketing coordinator, who married in July 2023, shared a video to TikTok on May 12, which showed her preparing the flowers in May last year.
"We would estimate that we saved anywhere from $5,000 to $6,000 in florals, based on what we wanted to achieve at the venue with a florist," Weikel, who is known as @taylor.weikel online, told Newsweek. "My now-husband was surprised to hear what the average cost of wedding flowers can be. He suggested that we try to plant and grow our own from seed, to help save on costs and stay within our budget."
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Wedding planning website The Knot placed the average U.S. wedding flower cost in 2023 at $2,800, based on internal data, but this price tag can vary dependent on the couple, their budget and their tastes. Weikel's turn to amateur floristry was partly a response to these unpredictable expenses.
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"Wedding floral costs can span a huge range, depending on what type of vibe you are going for," the marketing coordinator said. "Our estimated costs in supplies for what we grew in our yard was roughly $300, and our seed packets were only $1.99 each."
Weikel and her husband had decided to plant zinnias, dahlias, carnations, ranunculus, cosmos, asters and marigolds in their yard. They focused on flowers that would be ready in time for their wedding, given their six-month engagement.
"We learned that roses and baby's breath would not grow in time for our wedding, so we planned ahead to supplement with those as needed," Weikel said. Despite the challenges, the couple's efforts paid off. "We had more than enough flowers for our wedding; we didn't even pick them all," she added.
The amateur floral display turned out to be a hit at Weikel's wedding and her hack has since gained significant attention online, having been viewed more than 15.4 million times since it was shared to TikTok in May.
"I want to do this but I have no idea how the timing would work for a wedding in May 2025," one user, @paigeleffler770, wrote.
Another, @sarah.jws, added: "I'm doing this RIGHT NOW for our wedding next year!"
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"This is genius," a third user, @amandyx3, said.
While Weikel did achieve the substantial savings she had hoped for, the couple's DIY approach meant that they had to make some adjustments as some floral designs were out of reach.
"I always wanted an all-white bridal bouquet with roses and other white florals for my wedding, so we did go to a local florist for that," Weikel said.
After discussing costs with the florist they decided to go their own way, but the couple soon discovered that Weikel's dream rose display would not grow in time for their big day. To avoid further disappointment, the couple made planning and calculating timings their priority.
"My advice would be to read the seed packet on when to begin growing so that they can all be ready in time," the 2023 bride said.
Do you have any funny wedding videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.
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