Flower budget

The price of flowers can depend on where the flower is coming from as it may or may not be in season near you as well as how difficult it is to grow, etc. Most brides search the Internet and magazines for photos of bouquets that they love then take the pictures into a florist, unaware of what the cost might be. Here are a few tips on ways you can save on your flower budget:

• Downsize your containers. If you originally had a vase requiring 20 roses to give the right effect, consider choosing a smaller vase that needs only 5 roses. Also if you love peonies or garden roses (we love the "fluffy" look these two have), you'll definitely want a smaller container. These flowers are big and usually don't take much to give the look you want.
• A trend that has been in for the past couple of years is really cost effective: "going green." You can use ferns, ivy, eucalyptus, curly willow sticks, and many other plants that will save you money and give more of that natural look to your centerpieces.
• Try not to get hung up on a certain flower that costs $10 a head or getting attached to the idea of traditional centerpieces with 50 stems each. If your florist is good they'll be able to help you find a flower that's similiar to the one you want but for a lower cost. Daisies are great because they come in lots of colors, are inexpensive, and can be arranged in several different ways.
• Try to limit your centerpieces to have 1-3 flowers each. If your arrangements have more than that, then chances are your florist is having to order more than he or she needs which is going to cost you more. See if they can use the same flowers in your bouquets or in other arrangements used to decorate at the ceremony and/or reception site.
• If you want a variety of flowers you may want to consider using shorter vases instead of tall. They tend to have smaller openings and will require less flowers to make a pretty impression. If you love the look of tall flowers like hydrangeas or gladiolas, tall vases are great and curly willow, feathers, etc. can always be added to fill the space.

At The Hamilton Event Center we include all of your centerpieces so you don't have to worry about contacting an outside florist to bring things in. We have several different sizes of vases for you to choose from, and the flower possibilities are just as varied.

Last minute summer bride?

If you're recently engaged and wanting to get married this summer come to The Hamilton Event Center! We're offering a summer special: If you book your reception with us for the months of June, July, or August we'll give you 15% off! That can add up to a huge amount of savings! Here is a list of everything we include with our reception packages:

• Tables & Chairs (60" round tables and mahoghany Chiavari chairs)
• Floor-length Tabledrapes with Organza Toppers (you choose the colors to match your color scheme)
• Plates, Glasses, & Flatware (glass plates and real glasses, the silverware will be rolled into a white linen napkin for you and your guests' convenience)
• Draped Food & Cake Tables
• Ornate Silver Cake Stands (1 round and 1 square that will accommodate nearly every size and shape of cake)
• Toasting Flutes (you're welcome to bring in your own)
• Tea, Coffee, & Water (unlimited refills for you and your guests)
• Signature Punch served in our Silver Punch Bowl
• Swan Ice Sculpture (situated in the center of the buffet in a large tray of ice that you can put shrimp, fruits, or veggies on instead of on a tray)
• Fresh Floral & Candle Centerpieces (completely customized to your style)
• Multiple Glass Candy Containers (if you're doing a candy bar, we don't want you to have to purchase or a rent any extra containers)
• Multiple Servers (they take care of refilling the food on the buffet table as well as clearing away dirty plates and glasses and cutting and serving your cakes)
• Room Hostess (she makes sure that things flow smoothly the entire night)
• Microphone & Sound System (for any announcements, speeches, etc. that need to be made; our sound system includes mp3 player and laptop hookup and a Blue Ray DVD player)
• Setup and Cleanup (we will have everything setup and ready for you and your guests upon arrival, and we will clean up everything once you and your guests have left)

What we don't provide:

• Food (this can come from any caterer, restaurant, cook it yourselves, premade trays--whatever type of food you want)
• Cakes (again, these can come from any vendor, but remember, we have the cake stands here)
• Photographer
• DJ (we have mp3 player and laptop hookup if you want to save on the cost of a dj and just bring in your own music to play through our speakers)
• Alcohol (bring in whatever wine or beer you want, the size of cup you want it poured into, and we will have a table set up for everything to be out on so guests can serve themselves; or hire an ABLE-licensed bartender to serve mixed drinks and manage a cash bar)

We take care of most of the hastle so planning a last-minute reception is easy! Give us a call at 405.608.0342 if you want to schedule a time to come in and see or send us an email at hamiltoneventcenter@mac.com.