Simple can be beautiful.
One very simple look that’s featured a lot lately is the sap bucket (or galvanized pail) filled with baby’s breath.
You’ll find them lining aisles for outdoor weddings on every wedding blog (mine included). It’s represented (or inferred) that they’re a “cost effective way” to decorate a ceremony space which is why I want to shed a little light on this.
Baby’s breath (Gypsophila) has clearly found its place over the past few years. It’s airy, light quality is ephemeral, fluffy and best used en masse.
When done well it can be impactful, but when we look at the numbers here’s what you get…
You can expect to pay $25-30 per bunch from a florist. For a sap bucket to look “full” you’ll need 1.5-2 bunches. Add in the cost of the sap bucket and you’re looking at anywhere from $50-75 per bucket.
Now, multiply this by the 10-20 buckets lining the aisle and you’re looking at…well…cha-ching.
Takeaway Tip: Before you get your heart set on a particular “simple” look talk to your floral designer to see how she or he can maximize your style and budget.
My personal history with baby’s breath started over 20 years ago when it was considered purely a “filler” which was included with every single stem red rose or dozen roses wrapped. A couple of years later when I was working at a flower shop in Burlington the owner officially put a price on baby’s breath…something like $1.50 per stem which officially gave the filler a value. The next shop I worked at didn’t even carry baby’s breath (or carnations) and I thought this made us unique…we were bucking tradition. Now all these years later baby’s breath has made it’s way up the ranks to “focal flower”.
