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I was at a wedding where each bridesmaid carried a single calla lily. It was really elegant, and no one noticed the lack of bouquets.
Personally, I think they should have flowers or something. I think there are budget ways to do it w/o hurting the budget. For example, just one bloom? Or one bloom with fillers like baby's breath?
DIY would be a huge savings if you have the time for it. That's what I plan on doing.
Good Luck!
I would try to DIY their bouquets...if you go to Costco or a flower market, you could pick up some inexpensive flowers and make your own bouquets (Costco's roses are beautiful, cheap, and come in lots of colors...like I think they have a 2-dozen bunch for $20...also, carnations come in tons of colors and are really inexpensive and look fantastic when all bunched together)...and you could probably find a how-to on weddingbee, and especially on Marthastewartweddings.com!
I vote for DIY, especially since their bouquets are typically smaller. And it could be a fun "girly" project for your wedding! My favorite tutorial is here:
actually at Costco.com you can order bulk flowers super cheap and they will deliver them to you. It is awesome. I should probably stop posting about this or people are going to think I work for Costco, but doing this is leaving me enough wiggle room to get my hair done instead of doing it myself! Just baby's breath could be super cute if it fits with your wedding.
I vote DIY as well. It's really simple- there are lots of tips on the boards here at Weddingbee and it will save you a ton.
I did my bouquet, 4 BM bouquets and 7 bouts out of roses for less than $150!
I prefer the idea of a single bloom, I have seen lilies & gerbera daisies this way.
I think what I might do is some nice round bouquets of just baby's breath or another accent flower.
I had a destination wedding and was in the same boat.....the florist wanted to charge $250 per BM bouquet or $50 for a single rose! So I nixed the flowers and went with parasols that cost under $10. This worked well for my beach wedding. If your ceremony is indoors, I would go with a single bloom - just so the ladies have something to hold. It won't look awkward and no one will notice.
Geez, Yach. . . is your florist on crack? I think you were right to choose parasols instead - and they'll last longer than one day. Good for you for not paying that $50.
OK- I had another couple of ideas-
1- a corsage instead of an entire bouquet, either to pin to their dresses or to wear on their wrists.
2- a nosegay instead of a bouquet (nosegays are just much smaller, fewer flowers, less expensive)
3- What about getting them each a clutch or purse that they could carry? Something that goes with your wedding (modern, classic, simple, fancy, etc.)
Something like:
i agree with Miss Crème Brulée: the single calla lilly looks really elegant! my BM's will be carrying a very small bouquet of white roses, and we're currently thinking about using silk flowers, because they're cheaper, and look almost the same!
For my sisters wedding the Bridemaids carries three pink roses each. The stems were wrapped totally in Pink Ribbon. It wasn't expensive at all. She also saved using a Florist who worked out of her home.
I've seen some really cute briedemaids bouquets made out of origami flowers. I've also seen tissue paper and Christmas ornament bouquets, which are super cute and cheap. Or if you're crafty you could make them out of fabric and buttons. Your bridesmaids could carry a fan or a clutch instead of flowers too. If you're having a beach wedding, I think parasols are a great idea or big conch sheels would work, too. I'll put in some pictures of things I'm mentioning.
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My friend did fake flowers for her wedding, and no one other than us could tell and we got to keep them after the day. She said it was a lot cheaper. She had a certain artist do them, idk who though.
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I didn't have flowers for the bridal party or family members. Flowers were just such a waste of money. I gave the GMs pocket squares and the BMs pashminas and ended up saving ~$350.
I think they should have something - even a single callalilly or a few gerber daisies.
I'm doing antiqued lace hand fans (they are STUNNING!) - $4.50 each...I only have 3 BMs.
I have seen really cool paper flowers that the bride made that you could definitely do! Good luck!
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you could make pomanders using silk flowers. I made them for my flower girls using silk hydrangeas from Michaels. They look amazing and really didn't cost very much at all. You could have the girls help you make them (they're a little time consuming). It would be so unique for your BMs to carry them!
I made a DIY post on a pomander I made a few weeks ago with silk hydrangeas. Super easy and looks beautiful. Just scale it down to be handheld - they're super easy to make!
Don't feel terrible! I'd second just about any of the suggestions made so far. A single flower looks so elegant! No one would think that you were being cheap; it looks classy! Also, MissEdamame's DIY pomander also turned out fantastically... so you definitely have options.
I love the look of carnations (in the same color) and bunched all together, they make great bouquets and are pretty inexpensive! Here is an example: 
I vote DIY as well. We are doing all of our own flowers to save money, and total it will save us about $400!
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See if you can mix DIY-ing and using a real florist. It ultimately does help if you have a professional in there somewhere. I actually heard that it is better to havce the florist professionally do the bm bouquets, and DIY the reception table flowers...all you need to do is go to the flower market (for me that means Trader Joes) and get a bunch of flowers and stick them in vases! VWALA!
The single flower idea is also really beautiful. What about Sun flowers? Even hydrangeas are pretty inexpensive.
You could also do fans...or bouquets made of feathers!
It's nice to have something to hold onto if your not used to being on a stage (ie aisle)
I would keep it simple unless you are looking for a project. One type of flower with a ribbon wrapped around them.
Daisies are nice. A happy flower! And inexpensive.
I love the idea of a single bloom. I've also seen parasols in the complimentary wedding color (i.e. a pink/brown wedding where the BMs wore brown and carried a pink parasol) carried by BMs at an outdoor wedding; it looked fabulous!
Here's a post from Miss Powder Puff on a wedding with baby's breath bouquet...http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/19/ask-and-ye-shall-receive-3/
It is really inexpensive & looks so beautiful.
Thanks for you all the great ideas. I am lot calmer now after reading your responses. I was shocked at the price i was paying. Rosychicklet, I love the clutches! My plan now is go out this weekend and buy some flowers to try DIY. I will also check out Michaels for silk flowers. I'll make a decision then.
You can go to a wholesale florist in your home town and find a single type of flower that you like and you can tie a ribbon around the stems. Also, I had a friend tell her florist that she needed 12 table arrangements but didn't tell them that it was for a wedding. When you say the word "wedding", the price is automatically inflated. She then went to another florist and had the bouquets done.
My Junior Bridesmaid is carrying a decorative lantern, in memory of my mother. I have no clue how that will look but we will find out.
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@rosychicklet: I love that idea! :)
Also, I have been wondering about having my 3 BM's carry a single flower (tulip, since that's the only flower I want at my wedding, as they're my absolute fav!) and maybe a clutch too...hmmm....
I have a friend that works for a purse company..so mayyybee I can strike a deal there?!
I'm also on a budget...so I'm always now trying to cut down my 'wants/fantasy' for my wedding. *Wheels a'turnin'* Having to be 'realistic' sucks..haha..but if my FI and I are having to pay for this wedding..etc. Then I have to get a little more creative...
@MissVelvetCake: Hope you figured out what to do! :)
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I feel terrible. I've had this thought in my head and I can only share this with weddingbee. I've just gotten the quote from my florist and the bridesmaids bouquet (six of them) are expensive. Question:
Must I get floral bouquets for my bridesmaids? Or should I find a cheaper alternative and save money? I am over my budget so any savings would be great.
Thoughts anyone?
Maybe I should try DIY their flowers?