A great way to reduce the cost of flowers at a party is to use day-old rose petals instead of fresh-cut roses. At a recent event at Carrots [1], the hostess [2] filled oversized martini glasses with deep red rose petals. The petals were scattered on tables between candles and used as garnish in the pomegranate martini [3].

I talked to a local florist and a grocery bag filled with day-old rose petals costs $30-40, much less than the fresh cut flowers. If your florist doesn't have day-old roses, purchase cheap roses from Safeway [4] or Trader Joe's [5]. Usually you can get a dozen roses for under $10, but you'll have to take them apart yourself. If that doesn't fit into your budget, silk rose petals [6] are super cheap at a craft store.