The Willow · Surprise, Arizona · September 13, 2026
Every surface at the wedding, in the order guests meet it — with a mockup, a parts list, a unit cost, and how many of it we need. Build one, price it, multiply. Hand the whole thing to the coordinator and nothing needs explaining.
The spine of the whole plan
Guests move through the day in one direction. Decor moves with them — pieces built once for the ceremony are carried inside during cocktail hour and used again. Nothing is bought twice.
Guests park and walk the paver pathway toward the lawn. First impression of the whole day.
Guests see: the welcome table, the seating chart on the curved wall, then the arch across the turf.
30 minutes, outdoors on the turf, 144 chairs in two blocks facing the Traditional Arch.
Guests see: the arch clusters and the aisle markers — the only decor that matters for half an hour.
Bar opens. Guests drift to the south end of the same lawn while chairs are struck behind them.
Guests see: the bar, six cocktail tables, benches and cornhole — and the ceremony being quietly dismantled.
Acero doors open. Dinner indoors, dancing back outside on the slab.
Guests see: 18 dressed tables under the brass rings, the sweetheart table, cake and dessert.
Build one, price it, multiply
Costs are Hobby Lobby only — everything buyable in one trip. Stems come from bundles, not picks: a $7.19 bundle at an assumed 35 stems works out to about $0.21 a stem, where a single pick is $1.49. Counting one bundle in store is the single thing that would firm up every number on this page.
Outdoors where the paver path meets the lawn — the first decor anyone sees
| Arch-topped sign board | verify | $24.99 |
| Display easel, 5ft (paintable) | 2161420 | $19.99 |
| Large vessel | verify | $5.99 |
| ~30 stems + eucalyptus | — | $9.30 |
| 8 faux rose blooms | Afloral 4-pk | $2.72 |
| Per sign | $62.99 |
This arrangement is the template for the two ceremony back-row pieces — same language, same build, so all three read as one family. Weight the easel feet; the lawn edge is exposed.
Fabric only — no flowers
| Traditional Arch, 89 × 97″ | venue | included |
| White chiffon panel, 5 × 32ft | TCF | $27.99 |
| Clips + ties | — | $3.00 |
| Per arch | $30.99 |
One panel gathered at the top-left corner, falling down that upright, rest of the frame bare. The asymmetry stops it reading like a photo booth, and there is less fabric for the wind to fight. Skip a back ribbon — guests never see the reverse.
On the turf at each end of the last row — the ceremony’s only flowers
| Wide floor vessel | verify | $11.99 |
| Desert DryFoM brick | 665018 | $0.83 |
| ~40 stems + eucalyptus | — | $11.40 |
| 8 faux rose blooms | Afloral 4-pk | $2.72 |
| Per piece | $26.94 | |
| × 2 | $53.88 |
Framing the aisle entrance rather than decorating its edges — two statement pieces instead of six small ones, they read in the wide shot, and they are trivially easy to carry inside. Faux so they survive the heat and the move; fresh is an option if you would rather.
Leaning on the dark corrugated wall, beside the bar
| Arch-topped board, brass frame | verify | $39.99 |
| Brass clips + 18 name cards | — | $8.00 |
| Terracotta pot + ~15 stems | 1732627 | $7.14 |
| 4 faux rose blooms | Afloral 4-pk | $1.36 |
| Brass geometric lantern | — | $12.00 |
| Per display | $68.49 |
Straight from the venue’s own photo. The dark ribbed wall is why it works — a pale board and light flowers read bright against it. Board and lantern prices are estimates.
Counter kept clear — a mocktail menu, no flowers
| Wood-framed chalkboard, ~16 × 20″ | verify | $14.99 |
| Tabletop easel | verify | $5.99 |
| Chalk markers | — | $4.00 |
| Per bar | $24.98 |
No florals — the counter needs working space more than it needs decor. Drinks are alcohol-free, so the menu is the styling: five mocktails built from juices, sparkling water and fruit. The mockup names are a starting point, not a decision.
A small accent, nothing more — the top holds drinks
| Terracotta pot (6-pk ÷ 6) | 792788 | $0.33 |
| ~4 stems + eucalyptus | — | $1.34 |
| 1 faux rose bloom | Afloral 4-pk | $0.34 |
| Per table | $2.01 | |
| × 6 | $12.06 |
The one place clay still earns its keep — small, warm, and it reads against a dark outdoor tabletop where clear glass would vanish. Deliberately tiny.
Three clear bud vases along a cheesecloth runner
| Cheesecloth runner, 10ft | TCF | $7.69 |
| Clear bud vase × 3 | 685644 | $7.47 |
| ~9 stems from bundles | — | $1.89 |
| Eucalyptus picks × 2 | HL $1.49 | $2.98 |
| 3 faux rose blooms | Afloral 4-pk | $1.02 |
| Per table | $21.05 | |
| × 18 | $378.90 |
An 8ft table seating 8 is long — one centrepiece leaves both ends bare, so three small vases give rhythm down its length. Clear glass disappears and lets the flowers read. Each arrangement is only ~8″, well under sightline. THE RUNNER IS THE BIGGEST SINGLE COST ON THIS PAGE at $138 across 18 tables — worth pricing bulk cheesecloth by the bolt before committing.
A table for two — bare wood, candles, flowers on the floor
| Glass hurricanes × 6 | verify | $24.00 |
| White pillar candles × 6 | verify | $9.00 |
| Florals — migrated from ceremony | — | $0.00 |
| Per table | $33.00 |
Rebuilt from the venue’s own sweetheart photo: the wooden top is left BARE — no runner — with just two clusters of pillar candles in glass hurricanes, and the flowers standing on the FLOOR at each end. This is a table for two, so a full runner would read like a guest table that lost six people. The two ceremony back-row arrangements are exactly the right scale to flank it, so the florals cost nothing extra.
The dessert is the decoration — flowers are a small accent
| Clear bud vase | 685644 | $2.49 |
| ~4 stems + 1 bloom | — | $1.34 |
| Eucalyptus pick | HL $1.49 | $1.49 |
| Votive candles × 2 | — | $1.00 |
| Per table | $6.32 | |
| × 3 | $18.96 |
Most of this surface is taken up by cake, cookies, tarts, plates and forks — there is no room for an arrangement and it would look cluttered if there were. One small bud vase tucked beside the cake stand, a couple of votives, a few loose eucalyptus sprigs on the wood. Roughly a tenth of the visual weight. The venue library has no cake-table photo, so this one is grounded on the general pattern rather than a photo of this room.
5:30–6:30 PM, during cocktail hour
Staff strike the 144 ceremony chairs. In the same window, these pieces are carried in. This is why every arrangement has to be liftable by one person, stable on turf, and water-free — which dried and faux both are.
Saved by reusing rather than buying twice: $85.38.
One trip, one cart
Buy before mid-August
Fall floral is 40% off now. The deeper markdowns (50% in November, 80% later) land after the wedding. And with 18 tables you need one consistent SKU in quantity — buy the whole lot in one trip rather than accumulating.
| Item | Item # | Unit | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunny Tails Bundle, burnt orange | 5541784 | $7.19 | 6 | $43.14 |
| Bunny Tail Bundle, beige | 1776616 | $6.99 | 5 | $34.95 |
| Lagurus Bundle, burgundy | 2405926 | $7.99 | 3 | $23.97 |
| Wildflowers Bouquet, burgundy | 6042600 | $8.39 | 2 | $16.78 |
| Pampas Grass Stem, 39″ | 2411015 | $4.79 | 4 | $19.16 |
| Terracotta Flower Pots, 6-pk | 792788 | $1.99 | 8 | $15.92 |
| Terracotta Low Cylinder Pot | 1732627 | $3.99 | 2 | $7.98 |
| Amber Glass Bottle Vase | 6410971 | $5.99 | 6 | $35.94 |
| Desert DryFoM Bricks, 6-pk | 665018 | $4.99 | 1 | $4.99 |
| Display easel, 5ft | 2161420 | $19.99 | 2 | $39.98 |
| Chalkboard + tabletop easel | verify | ~$20.98 | 1 | $20.98 |
| Taper candles + brass holders | verify | $12.00 | 1 | $12.00 |
| Florist wire, tape, twine | verify | $4.00 | 1 | $4.00 |
| Arch sign board + seating chart board | verify | ~$32.49 | 2 | $64.98 |
| Brass clips, name cards, lantern | verify | $20.00 | 1 | $20.00 |
| Estimated total | $684.25 | |||
Faux blooms on the 18 guest tables and everything that migrates; fresh only where the camera goes — the arch, the sweetheart table and the bouquet. Hobby Lobby has nothing close to Afloral on value per bloom.
| Item | Vendor | Unit | Detail | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terracotta Rose Bush, 4-pack | Afloral | $10.99 | 32 blooms — $0.34 each | 2 | $21.98 |
| FRESH roses + ranunculus — arch | florist / Costco | ~$45.00 | day-of, ceremony arch clusters | 1 | $45.00 |
| FRESH roses + ranunculus — sweetheart | florist / Costco | ~$25.00 | day-of, three clusters | 1 | $25.00 |
| Bridal bouquet (fresh) | florist | TBD | not yet costed | 1 | — |
Against a $500–1,000 budget that leaves real headroom — candles, linens, or fuller arrangements are all affordable from here.
The separate track
Hobby Lobby has no terracotta or rust bunny tail — the closest is burnt orange, and it's out of stock online. Afloral does, dyed and dried, and at volume it is cheaper per stem than anything local. This is an ordered-once, shipped track that runs alongside the Hobby Lobby trip, not instead of it.
| Item | Price | Unit | Per stem | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terracotta Bunny Tail Grass | $18.00 | 60 stems | $0.30 | The true terracotta Hobby Lobby does not stock, in any quantity. |
| Natural Bunny Tail Grass | $22.00 | 32″ bunch | — | The undyed cream partner — mixing the two stops it reading flat. |
| Dried Feather Pampas | $28.00 | 3 stems, 45–48″ | $9.33 | Taller than anything local. Height for the arch corner. |
| Preserved Eucalyptus Bundle | $38.00 | 1 lb | — | Real wax-preserved eucalyptus. A pound covers a lot of table. |
The decision: ~580 stems are needed across the whole wedding. Afloral's terracotta at $0.30/stem covers all of it for about $175 in one order with a consistent dye lot across all 18 tables. Hobby Lobby's burnt orange is cheaper per stem but colour-varies by bundle and depends on seasonal shelf stock. Shipping time is the risk at 13 days out.
Print this part
Written for someone who has never seen the plan. Everything guest-facing must be finished by 4:30 PM — guest arrival, not the 5:00 ceremony.
How the place actually fits together
Plan view, north up. Buildings sit west, the lawn runs east of them. Everything guests do happens in a single loop — arrive north, ceremony on the lawn, drift south for cocktails, then west into the hall and back out onto the slab to dance.
Where everything goes
Enclosed, air conditioned, new sliding glass. Brass ring chandeliers, warm-white walls, polished concrete.
Turf lawn, north end. Chairs facing the Traditional Arch, saguaros flanking.
South end of the same lawn. Guests move, they do not travel.
Open concrete slab, no roof. The curved retaining wall carries the seating chart.
West end, roofed but open-sided. Dashing Spirits serving.
East edge of the slab where it meets the turf.
Blocking, or close to it