Your wedding day will be one of the most memorable days of your life. Very few events have so many pictures, videos…. oh, and loved ones, of course. Your wedding day is designed just for you, by you! Organizing everything can be daunting. This guide will provide some great tips for finding the right florist for you and how to maximize your budget while bringing your magical day to life.
Wedding Vision Board
You likely have an idea of what your wedding will be like; even if it is just a general idea, that's ok. Do you want a themed wedding? In which season do you want to be married? Will the wedding ceremony be in a church or a scenic park?
All of these things matter when choosing your flowers. We like to think that the flowers are the most important element of the day, but the reality is that every aspect of the day should work together. This is where a vision board/book comes into play. It can be complicated to visualize every single detail at the same time. And when it comes to your service providers, a picture is worth MORE than a thousand words.
A good florist will understand the style you are going for and make suggestions based on what you share with them. Go through the whole book with your florist. As an artist, it helps them understand the atmosphere you are trying to create. For example, if your wedding dress is simple and sleek, you may not want a massive bouquet that oversteps its bounds. Conversely, if you have a very full wedding dress you don't want your flowers to look like an inadequate afterthought. If a florist is not interested in your vision, you may want to keep shopping.
Your Wedding Venue Is A Major Factor
If you already have a venue selected/reserved, let your florist know that detail. Like the vision board, this will naturally hone the florist’s vision of what accents and focal points will create that wow factor you are hoping to achieve. Additionally, some venues have restrictions or requirements with which a local florist will likely be familiar.
Some examples of how a venue matters for floral design include the general feel of the surrounding architecture. Do you plan to be married in a formal atmosphere such as a fancy hall or a place of worship? If so, your focal points, accents, and bouquets should reflect that. If your wedding will take place at a shabby-chic barn, the same is true. The florist will likely use different greenery and accent flowers to round out your bouquet and such. If you are in a park that has a lot of floral elements (landscaped or natural growth), your florist will likely avoid competing with mother nature for a focal point.
Wedding Flower Referrals
They say that experience is the best teacher, but most of us do not plan on doing this multiple times. So where do you go for advice? Several excellent sources can give you an idea of who you should consider working with and who you may want to avoid.
Family & Friends
Set some time aside with a friend who was recently married locally. They will be glad to share how things went with their florist. Your friends and family will also have an idea of what they wish they would have done differently.
Wedding Venue
If you have your venue locked in, it would be a great idea to speak with a coordinator at that location. These professionals have seen dozens of weddings. They get to know the florists, DJs, photographers, and pretty much any other service provider you could need. Sometimes the venue has preferred service providers that they trust. Otherwise, you can count on an unbiased opinion. Either way, the site staff can be a great source of info.
Wedding Planner
If you are working with a wedding planner, you are likely in good hands. Wedding planners tend to have a robust network of service providers. A wedding planner works with companies with a proven track record of delivering excellent service.
Websites
This may go without saying but search the web as a good starting point. A florist is an artist. A good florist caters to a plethora of styles, but their flare will show though; it is a part of who they are. This is why you should check out some florist’s websites to get an idea of who has similar design tastes. This will help ensure that the style you want will come through naturally.
Bonus Tip: Make sure that the florist uses their own designs on their website. Many have canned designs that they try to replicate. Local shops such as Tandem Studio Floral only display original work.
Flexibility Is Key For Success
At this point you have your vision board, you have spoken with friends, you likely know what venue you will be using, and you have made the all-important decision of who you want to work with as a florist. You are ALMOST there! Ideally, you will have a lot of confidence in the florist you work with because flexibility is necessary for both sides.
If you have shared your vision, why would you need to be flexible? That is an excellent question, thanks for asking! As you perused Pinterest, Instagram, and various wedding websites you likely viewed a variety of flowers that may be out of season for when your wedding is scheduled. In some cases, the flowers in a bouquet or focal point may not be readily available because their natural habitat is in another country. Another good reason to be flexible is for budgetary reasons. Online pictures are designed to look amazing without regard to cost. It makes sense; they are trying to "wow" you. Your florist can work within the parameters of your vision and budget by substituting certain elements that will still give you the same feel. That being said, your florist should be willing to suggest/advise options for keeping within budget.
Bonus Tip: When getting quotes, ask for a high-end quote and a lower-cost option. These quotes should be itemized and call out some of the differences that affect the cost. This will help you decide which elements are worth the cost and which ones may be worth substituting.
Wedding Flower Mistakes To Avoid
We find that many people are just as interested in what not to do, as they are about what we recommend. So, here are a few common mistakes that you can avoid.
- Procrastinating Don't wait to select your florist. Try to make your decision as close to a year out from the wedding day as possible. The extra time will increase your odds that your top-choice florist is available on that day. Also, allowing plenty of time to prepare will increase the likelihood of sourcing the materials needed for your special day. It will also give a cushion for any unexpected changes that may surface.
- Lack of Communication Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but they do not replace words. As you go through the examples with your florist, let them know what you like about each example. Do you like the fullness, the colors, the overall shape of the bouquet? Is there a couple of specific flowers you must-have? Do you like the material used to wrap the stems? Details matter. The more you communicate, the closer your florist can get to what you want.
- Spreading Resources Too Thin If you have champagne taste on a beer budget, that is not a problem. As mentioned before, there are often substitutions that can provide the same feel at a lower cost. The mistake to avoid is trying to spread your budget across too many elements. If you need to consolidate, work with your florist to invest in the most visible areas and cut back on accents. Your pictures and videos will be focused on the alter (for lack of a better term) area and the bride’s bouquet. Table accents can be scaled back, bridesmaid bouquets can be toned down, and isle accents will not be remembered for years to come. Focus the budget on the visible. Allow yourself to have that “wow factor”.
Every facet of a wedding has a plethora of options and price points. Selecting a wedding florist and what flowers you want for your day is no exception. Your friends at Tandem Studio Floral hope that these tips will help make this area of your wedding planning a bit less overwhelming. No matter where you are from, we encourage you to work with a reputable local shop. Trust your most precious day to someone who is vested in the community and proudly stakes their name on providing excellent goods and services for the community. For more floral advice or to customize some ideas for your wedding day, give us a call or stop into Tandem Studio Floral. We would be honored to help make your vision a reality.
