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We’re talking about one of my very favorite topics today: flowers! For most people, a wedding day is the only opportunity they have to work with a florist on such a large scale, so it’s no wonder that the floral industry can be a bit confusing to navigate during wedding planning. With the help of some florist friends, we’ve compiled our tips for making the most of your floral budget and your working relationship.

Set your budget first. Even though it’s difficult to guess how much the flowers you want will cost, you can still set a floral budget that makes sense within your overall budget. Knowing your budget will help your florist recommend flowers and styles within your price range. It’s also helpful to have a general idea of numbers, like how many reception tables and how many bridesmaids you’re having, before your first meeting, as most proposals are priced per piece. Since flowers are often much more expensive than brides expect, if your heart is set on a certain type of arrangement or pricey bloom, know in advance what other costs you’re willing to cut back on in order to make your floral dreams come true.

Rachel + Daniel‘s wedding by Tim Will, bouquets by Martha Kern

Be flexible about specifics. So many factors go into beautiful blooms–season, weather, location, and so on and so forth–making it hard for a florist to make any guarantees about what will be available and in good condition on your wedding day. As well as communicating your favorite flowers to your florist, discuss the colors and feel you’re going for. They will make their best effort to get you the blooms you want, but if anything goes wrong, they can use their expertise to find substitutes that will fit the overall look you’re going for and look great, instead of using a sad-looking flower because it’s one you HAD to have. To improve your chances of getting your must-have flower, find out when it’s in season in your area and set your wedding date accordingly. We love using our flower chart on page 65 of V6 as a reference!

From Rachel + Zack‘s wedding by Kristin Vining, bouquets by The Bloom Room

Organize your inspiration. Florists are visual people, so lots of picture inspiration is helpful IF it’s well organized. Instead of general captions like “love this” on your Pinterest board, identify WHAT you love about different arrangements and bouquets. Is it the shape? The texture? The colors? The specific flowers? Making a note of what specifically draws you to the picture will help you communicate your vision and style much more effectively.

From Tami + James‘ wedding, by Adam Barnes, flowers by Holly Heider Chapple

Be realistic. One of the biggest pet peeves we’ve heard from florists is when brides bring in pictures of grand arrangements or pricey blooms, and ask for something similar on a minimal budget. Keep in mind that floral arrangements in magazines and on Pinterest are often the most unique and expensive in a florist’s portfolio. Instead of asking for an exact replica of an arrangement you love, bring your inspiration photos to your florist and have a conversation about what you like about them. Love the large scale of an arrangement? Use lower-cost greenery to get the same big impact. Love the fullness of a big peony bouquet? Create the same lush effect with different flowers that fit into your budget.

From Kelly + Marvin‘s wedding, by Katie Stoops, flowers by Growing Wild Floral Company

BYOA: Bring your own accents. Supplementing your florist with vessels and bouquet wraps is a great way to save money, because you won’t be paying for the time they spend searching for something perfect for you. Just be sure you’re willing to do the work and have the resources to do so before adding this task to your to-do list, and be aware that wide and intricate ribbons come with their own price tag – often upwards of $15/yard.

From Samantha + Micah‘s wedding by Amy Arrington Photography, bouquets by The Flower Garden

Is there anything else y’all would add to our list? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Holly Heider Chapple and Amy Arrington Photography are delightful members of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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  1. avatar Sarah reply

    Great tips!! Another bonus of BYOA is that you get to keep everything afterwards! We’re purchasing a few of the vases and planters ourselves, so we’re choosing things that work for the wedding and our home.

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As I’ve confessed before, I have a soft spot for less-common flowers. I OF COURSE love a good peony as much as the next gal, but I’ve always prided myself on being able to recognize most flowers by sight (the result of years upon years of absorbing wedding magazines and Martha Stewart Living, as well as a general interest in gardening). However, I totally understand that most gals (and pretty much all guys) would return a blank stare when asked to describe an anemone, clematis, hellebore, freesia, or protea. And what, exactly, is the difference between a cabbage rose and a garden rose?

That’s why I’m in love with today’s sponsor, the Flowerwheel app! To put it simply (and in their words), “Do you love flowers? We do. We believe in helping you learn about the flowers you love.” Brilliant!

Flowerwheel has a library of more than 500 blooms, all beautifully and cleanly photographed so you can clearly see the difference between a hydrangea and a hyacinth.

Each flower’s entry contains detailed photos and a description, so you can easily see when your favorite blooms are available, as well as whether they’re hardy or fragile.

You can search by color or month, and save your favorites to share with your florist, your mom, or your friends!

Any other budding gardeners out there? Or brides who want to be informed, with ample info at their fingertips? This app’s for you! It’s available on the app store, and you can check out the Flowerwheel site for more information!

P.S. I just have to give a shout-out to Karin, the creator of Flowerwheel and the mastermind behind all of the gorgeous blooms in this post, as well as Annabella Charles, who provided all of the beautiful images!

emily Written with love by Emily
8 Comments
  1. avatar Nicole reply

    What a fun app! I love when y’all highlight such useful things! :) PS – can you PLEASE tell me the script font you used in the post?? I have been looking everywhere for it!

  2. avatar Kristin reply

    Pure genius!! Where was this app when I got married?

  3. avatar Georgette reply

    This app is AWESOME!! What a great way to learn about flowers,but also to purely enjoy the beauty of them! I’m leaving here and going straight to the app store. Karen you are a Genius!!!

  4. avatar Stacy reply

    What an awesome app. How about showering some love on the Android users?!

    • avatar Flowerwheel reply

      Stacy: We are wokring on Android as well, but the code is different. We have had a lot of requests for it and decided it’s time to see what we could create (it’s only fair!). Thank you for the comment. We love feedback.

  5. avatar absolute events reply

    That is awesome!!! definitely a MUST for flower lovers iphone users!!!

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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