Wedding flowers and decor

I didn’t think about the time of year and what flowers would be easy to get and which ones I couldn’t get. Also some flowers don’t last very long in warm weather so be sure to ask.

I contacted 3 florists and each had a more outrageous minimum price than the next. I was only asking for 2 bouquets, 2 boutonnieres, and petals and got quotes of 2500 to 3000 😂. I did find one florist willing to work with me without insane prices, but ended up deciding on lings moment DIY.

Comparison shopping really helped daughter. She ended up finding a florist she LOVED who was $1000 less than her next lowest bid (and provided much more in terms of both quantity and quality, and was a delight to work with). I agree that the season and specific flowers you want can make a huge cost difference. Go in with an overall vision you have and then ask what the florist can do to make that work within your budget. For example, "garden roses" look very similar to peonies in a bouquet, but are a LOT less expensive. Adding Hydrageas to the BMs' bouquets and centerpieces made them fuller and less expensive than using just roses in them. Using low, simple glass vases that the florist painted gold were a tenth of the cost of other container options. Daughter's florist was an independent wedding florist, who just does one wedding a weekend, and is not associated with a commercial florist/storefront, so she was much more flexible than others we talked with. AND, she had a gorgeous portfolio and extremely positive reviews. Hang in!

Not all flowers come in the shade you're looking for. The type of flower I wanted for my bouquet came in a lighter shade of my wedding color so I had to opt out for a different flower.

Those really nice garlands that you see all over pinterest are actually very difficult to setup and thus oftentimes very pricey to have at your wedding. Opt for a fake garland instead.

Make sure everything that your florist is using for centerpieces and decor is actually yours at the end of the night. Sometimes florists allow you to rent vases, lighting and other items which means they want it back by the end of the night. That means you can't give it all away at the end.

People really won't pay attention at the end of the night so keep everything in perspective. Do you really need that 8 foot vase with the fairly lights intricately strung through each stem so it lights up when people enter? Probably not because no one is going to remember those things. They're going to remember the food and entertainment.

Come up with a price point before you meet with your florist and then left them tell you what would work within that price range. Don't go into the appointment with no idea of budget otherwise you'll be spending so much extra cash because the book they give you for ideas is really going to take over and you'll order way too much.

My florist was incredible- she gave insight into what may or may not work. I wanted evergreens in our arrangements, so she suggested one that wouldn't let off much sap.

She also works from home, with her workspace being on the property. We were able to see how she works and keeps her shop too.