Photo credit: Michelle Renee Photography; Serena Rose Flowers by Jamie
When planning the details of your dream wedding, chances are that flowers are one of the main items you’ve considered for your list of items you need to complete your big day. It’s ok to admit that you’ve spent more than a few hours day-dreaming about your bouquet, centerpieces and ceremony floral arrangements. Wedding day flowers can be a key detail to complete the overall look for your wedding theme. However, we completely understand that if you’ve checked out Pinterest lately for inspiration and shared them with a florist (or have yet to do so!), you’ll quickly realize that your flower budget doesn’t actually align with your vision.
Don’t lose hope! We’re here to tell you that there are many ways to have flowers at your wedding without breaking the bank and going over your budget. With these tips, you’ll be able to navigate the appointment with your florist to best work together without sacrificing your vision.
Choose In-Season Blooms
If you are trying to keep things budget-friendly, choosing flowers that are currently in-season for your wedding date is a must. Why? Florists work directly with suppliers and flowers that are in bloom for the season and location of your wedding date will be more readily available vs. flowers that must be custom ordered from a specialty grower or another part of the country where they are in season. If something has to be custom ordered, it is a safe bet to assume it will be pricey. When starting to work with a florist on a quote for your wedding, make sure you ask for a list of flowers that will be in-season on your wedding date that will help to keep costs down.
Questions to Ask
- What flowers are in season on my wedding date?
- Are there any flowers available in which price doesn’t change by the season?
Go For Similar Blooms
While there isn’t a bride alive who doesn’t love peonies, if you aren’t having a spring wedding, you will most likely be paying a premium per bloom. However, there are other flower varieties that can give a similar look and feel for less including certain varieties of garden roses and ranunculus to peonies for example. If you aren’t sure which varieties can give a similar look for less, work with your florist to help identify ways to reduce costs without sacrificing a look or style.
Question to Ask
- Which flowers are a good alternative to the blooms in my inspiration photos that can help reduce overall costs?
Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize!
If you are looking for ways to reduce costs within your flower budget, make a list of priorities. For example, perhaps you can splurge on your dream bridal bouquet with all of the exotic and pricey flowers you desire while reducing overall cost of bridesmaid bouquets by reducing blooms or selecting complimentary flowers that aren’t as pricey. Other ways to save on your flower budget is to reduce the total number of arrangements. Consider alternating floral centerpieces with candles or opting out of ceremony floral arrangements if your ceremony location doesn’t need much dressing up.
Questions to Ask
- How can I make the biggest impact with my wedding flower budget?
- Can you itemize each item on the quote so I can make decisions to fit my budget?
- Do you have any suggestions for how to best meet my flower budget?
Consider a Few DIY Projects
If you are really trying to reduce costs, are there some items you can do yourself for your big day that won’t have too big of an impact to your stress level or timeline. Most florists will allow you to purchase flowers by the stem and/or bunch based on quantity. So, if you have a plan to do simple centerpieces of bottles with a single bloom in each, that’s easily something that your wedding coordinator, mom or a friend of the family can put together the morning of the wedding. Pinterest is of course a great source of inspiration. However, a word of caution - don’t over extend yourself. There will be more details and last minute requests of your time and attention the week before and the morning of your wedding than you anticipate no matter how organized you think you will be. You want to be sure that you can enjoy the time leading up to your special day, so be sure to consider the time and effort it will take for DIY projects and if they are really essential to the day or worth the money saved in the long run. Also, be sure that you don’t offend your florist by insinuating that you can easily do her job. Do your best to explain that you are trying to cut costs and want her input on what projects you may be able to tackle yourself and get her advice along the way if needed.
Questions to Ask
- Do you sell individual flowers or bunches of baby’s breath?
- Do you think this is a project I can easily do myself?
- Do you have any tips for how to easily complete this project?
The most important thing when trying to reduce your budget when working with a florist is to be transparent and open about your budget and your expectations from the very beginning. Most florists will ask you for your budget during the initial consultation, so be honest when answering them to set expectations from the get-go. Understand that they are not asking to judge you or over-sell you (although there may be a few exceptions), but simply trying to understand if your budget aligns with their ability to meet it based on your desired vision and number of items required for your wedding day. You should view your chosen florist as your partner in creating your vision for your dream wedding, we promise it will pay off for everyone in the end.
At Dellwood Plantation, we love to work with a variety of vendors to help our couples create the wedding of their dreams at our venue. View our preferred vendors list for our recommended wedding vendors.