5 Things Every Budget Bride Should Know when Ordering Her Wedding Flowers

Shopping around for your wedding flowers can be fun and exciting. There are so many different styles, color, and flower choices that the possibilities are endless. However a lot of us are so excited that we lose sight of reality and how much these dream weddings cost. So let’s put the vision board away and let’s talk about five things you should know before shopping for wedding flowers.

Beware of Pinterest

Floral designers both hate and love Pinterest. Pinterest is helpful when looking for examples for your wedding flowers. We often ourselves look for inspiration through Pinterest too! We like to showcase our work on it as well. But beware – what you see on Pinterest is usually the best of the best. So even though you might think it’s inexpensive it can actually cost a lot more than you think. We often see tips and tricks on Pinterest that are inaccurate or misleading. I encourage you to use it as a tool to get to know your style – just be careful not to fall down the Pinterest hole.

Budget 

Have a budget in mind. I can’t stress this enough – this is the most important thing you can do. We often don’t realize that things add up even if we go with the most budget friendly options. Your florist will ask you for your budget and can steer you in the right direction to make sure you can adapt your vision to your budget. This can save you a lot of time when choosing your florist and your floral options. Keep in mind it doesn’t necessarily mean that everything will come out right on the money with budget. But you will avoid getting a $10,000 proposal when your budget is actually $3,000. So come up with a reasonable budget and inspiration and let the professionals do the work for you. Keep in mind you’ll also have to pay for other costs, like set up, breakdown, and labor. Most brides have never ordered wedding flowers before so it’s natural to not know how much things cost and how things work.

Keep an open mind

We all have a vision of our dream wedding. But when being budget friendly, we should keep an open mind. Give your floral designer a bit of design freedom when creating your wedding flowers. This doesn’t mean not to go with what you want but often times I see very specific details that bring the price up. Remember, florists are the professionals who can help guide you into giving you the look you want for a better price. Find a florist whose design aesthetic you really enjoy – that way you can trust their decisions when creating your dream wedding. Make sure to be clear about what you like and dislike. Budget friendly doesn’t mean not getting the look you want. Any good designer will have your back in this process.

Flowers

When searching for inspiration photos, we see all these gorgeous flowers that create an intricate and detailed look. Stay away from flowers like peonies, ranunculus, King Protea, orchids and garden roses. These are very trendy but they are very costly as well. Stick to flowers like roses, carnations, stock, and hydrangeas. This doesn’t mean your invoice will come out to be dirt cheap but you can get more for your money this way. If you are truly in love with exotic flowers then try going smaller with your arrangements or mixing budget friendly flowers with a few statement flowers. Also, having lots of greenery does not mean your bill will be cheaper. It takes a lot of greenery to fill up vases and floral installations. Labor is also something we should keep in mind, so even if we go for the most budget friendly of flowers the labor plays a big part in the grand total as well.

Keep it  small 

The less you get, the less expensive it will be. Try and keep your guest count low. The lower the guest count, the less tables you need, so you’ll need fewer centerpeices. This can also help you get the look you want without having to buy so many of them. Some of the most beautiful weddings are small. Having smaller quantities means being able to spend more per arrangement. I’ve seen small weddings of 30 guests look like big elaborate weddings.  A common mistake I see brides make is having big bridal parties. Even if your bouquets and boutonnieres are budget friendly the more you have to get the more it’s going to cost. For example, let’s say you chose an inexpensive bridesmaids bouquet that’s $30, multiply that by 10 bridesmaids the cost goes up to $300 and that’s not including any of the personals like boutonnieres , corsages, etc.

Don’t be afraid my love! I’m here to help guide you in the right direction. Don’t be discouraged – your wedding is already beautiful all on its own. You are marrying the love of your life and flowers are the frame for the beautiful fairytale you and your partner have created. We all deserve a beautiful wedding no matter the budget. Have a beautiful day and blessings always.