Your Complete Guide to Wedding Flowers

How do you achieve that Pinterest-perfect look without the Pinterest-worthy price tag, which can easily run in the thousands for some of today’s trends? I’ve seen my fair share of wedding flowers — and trust me, things can go from utterly breathtaking to downright disastrous in the blink of an eye. The tips below will help you stay on the side of the former, and you’ll have some serious fun watching your wedding vision come to life!

The internet is your friend, but approach with caution.

Remember all that talk about Pinterest price tags? Sticker shock for wedding flowers is very real, but it’s easily avoidable. When you’re browsing for inspiration, always always remember to think about the precise details you like in a photo. The more specific you can be about your vision, the more you can trust the pros in your corner to pull off a look you love within your budget.

Speaking of budgets, HAVE ONE.

One of the questions I get asked the most by my clients is how much they should be budgeting for their wedding florals. Obviously, so much of that answer is going to depend on variables like the size and style of the wedding. However, a good starting point would be to browse your local florists to see if they have packages and pricing readily available. Then, you can go into the process of picking a florist armed with an idea of the going local rates and what you’re willing to spend to get the look you want

Internet stalk your potential florists.

Your sister’s best friend’s cousin may have referred you to a florist she absolutely loved at her own wedding, but that doesn’t mean that will be the right florist for you. Once you’ve taken in all the internet inspiration your wedding planning brain can handle, start checking out the websites of your local florists. Browse galleries of their work, and then cross-reference them by checking out their social media pages and review aggregating sites like WeddingWire or Yelp. If you don’t see anything like your vision in a florist’s showcase of work, be sure to ask for specific projects they’ve done that may be similar to yours. Floral design is an art, and if the artist doesn’t share your aesthetic, it can be a sure recipe for disappointment.

Finally, trust the experts.

If you’ve followed the above steps, you’re now in contact with a floral professional who really *gets you* and is aware of your vision and your budget. Trust that your florist wants to create a wholly unique masterpiece for you, and be open-minded to their suggestions about how to make that happen within your budget. Unless you’ve spent years assembling delicate boutonnieres at 3AM, you can probably learn a thing or two from the kind of person who knows the difference between amaranthus and amaryllis just by looking at them.

With just a touch of legwork and a solid handle on your vision for your wedding, finding a florist and collaborating to bring that vision to life can be one of the most fun parts of wedding planning!