7 Things Your Wedding Florist Wishes You Knew

From creating your flower budget to picking your blooms, here’s what your florist wants you to know.

By: Amanda Mushro

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What You Need to Know Before Picking Your Flowers

You have a vision of how you want your wedding flowers to look, and your florist wants to bring that vision to life. But, before you say peonies, roses or hydrangeas, there are a few things your wedding florists wishes you knew.

To get the inside scoop on all things blooming on your wedding day, we talked with Lauren Phillips, owner of The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From breathtaking bouquets to dreamy flower walls, Philips’ creativity helps bring her bride’s flowery dreams into reality.

Putting More Budge in Your Budget

According to Phillips, it’s important to talk budget with your florist so they can show you items that are tailored to fit it.

“Nothing makes us sadder than to see a client fall in absolute love with something they ask for, just to see it’s priced above what they can afford,” Phillips said.

So how much should you budget for wedding flowers? “Generally, we see people spend 10 percent to 15 percent of their overall wedding budget on flowers,” Phillips says. “There are different things that are important to people about their wedding day and the more emphasis they want to place on flowers, the more we see them hit or go above the higher end of those percentages.”

Greenery Isn’t Cheap

The trend of using lush greenery as part of your décor is a great way to give an organic feel to any venue. However, Phillips warns that some greenery can cost you a lot of green.

“Adding it as table runners or as accents on signage, mantles or chairs is such a great look!” Phillips said. “However, it still carries a price, and while it can help make a budget more manageable, the greens people tend to fall most in love with (the ones that permeate Pinterest!) can be on the higher end of cost.”

Your Venue Matters

Your wedding blooms are the perfect way to make your venue shine. Take pictures of the venue with you or set up a meeting at your venue with your florist so they can be inspired.

“Using a very empty space and relying on florals only for decor doesn’t lend itself too well unless you plan on doing heavy florals in multiple areas, in which case there are so many options!” Phillips said.

Here’s something for summer brides to consider: weather should be taken into consideration.

“Outdoor venues are some of our favorites,” Phillips said. “However, in the muggier months like July and August, some flowers may fall short of their life expectancy due to humidity and the blazing rays of the sun.”

Take Pinterest with a Grain of Salt

Just like us, Phillips says your florist loves Pinterest, too. However, she warns her brides that some of those gorgeous images are not always possible to recreate because many of those pin-worthy images are highly edited! So many of the colors of the flowers are not attainable because of filters and editing that have been used to create the tones of the flowers. So, while Pinterest is a great place to brainstorm and create visons for your blooms, not everything you pin can actually be recreated.

Seasons Matter

Your florist will do their best to create the wedding flowers of your dreams, but Phillips wants her brides to remember that not all flowers are available for all seasons. However, if there is one particular, off-season bloom that is a must-have, it will cost you — sometimes as high as quadruple its in-season price because of sourcing requirements from other countries.

Break Tradition

Get creative, girl!

“If you have a vision and it isn’t traditional, that’s O.K., its actually great,” Phillips said.

Florists love to see and create the untraditional—let them! Remember, groomsmen don't have to wear boutonnieres, bridesmaids can carry floral hoops or even wear floral swag in lieu of bouquets, and a bridal bouquet can be wildly designed by your florist.

They Love What They Do

Floral design really is an art and your florist loves what he/she does.

“We love flowers, we love creating and we love the artistry that goes into creating what you have envisioned for your wedding day,” Phillips said. “We literally stay awake at night and agonize about the one bloom in your bouquet that hasn’t quite opened the way we want it to in the time frame we want it to for your wedding.”

They love seeing your reactions to your beautiful bouquet and they can’t wait to make your day even more special and beautiful with your flowers.

7 Things Your Wedding Florist Wishes You Knew

Related To:

Shop This Look

What You Need to Know Before Picking Your Flowers

Putting More Budge in Your Budget

Greenery Isn’t Cheap

Your Venue Matters

Take Pinterest with a Grain of Salt

Seasons Matter

Break Tradition

They Love What They Do

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