Wedding flowers, where do I even start?
From my experience as a wedding planner in Southern California, flowers are one of the most talked about items regarding weddings. I am here to answer the most commonly asked questions regarding wedding flowers.
Typically how much should I budget for flowers? I would say around 8-10% of your wedding budget. My personal clients are more around 10%+ for their wedding flower budgets but if flowers are very important to you and your over wedding look then I would budget more around 12-20%.
Why is there such a big range of quotes when I reach out to different florists? The short answer is every florist runs their business differently and have different expenses. Some are solo florist that use standard floral equipment and some are very into ethically sources their floral equipment and not using some type of materials in which takes them longer to produce the arrangements.
How many florists should I get quotes from? I would say at least 2-3 or possibly more if you have a budget you are really sticking to.
Where do I find more affordable florists? I found through referrals is the best ways. Typically more affordable florists don’t have a huge following on social media which is harder to find them or they may not even advertise anywhere like a standard site like The Knot for more business.
I would first ask your venue for florist recommendations and if the only they have on their preferred list are not in your budget go take a look at their tagged page on their Instagram. You may find some gems on there!
How do I show my florists what I like? The best way is to create a Pinterest board and gather all the images you are drawn to for flowers. Then they will hopefully see a pattern of flowers you are drawn to and make suggestions on the flowers regarding your budget, color pallet you are going for, and flowers that are in season.
How can I lower my costs overall on wedding flowers? First talk to you florist they may have creative ways specifically for your wedding. But overall I think having two different style of arrangements may help. Have one arrangement very full and lush and the other arrangement with more assorted candles and smaller vases with fewer flowers.
Does greenery cost effective? It depends on the greenery you are selecting. Often greenery can be just as much as some flowers. If you are more of a DIY bride and drawn towards more of the Eucalyptus runner that is more spread out greenery than it can be. But a lush full greenery runner is often the same cost as a centerpiece especially if you still have to add candles to the table.
Should I buy my own flower vases and candles? Again talk to your florist first. They may have vases and candles that are very high quality that you can rent. Also if you buy your own vases you will have to send them to your florist as soon as possible to make sure they order enough flowers to make that arrangement full enough to cover the opening.
How long does it typically take to prep flowers for a wedding? Typically 2-3 days depending on the size of the wedding and the details. But assuming you have a Saturday wedding your flowers will come in on Wednesday or Thursday and your florist and their team will start prepping your flowers. Then they will start making the arrangements Friday and on Saturday the day of your wedding they will do last minute touch ups and do some installs like a ceremony arch or any greenery being displayed or hung up the day of your wedding as well.
What are the average costs of centerpieces? A general average would be $85-$200 per centerpiece. Here is Orange County though it is more around $125-$200+ per centerpiece.
How much is a typical wedding arch? Flowers for an arch typically range from $600- $4,000. Also remember you may have to rent an actually arch for the flowers to be displayed on and that can range from $100-$800.
Are LED candles tacky? No not at all, quit frankly a lot of venues require you to have LED candles and not an open flame. The disadvantage is they are more expensive than a traditional candle but some rental companies and florist have some for you to rent for your wedding.
What is the most expensive season to get married in regarding flower costs? Surprisingly it’s spring that has the most expensive flowers. A lot of the flowers are exotic flowers and are imported causing the cost per stem per flower to be higher.
Is there any other advice I should know? The best way to really have a wedding you envisioned as far as flowers go is really work closely with your florist. Express to them what is important to you and they can create something you will love and within your budget.