Wedding Floral Fumbles

Flowers can help define your wedding style by adding a touch of drama, elegance, or whimsy. With thousands of buds to choose from, selecting the right wedding flowers for your ceremony and reception is no small feat. It also helps explain why so many people fumble when it comes to flowers. Here are a few floral foibles to avoid on your wedding day:

Waiting too long to book a florist: Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today, especially when it comes to selecting a wedding florist. Many blooms need to be ordered in advance and shipped overseas, requiring ample lead-time. Picking a florist early in the wedding planning process not only ensures that you’ll get the flowers you love, but it can also help you make other wedding-related decisions that affect the theme and feel of the day.

Being difficult, close-minded, or uncooperative: A florist is a flower expert so their opinion and wisdom should be trusted. If a florist discourages the use of a certain type of flower (even if you have your heart set on it) or color scheme, you should listen to them. Communicate your preferences and trust the professional to bring your vision to life.

Communicating poorly or not at all: If you expect your florist to create arrangements to your taste, you need to communicate clearly with them. Gather photographs and bookmark websites featuring buds you really love to show your florist. This will give her a clear picture of what you’re looking for and eliminate the chance of an unsatisfactory finished product.

Ignoring the budget: Like every other part of the wedding, flowers need to be budgeted. Blooms can be pricey, depending on the type or number you plan to include, so be sure to carve out a reasonable spot in the budget to accommodate the cost. Once you have a figure in mind, stick to it, even if it means sacrificing in some areas. Having a clearly defined budget upfront will help the florist accommodate you, while still choosing beautiful blooms for your wedding.

Forgetting the other details: Flowers can be stunning on their own, but you need to keep the big picture in mind when selecting wedding centerpieces and bouquets. Think about the dresses that you and the bridesmaids will be wearing, the other colors prominently featured in the ceremony site or reception hall, and the table linens that will be holding the centerpieces. All of these details, as small as they might seem, can drastically influence the way your flowers are seen.

Refusing to reuse: Don’t be afraid to make your flowers multitask! You can get the most out of buds, and your wedding budget, by using the same arrangements for the ceremony and reception. Altar arrangements can be recycled on the head table or buffet table at the reception, while aisle flowers can make beautiful centerpieces.

Wedding Flowers by Season