Maximizing Your Wedding Floral Budget
Maximizing Your Wedding Floral Budget
As a floral event designer, I know you have a vision of your dream florals. Trust me, I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen for you. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of walking down the aisle holding a bridal bouquet that overflows with beautiful blooms and elegant accents? If you’re wedding planning on a budget (we totally get it), you might worry your wedding florals need to shrink to balance out the quickly rising costs. We’re here to help! Here are a few tips for maximizing your wedding floral budget.
First, let me say that I truly prioritize understanding your budget and wedding vision from the outset. It's my goal to tailor a proposal that reflects your dreams without exceeding your financial limitations.
When budgets are tight, we simply get creative!
10 Tips For Maximizing Your Wedding Floral Budget
1. Realistic Expectation
I know this one is easier said than done. At Sweet Lilacs we know you probably have a Pinterest board brimming with beautiful blooms (oh, hey, we’re on Pinterest by the way). Keep in mind there is often a disconnect between Pinterest and reality.
Many of the photos on Pinterest are from inspirational photo shoots where vendors come together to create a fake wedding. These are not actual weddings with actual budgets. My advice is instead of searching Pinterest for inspiration, look at a florist’s portfolio or Instagram. This should give you a better idea of what type of work they can create for a real wedding.
At Sweet Lilacs our designs are relaxed, airy, casual, and romantic.
2. Choose Seasonal Blooms
Now, we aren’t telling you to plan your wedding around seasonal flowers, BUT if you have your heart set on peonies, plan your wedding for late May or June. If you have your heart set on dahlias, get married in the summer or fall.
Buying flowers out of their normal season is possible, but it comes with a hefty price tag. You’ll spend around twice or three times as much for your dream blooms. For instance, peonies during the summer or fall months are imported from areas like Alaska or South America or Holland.. You are paying for not only the flowers, but the transportation of these blooms to travel around the world overnight, received at an airport, shipped right to your florist's door and finally presented to you. Remember, flowers have a lifespan and once they are cut timing is of the essence.
Here are a few more seasonal blooms:
Astilbes, dahlias, zinnias and lisianthus bring brightness to summer
For a spring wedding, you’ll have lilacs, ranunculus and peonies in full bloom
Getting married in autumn you’ll have beautiful celosias, harvest sunflowers and heirloom mums in season
For a winter wedding you'll have your choice of anemones, hellebores and beautiful heathers
The good news is that we can come up with a similar look even if you are out of season. We’ll just need to put our heads together!
3. Floral Installations That Make A Statement
If you want to make an impact with your wedding flower budget, you can opt for a floral installation. These installations capture the attention and imagination of your guests. As a bonus, they can be used in any area of your venue. Floral installations are a stunning way of welcoming your guests with an oversized archway, or if you are getting married outdoors a hanging installation. At Sweet Lilacs, you know we love our floral arches!
These showstoppers make a great addition and they're often used as an alternative to an altar.
4. Source Flowers Locally
When you're thinking about your floral vision for your wedding and the components of your floral design (that’s what I’m here for), instead of thinking of the type of flower first, consider factors like the vibe you're going for or general color scheme, then let that guide us toward budget-friendly options.
Sourcing locally and seasonally is one of the very best ways to ensure you're keeping costs lower, and you can still work within that initial wedding floral vision. We always source locally when we can!
5. Find A Florist You Trust
Working with an experienced and reputable florist is essential when you're looking to work within your wedding flower budget. From me, you’ll learn where you should spend money and how your floral vision can be realized. Additionally, our extensive network and long-standing relationships have enabled us to source quality and the most diverse variety of flowers from around the world
We'll be there with you every step of the way, including installing your floral landscape on your wedding day! Our team, under the leadership of florist Susan Kelleher, provides exceptional service and inspiration for each bride.
We ensure your wedding flowers complement your wedding theme and unique color palette. This includes everything from YOUR perfect bridal bouquet that compliments your dress to the table centerpieces that look incredible without interfering with your guests' ability to chat during the reception.
Developing that friendly and trusted relationship with clients is at the center of everything we do at Sweet Lilacs. You can be sure you're spending your wedding flowers budget on a first-class service that delivers the bespoke floral you're looking for.
6. Go With Bigger Blooms
Consider going with bigger blooms for your wedding if you are trying to maximize your wedding floral budget. You’ll need fewer flowers if they are bigger, and that cuts down on the amount and the variety of flowers for your wedding florist. I would be happy to provide you with bigger blooms options in your color palette.
Using larger, inexpensive flowers to fill out centerpieces and create a sense of grandeur in your arrangements is the perfect way to cut down on your floral budget. Vibrant large open roses, and huge hydrangeas will help to make a statement without breaking the bank.
7. Repurpose Your Wedding Florals
Here's a valuable tip for managing wedding flower expenses: make the most of your floral arrangements. The advantage of using ceremony flowers is that they are pre-arranged and match your color scheme, allowing you to repurpose them for the reception. Request the help of your wedding planner or a couple of friends to transfer the ceremony flowers to the reception venue. This not only streamlines the process but also helps you save on additional decor costs. Consider repurposing aisle florals and using them to adorn various areas such as the front of the sweetheart tables, guest book table, dessert table, and cake table.
Repurposing ceremony florals to the sweetheart table after photography is a popular option. It adds a touch of personalization and saves resources.
8. Let Your Florist Get Creative
We absolutely LOVE and adore when brides allow us to flex our creative muscles. When brides allow us to be creative they typically give us some basic ideas and then let our professionalism and creativity come to life.
As an event florist I prefer creating within your budget opposed to creating without consideration of the cost. Tell me your budget and ask me how I would create amazing floral arrangements within that range. I’ll tell you!
9. Focus On The Reception Tablescapes
Your guests will spend the most time, on your wedding day, at your reception. Your centerpieces and tablescapes will be front and center. So, you want to give your guests an unforgettable experience. Have them oohing and ahhing over the beautiful florals that are sitting right in front of them.
Your floral centerpieces and tablescapes go a long way to making a huge impact, so they should be a major focus for your wedding flowers budget. We'll work with you so that your budget is spent wisely on creating magical spaces where your guests can savor celebrating your love.
10. Don’t Skimp On Your Bridal Bouquet
As the bride, all eyes are on you on your wedding day! Everything from your stunning dress to your gorgeous bridal bouquet that compliments it perfectly will be on display. For this reason, your bridal bouquet should be where a significant slice of your wedding flowers budget is spent and you want to take people's breath away with the results of your investment.
Your bouquet is the star of the entire day (well after you, of course) whether that's in your hands as you walk down the aisle, as decor on your sweetheart table after the ceremony, or during the much-anticipated bouquet toss (we will make a smaller toss bouquet, don’t worry!)
We take your dress style into consideration when helping you to choose the perfect florals for your bridal bouquet. Here are a few examples:
Wearing a romantic ball gown? Larger blooms like peonies, roses, and hydrangeas look stunning with a ball gown.
Wearing a fun shorter dress? We love to incorporate beautiful dainty florals such as sweet peas, lily-of-the-valley, or hand-tied posies to perfectly compliment your fun dress!
Bridal bouquets are unique to the bride and we love creating them! We love playing with different shades or bright florals for a statement bouquet that is a real crowd pleaser.
Not sure who should get flowers at your wedding? Check out our guide to Who Gets Florals On Your Big Day!
Looking to stay on trend for 2024? We’ve got you covered with 2024 Floral Wedding Trends We Love.
Ready to Make Your Wedding Flowers Budget Work For You?
Fantastic! We're excited to be part of your romantic story and to bring your wedding floral vision to life. We'll respect your wedding floral budget and help you to maximize it to create the wedding of your dreams!