WEDDING FLORALS

When it comes to wedding planning, I have always looked forward to the flowers! I really feel blooms bring a room to life, and for us it will be a major part of the decor to accent our beautiful venue. We are envisioning all-white for a classic look, so when it came to choosing our florist, my friend Lisa, (owner of sweet Woodruff) came to mind immediately. Our aesthetics are perfectly aligned, so naturally I knew she would be the one we would pick to bring our wedding to fruition. Recently, Neal and I visited her beautiful studio in Toronto to chat about our vision for our wedding this summer. I asked Lisa to share her tips on how to prepare to meet with your wedding florist, read more below…

Have a budget… or at least a ballpark:

A comment I so often hear from brides is “I have no idea what flowers cost!” This is really common and totally understandable! Because of the varying nature of wedding flowers (season, quantity, variety) it can be hard to give a concrete price right off the bat. Your florist should be able to guide you and give you an idea of prices, but as a general rule you can expect to allocate 10-15% of your wedding budget on flowers (more if flowers are very important to you and are going to be a key part of your décor)

Even if you don’t have an exact idea of what you will have to spend to achieve the look you’re after, being able to give your florist a ballpark of what you’re comfortable spending can be really helpful for both of you. A ballpark figure will allow the florist to walk you through different options and possibilities within that ballpark. One thing I often like to do with my clients is present them with a quote that includes their wish list, then a separate quote that is more in line with what they’re hoping to spend so they can see the difference in price.

Ask about what is in season:

Using flowers that are in season can do two really great things for you. First it can help you maximize your budget and keep costs lower (using flowers that are not in season will bring up the price because they will likely have to be imported from somewhere else). Second, it can ensure that you have the prettiest blooms! Out of season flowers tend to be smaller and not as healthy looking as when they are fresh and in season.

Bring Inspiration Images:

Inspiration images can be really helpful for the planning process. I love looking at images a bride has collected on Pinterest or Instagram! The important thing to remember is that these images should be used as design “inspiration”, to get the ball rolling! Don’t expect your florist to recreate exact replicas of the images you have collected. You want your flowers to reflect when and where you’re getting married, you want your flowers to reflect you!

Thank you to Lisa for sharing this helpful guide! I can’t wait to share what she creates for our big day this July! For more of her beautiful work, visit:  sweetwoodruff.ca & for more wedding content click here!