When you’re in the process of planning your wedding day, there’s no denying that there are more than a few decisions you’ll need to make. From touring local wedding venues to taste-testing catering options and so on, you’ll definitely have a blast designing every single aspect of your big day. Going along with the theme of wedding planning decisions, wouldn’t you agree that beautiful flowers are also a MUST for any wedding? It may not seem as pressing of a decision as some of the others, but it’s also undoubtedly something that can have its own unique impact on your wedding day. On today’s blog, we’ll take a deeper look into wedding flowers and how you can ensure you select the perfect florist for your special day.

Before we dive into some flower talk though, we would like to say hello to any first-time visitors. Our venue, Madera Estates, is a luxury event space based in Conroe, TX, just north of Houston and The Woodlands. Over the years, we’ve been honored to have had the opportunity to host hundreds of amazing weddings at our venue. One of the funnest parts of our job is getting to see first-hand the different ideas couples come up with for their big day. Whether that be in regards to the final send-off, ceremony attire, photo booths or yes, even the flowers, it’s safe to say the wedding industry is one that’s constantly evolving. As mentioned above, today we’ll be discussing the flower aspect of weddings and hopefully it’ll help ease any concerns you may have when it comes to selecting your florist.

So…what should you be looking for in terms of an ideal wedding florist?

Photo on the thumbnail courtesy of Ama by Aisha.

Finalize Your Budget

While we would love to dive right in and talk about beautiful peonies, lilacs, tulips and so on, we felt a more appropriate point to start off with involves solidifying your budget. As we often say, having a rough budget established early on in the planning process will make your life so much easier (and much less stressful). Generally speaking, most couples typically allot 7-10% of their total budget on flowers. Based on your total budget number, this should give you a general idea of how much you can plan on spending for florals. Keep in mind that the time of the year (in which your wedding will be held) can also determine how easy (or hard) it will be to get certain types of flowers, thus potentially impacting the overall price tag. All in all, work on getting your budget established early on and then plan on your flowers taking up roughly 7-10% of that amount. 

Ask Your Venue

Considering most venues host plenty of weddings year-after-year, they can be an excellent resource for selecting various vendors, including florists. Plus, having worked with different local florists, they can get an idea of what your overall style is and connect you with a florist capable of making that style a reality. Going hand-in-hand with this, if the wedding venue you select is active on social media, check out their feeds and chances are you’ll come across more than a few floral arrangements in the photos. Many times, wedding vendors will also tag the other vendors involved in that particular wedding, which can be a perfect tool for finding the perfect florist. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Budget With Potential Options

Money is certainly never the easiest of topics to discuss, but as evidenced above, it is simply part of the wedding planning process. Having said that, if you have a favorite florist in mind, don’t be afraid to share your budget with them. Not only will this ensure they can steer you in the direction of arrangements that fit within your budget, but they also may have some ideas of alternate flower types that could stretch your budget a little further. Many of the talented florists are definitely creative, as well as experienced at producing floral arrangements for weddings. As such, feel free to lean on their knowledge to help guarantee you get beautiful flowers that still fit within your budget. 

Understand the Various Floral Arrangements Involved

While picking out wedding flowers might sound pretty straightforward, the truth is there are a variety of different things that it entails. You’ll obviously want bouquets for the bride and each of her bridesmaids. Likewise, you’re going to want boutonnieres for the groom and his groomsmen. After that, you can essentially break down the remaining floral arrangements between the ceremony and reception. If both are being held in the same space, you may be able to dual-purpose them. However, if you have two separate spaces for each event, you need to evaluate each individually. For the ceremony, you have plenty of potential areas to include floral arrangements, such as along the aisle or behind the altar. In terms of the reception, you’ll obviously need centerpieces on all of the tables in which your guests sit. After that though, it’s entirely up to you. Many couples also opt to include arrangements for the table where the bride and groom sit, as well as for the wedding party. Long story short, having a general understanding of all of this prior to meeting with florists will make the entire process that much more seamless. 

Utilize Online Resources

We briefly mentioned social media above (in regards to wedding venues), however there’s no denying that it has become an incredible tool in the wedding industry. Speaking from our personal experience, we love utilizing it as a way to highlight the different aspects of our wedding venue, as well as provide inspiration from some of our prior weddings. For someone that’s currently planning their wedding and brainstorming ideas for floral arrangements, here’s how you can utilize it:

Inspiration – Creating Pinterest boards and saving Instagram posts can be a great way to compile different ideas that catch your eye. Having these all together in one place will then make it so much easier when you start meeting with local florists. You can show them the style you had in mind and ultimately determine if that is something they can replicate.

Vet Potential Options – Particularly if you live in a larger market, such as the Houston area, it can quickly feel a little overwhelming just how many vendors there are out there. This is true for caterers, photographers, florists, venues, you name it! As such, take advantage of the information online to help you determine whether a particular vendor is reliable and professional. Check out their social media pages for examples of their work. Read reviews to hear what past customers had to say about them. Obviously, you can’t believe every single thing you read online, but in this case, the information can nonetheless be helpful!

Still Need a Venue?

Without a doubt, beautiful flowers are something you simply need to have at a wedding celebration, right? Before you start meeting with local florists though, you’ll likely want to have your wedding venue locked in! As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, our venue Madera Estates is based out of Conroe, TX. With a Spanish and European-inspired theme, we offer both venue-only rentals and all-inclusive packages. For those currently engaged and searching for their dream wedding venue, we would be delighted to invite you to tour our venue. To do so, feel free to click HERE to check out our online booking calendar and select a time that works best for you.