Photo Courtesy of Krystle Akin Photography
Floral Design by Holly Viles Events & Decor
When most couples think of the design of their wedding, one element they tend to focus on is flowers. Now some prefer more and some prefer less, but no matter the amount of floral, it seems to be a given that some floral will be included in the wedding day. But where to begin?
The best place to start is social media. Searching through Pinterest and Instagram for different wedding floral ideas allows you to see what’s out there, give you different styles to choose from and lets you explore the world of color from a floral perspective. Create a Pinterest board or find a way to store photos in an organized format that lets you save the photos you find that are inspirational to you. Try not to find the PERFECT image, but focus more on general images with different elements you like, whether it be the flower types, colors or general shape of a bouquet or arrangement. Try searching for key terms that match the style or colors you are attracted to, like modern blue wedding or rustic coral wedding. Don’t worry about mixing different styles like traditional ballroom or rustic ranch, your florist will help you mix and merge the different genres you pull from to create your own seamless personal style!
Photo courtesy of Miranda Marrs Photography
Floral Design by R Love Floral Design
Organize your collection of photos by type of décor element, such as bridal bouquet and bridesmaid bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres, ceremony décor, cake flowers, etc. This allows you to organize your thoughts and prepare for meeting with florists, so you can show them the different groupings to get your ideas across.
Once you feel you have a good idea of what you are looking for, start looking for florists that match your style. To do this, look at their website galleries, Facebook albums, Pinterest boards and Instagram feed. See if their style matches up with the photos you’ve chosen. If your photos reflect interesting containers, make sure you see some interesting containers in the photos from the florist. If you prefer more candles than floral, see if the florist has photos of centerpieces that reflect that as well. If you love a cascading bouquet, make sure you see photos of cascading bouquets that the florist has produced. Of course, you want to do your research and find a reputable florist that has great reviews and proven reliability as well!
Photo courtesy of Autumn Light Photography
Floral Design by Bella Flora
You might consider meeting with more than one florist (2-3 is plenty) and explore your ideas and style with them. Share your photos and explain the elements that are important or attractive to you in each photo so you both know what to focus on. Check out their container options and see what works well for your style. Florists are artists and when meeting with them, your goal is to get a feel for how creative their ideas are and see who is more in sync with your vision. Their input is very valuable as they know what flowers are in season, how to create the beautiful arch of floral you discovered or if the hanging floral elements you love are possible in the venue you’ve chosen.
Photo courtesy of Diane McKinney Photography
Floral Design by Pearls & Poppies Floral Design
Important: Do NOT expect to compare apples-to-apples as each florist should come up with their own ideas. Also, do not take proposals from one florist to another and expect them to duplicate each other’s work and price match. This is not their function nor will they feel comfortable doing this. Be honest with the florists you are meeting and give them the budget you want or need to stick to so they can work within that boundary. If you are a good fit for a florist’s style, they will work hard to make sure the ideas they can make work for your budget are worth it.
Once you’ve met with a florist, they should send you a proposal that reflects the concepts you brought as well as their suggestions and ideas. Great proposals include photos of the floral and containers to be used, line item descriptions of each décor piece (including types of flowers to be used) and price for that item. After receiving the proposal, you can certainly ask questions and make changes. From here, it’s up to you to choose the florist that you feel fits your vision and budget best!