Hiring a professional wedding florist can significantly enhance the overall experience and aesthetics of your wedding. Here are several reasons why it's a good idea:
Expertise and Creativity
Professional florists spend years learning and perfecting their craft. You need to carefully study what flowers need what kind of prep and care to have them look their best (and survive until the wedding). They have the experience and knowledge to suggest what florals best fit your theme in your season and projected weather-pattern.
Florists have extensive training and experience in floral design and care. They know how to create beautiful, balanced arrangements that fit your wedding theme and style. Not only that, but florists can bring unique, creative ideas to the table, offering designs you may never have considered. I cannot tell you how many brides come to me telling me they hate roses and don’t want to use them in their design…until I show them the wedding varieties we have access to. Florists know exactly how different varieties can arrive, how they open, and how they photograph. There are hundreds of varieties of just roses, all in various colors and shades. Even different names coincide with different growers, which can affect the overall look. Allowing an experienced professional florist to take the reins on your wedding design can truly transform your vision into reality, often exceeding expectations with their creativity.
Quality and Freshness
Flowers that you get from a florist are not the same quality you will see at your local grocery store. Professional florists have access to a wide range of high-quality flowers from reputable wholesalers and farms. This ensures the best florals are used to really achieve the look you are going for.
Florists ship in all items the week of your event, and start processing and preparing all items usually a couple of days before the day. Experienced florists know how to keep your florals fresh throughout your wedding, from the ceremony to the reception. You don’t want to have to worry about your flowers dying just because you bought the wrong type of flower and didn’t know how to properly take care of it.
Time and Stress Management
It’s easy to look at how-to Tik Toks or reels that are sped up and think, “Yeah, I’d love to spend the day before my wedding relaxing and sipping mimosas and playing with flowers”. It’s easy and fun to “play with flowers” for your wedding until you have to process a stack of boxes of florals that need to drink water IMMEDIATELY. Planning a wedding is time-consuming. Why would you want to put the stress on yourself by forcing yourself to spend 1-2 full days before your wedding just working on processing, designing, and caring for your flowers? Forget if you want to go to brunch with your family or girlfriends, or have time to relax while getting ready for your rehearsal. You’ll have to plan all the days around tracking down your florals/accepting floral delivery, then have to stay behind to work on and care for your florals.
Once your florals are made, that’s only part of the job. Logistics and handling of wedding florals is a crucial part of the overall work that cannot be overlooked. You have to make sure you have large vehicles (or multiple vehicles) ready and prepared to take all items to the ceremony/reception location safely. Professional florists come well-prepared with vehicles equipped to handle transportation of your arrangements so they are not damaged in transport. It is also very easy for your professional vendors to coordinate all schedules on your behalf, giving them the ability to ensure everything is in place and looks pristine. This gives you peace of mind, and allows you to focus on the most important aspect of your wedding: GETTING MARRIED!
Customized and Personalized Service
Professional florists know how to take your vision and create a personalized, beautiful, cohesive look. They must consider all aspects - bouquets, centerpieces, linens, dresses, suits, accent decor, stationary, venue, etc. For example, the majority of my brides want a classic white wedding with deep greenery. This does NOT mean that I treat and create all weddings with this same inspiration the same. One of my favorite aspects of working on weddings is always talking to the couple to see what is most important to them and their big day. Once I do this, I am able to take their preferences, style, theme, and budget to tailor the perfect package for them.
Problem-Solving and Contingency Planning
The best thing to come to terms with in wedding planning is that nothing ever goes exactly according to plan, and that’s ok…if you have the right vendors. Professional wedding vendors have experience dealing with common issues that arise on the big day. We always plan for the unexpected, and you don’t want your careful planning to go to waste just because of something minor that was out of your control.
Florists always have a backup plan. There can be any number of things that can affect your fresh florals, such as a flower shortage, shipment delay, or quality issues upon arrival. When I create recipes, I give my wholesaler a few backup options and check these options when I pick up my flowers. Without a contingency plan, you may end up spending more money on designing dead flowers yourself or last minute scrambling to find alternatives when you should be enjoying time with friends and family in celebration of you and your partner. Let your professional vendors shoulder this for you so you can enjoy your day, however it happens.
Value for Money
Clients often forget about wedding floral cost when in the budget-planning stage. The best thing to consider is to set aside approximately 10-12% of your overall wedding budget for florals, or, if you have a more lush design in mind, 15-20%. However, your florist can always work with you to provide options that give you the best value for your money. They can advise where to splurge and where to save without compromising on the quality or overall look.
Your wedding florist should know how to maximize the use of flowers and other materials within your budget. This can minimize waste and ensure that every dollar you spend is being used efficiently and effectively.
Enhanced Guest Experience
It is the best feeling when the guests walk in and just go “wow” or are still talking about your wedding years down the road. Professionally arranged florals can significantly elevate your wedding’s ambiance, which can create lasting impressions and memories for your guests and their overall experience.
Florists are always happy to create beautiful photo-op moments for your guests. Nothing feels better than when guests walk by my work and immediately grab their loved ones for a photo. They do this and I know it will likely end up being a treasured photo for them, one they might hang on their wall or send out on Christmas cards that year. Even aside from your guests' photos, your photos will also be exponentially better by having gorgeous photos that your photographer can’t help but capture. This can elevate the overall visual appeal of your wedding album, which is cherished forever.
Hiring a professional wedding florist ensures high-quality, beautifully designed floral arrangements, efficient time and resource management, and a stress-free experience, all of which contribute to a memorable and visually stunning wedding day. Don’t try to save a few dollars by DIY-ing your big day- unless you have a lot of time on your hands (and possibly some close friends and family members who might be in the event industry who can give you some pointers).
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