Include your florist in planning

Posted 1/15/21

As with most other elements of planning a wedding, the floral aspect should begin with a budget, according to weddingwire.com. The budget will set the parameters on what types of flowers used in the …

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Include your florist in planning

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As with most other elements of planning a wedding, the floral aspect should begin with a budget, according to weddingwire.com. The budget will set the parameters on what types of flowers used in the bouquets, centerpieces and other decorations. A rule of thumb is about 8% of the total wedding budget allocated to flowers. A higher dollar amount will deliver more elaborate arrangements and spendy flowers, while more greenery is both beautiful and budget friendly. And flowers that are in season are less expensive than out of season buds. Other holidays, too can impact the cost of the blooms; rose prices are often more volatile around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

The second step, as important as the first, is finding your wedding florist. Communicating with your florist is paramount because when they understand what you want, it is far easier to accomplish the look you are seeking. To make a selection, check out previous work the business has done and read their reviews. Like most businesses, florists have specialities and a style all their own.

“We like to have a month’s notice,” said Kerri Kolb, from Rayven’s Flowers and Gifts in Powell. She said some of the farms that sent flowers to her suppliers had stopped production during COVID lockdowns, so some particular species might need to be changed a bit.

When you are researching everything else, take note of arrangements you like on wedding sites, Pintrest. Take photos of those to your florist while remaining flexible and allowing the florist to guide you. Try and be familiar with popular wedding flowers, and decide if you want them to be just beautiful or fragrant as well.  Kolb said she really likes to see the photos brides have selected.

“I always tell them to bring in the pictures, like if they use Pintrest. Then we work from that, within their budget,” Kolb said.

Drawing on your wedding colors to develop the theme of your floral arrangements can help narrow down the overwhelming number of choices. Not all flowers come in all colors, eliminating some options.

Remember the bride’s bouquet sets the tone for the other flower arrangements, and will appear in the photos. The attendants’ flowers should incorporate some of the same flowers, to create a pulled together look.

Trends in the 2021 wedding season include all white or neutral arrangement with a natural, organic feel. Smaller or virtual weddings have made backdrops more popular, but floral arrangements and bouquets are a way to add color and life to a ceremony on video.

“I think people are somehwat limited on having the wedding of their dreams what with COVID,” said Holly Griffin, owner of McGlathery Back Porch Designs. “So they change what that dream looks like.”

Griffin said the couples are testing their creative boundaries to work around the limits imposed by the virus. That creativity includes flower walls or backdrops that can set the scene for guests who are attending virtually, too.

“With the virtual wedding, that backdrop makes a new, creative way to have the wedding of their dreams,” Griffin said. And there are ways to incorporate it into most weddings.

“We can scale it and customize it to take into account the budget and venue,” she said. Additionally, the greenery and flowers can be either fresh or silk.

Many of the trends debuting on the coasts haven’t emerged in Powell, at least not yet.

“We don’t know yet how this year is going to pan out for weddings, but the ones that were postponed [ last year] are probably going to go ahead with them this year,” Kolb said. “But it seems if something takes hold elsewhere, it takes a while to get here.” 

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