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Let’s face it – there aren’t too many couples out there with a money tree in their garden. Almost everyone is keeping an eye on their bottom line.
And more than ever there are tonnes of do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas online, and some of these are fantastic, don’t get me wrong. However, there are certain things that one should consider when going the DIY route for your wedding flowers, because sometimes it is about more than the dollar at the end of the day.
Wedding flowers in particular (bouquets, centerpieces, etc.) really bring a presence to a wedding. Your bouquet is going to be featured in at least 50% of the photos taken of you, photos that you will be referring to for the rest of your life, so is it really worth the risk?
But let’s take a closer look:
Storage & Preparation of the Raw Materials
Real flowers require a lot of care and can be finicky and frustrating to work with if you are not someone who dabbles in floral design regularly. First, you need to consider how much time it will take to assemble the flowers and work backwards. Often florists are getting their flowers on a Wednesday for a Saturday wedding. They have to keep them in buckets of water in coolers (not the blue picnic kind but the large walk-in fridge kind) to keep them fresh. Often the additional time is needed for the flowers to open properly and if they don’t florists often have tricks to coax the bloom to open up. Otherwise you are left trying to pry the flower open which may or may not work and which will be extremely stressful and time consuming in the final hours before the wedding. How are you going to feel if you had envisioned these big, beautiful lilies or irises in your centerpieces and when you get them they are closed up tight as a drum? Finally, many flowers need to be prepared, for example removing thorns or unwanted leaves, from each individual stem before use. Very messy and time consuming!
Selection of Flowers
Some flowers are extremely fussy. For example hydrangeas need lots and lots of water to not wilt, especially on those hot summer days. These are not recommended for bridal bouquets (which have to go through the whole day without access to water) or for long transport without hydration. There is also the consideration of the time of year and what happens in the case of weather’s impact on the flowers. For example, one of my brides had wanted purple dahlias featured for her September wedding. As the date approached, due to the horribly cool weather of this past August, the crop of Dahlias was devastated and only about 20% of what she had ordered was available. Fortunately, she had hired a professional florist who was able to quickly recommend and substitute other comparable flowers in look, colour and price, and disaster was averted. If you found out a couple of weeks before your wedding that your primary flower was no longer available… would you need that stress?
More Expensive Than You Think
You also may not save all that much money as florists often get great deals on the wholesale price of flowers (as they are buying in bulk and have relationships with the wholesalers) as well as the vases and other accessory items (lights, gel beads, etc.). And whether for centerpieces or for your bouquet, it is a good idea to practice in advance… so you have to factor in the cost of the “practice flowers”… which may require more than one go! What if you misjudged the amount of flowers required to give the piece the fullness that you are looking for? Most people tend to underestimate just how many flowers it takes to fill a vase or create an arrangement to give it the look that they are going for. What if the flowers that you selected were actually extremely fragile and difficult to work with, the stems breaking and the bloom flopping? And don’t forget all the other things that you will have to buy such as florist’s tape, proper cutters, florist’s foam for the centerpieces, etc.
Transportation and Set Up
Then there is the transportation to the hall. First, you still will need to keep the flowers well hydrated so that they won’t wilt… and that can be tricky! Then the logistics…. do you have time to bring them to your wedding and set them up yourself? If you have enlisted someone to help, can they get all those centerpieces to the hall in their car (hopefully they have a truck or van). If you have to rent a van… and then because you are nice give your friend a little “thank you” gift at the end of the day for their work… the extra cost might eat up the savings of doing it yourself.
The Bottom Line
We have worked with many, many brides who have been on tight budgets who were able to get gorgeous, professional bouquets very inexpensively. Knowing the right florists who can work with your budget is key. For example, these gorgeous lush arrangements of roses, chrysanthemums and hydrangeas below, shown on the couple’s table, only cost $42. The stunning bouquet shown above featured calla lilies and orchids (some of the most “expensive” flowers) cost $100; and that is on the higher end of what our brides usually pay for their bouquets (again, price depends on the flower selection and size of the bouquet).
Your flowers are so important to the overall wedding experience… leave this one to the professionals!
