Florists - The Unsung Decor Hero at Every Wedding

Are florists really that important? Yes, they ARE that important.

As a wedding planner, one of the first things I do when I start working with a newly engaged couple is help define their top priorities for their big day and assemble their team of wedding vendors. In situations where couples rank floral and event decor towards the bottom of their priority list, I know I have my work cut out for me.

Understandably, most couples have never planned a big event and have hired me for that reason, so they naturally rank their priorities based on the things they can relate to - food, wine, liquor, the wedding dress, cake, photography, music, etc. As the hired professional, it's my duty to help the couple fill in the necessary gaps and educate them on why.

Not always, but the florist is one vendor that I do find myself going to bat for quite often, especially when budgeting is a big concern. Again, understandably so, floral and event decor is a variable cost to the budget, meaning that you can spend as much or as little as you want, unlike other fixed costs, such as a venue site fee. However, just because you can spend a little on this particular service, doesn't mean that you should.

Here are my top reasons why you shouldn't skimp on the florist:

Florists Are Essential to the Overall Look & Feel of Your Wedding 

Every couple wants their wedding to be beautiful, romantic and memorable, not only for them, but for their guests as well. Beauty involves aesthetics and romance involves evoking feelings, and nothing creates a more beautiful and romantic atmosphere than flowers and candle light. No matter how creative or crafty a member of the family may be, no one can create an atmosphere of romance and beauty like a good florist, especially in a tight time frame.

Florists Provide Theme Continuity & Personal Details 

What makes a fabulous wedding isn't how much you spend, it's all the small details that make it completely custom to the couple. A good florist is someone who not only understands, but helps shape a vision, can pick up the small nuances from the couple, and designs cohesive floral treatments to illustrate and reflect their taste. A good florists will create visual continuity between every decorative element of the wedding - from bridal bouquets to table centerpieces to chair adornments to the escort card display - the theme will carry throughout.

Florists Provide Quality & Sophistication
Unless the bride's mother, sister or best friend is a florist, there is a big difference in the quality of the overall look and feel of a wedding when a florist is absent. Not to say that DIY flowers aren't absolutely beautiful when executed correctly, but florists have the expertise and skill set to take the same bunch of flowers and really up-level the entire arrangement just by their understanding of height and variation. Believe me, guests remember the details and will appreciate the polished and refined look.

Florist Offer "Day of" Execution & Preparation

DIY flowers aren't as easy as couples would like to think they are. There is so much to consider when doing your own flower arranging such as - who will be helping you create 15 centerpieces, 8 bridesmaids bouquets, 8 boutonnieres, 6 corsages, 4 large arrangements, cake flowers, head table treatments, flower girl basket, and on, and on... Even if you do have the manpower to do such a task, where will you store them and who is going to take on the responsibility of transporting them? Even more importantly, who will be setting up your ceremony space, your cocktail reception and your dinner reception? And even more importantly, how can you trust it will look nice. Honestly, no bride wants to deal with this kind of stress and paying a florist is worth EVERY PENNY.

Florists Cost & Service Are Well Worth the Price  

When you hire a florist, you aren't just paying for someone to source your flowers, you are paying a professional for a high value service. Most florists are willing to work with clients to make sure they get as much value for their budget as possible - they know what flowers are seasonally at the best price  and how to stretch every dollar to create some absolutely amazing treatments. Here is a secret - a good florist can create almost twice the amount of floral treatments using a combination of greens and seasonal flowers than what a typical bride would spend on DIY flowers, and they will look a whole lot better!

Florists Provide Decor & Materials  

Most floral designers have a huge collection of materials and vessels to carry out a dream wedding. Since they own much of what they use to display, couples don't have to incur the cost, shop for items or deal with the clean up. Also, once the wedding is over, couples don't have to deal with trying to sell or throw away a bunch of materials that they'll never use again. Florists invest in their materials so they are typically beautiful and high-end which again can up-level the sophistication of your event.

With so many photos captured at weddings and the popularity of wedding videography, the investment of a good florist is incredibly important. No couple wants to look at their wedding images and wish they would have splurged just a bit more for better decor in the background of all their photos.

One of my most favorite parts of every wedding is between the ceremony and reception (when the guests are at the cocktail hour) when I give the newlyweds a private tour of their decked out reception space. I love the look of awe and excitement when pointing out the small details in their custom decor and floral treatments, especially when the couple at first didn't think of it as a high priority. Believe me, they always say how happy they were to have had a great florist.

Happy Planning!