When it comes to wedding décor, one of the most important elements is the flowers!
No matter what season you’re planning to be married in, flowers can help to unify a theme, add a pop of color, and elevate your wedding day. Here are 5 tips for selecting your wedding flowers.
According to WeddingWire, couples spend an average of 8% of their overall wedding budget on flowers and lighting. It plays an important role in the aesthetics of your big day and will be one of the first design elements that you will want to put some thought into. Once you have an initial wedding budget in mind, here are our top tips to consider when deciding on your florals.
Choosing the Best Flowers for Your Wedding Day
1. Research flowers that thrive in the season that you’ll be married in. This is a critical place to start because the last thing that you want to do is to fall in love with a flower that isn’t available or is very expensive to obtain because they are out of season.
Another reason why this is a great place to begin your search is because it will introduce you to flowers you might not be familiar with. Check out these articles for specifics: Glossary to Wedding Flowers by Season (WeddingWire) and The Best Wedding Flowers by Season and Month (The Knot).
2. Use your wedding color palette as a starting point. If you have your wedding colors decided (or at least a few options that you’re leaning towards) then researching flowers that naturally come in these colors can be a very helpful exercise. Check out search engines like Google or Pinterest and type in terms such as: “<Color> wedding flowers” or “The best <color> wedding flowers” “<Color”> floral ideas for <season> wedding” or “<Color> bridal bouquet inspiration.”
Don't have colors decided yet and not sure where to start? Here's how to select your colors for each of the seasons throughout the year.
3. Get inspired by other weddings. Think about weddings that you’ve attended and the role that flowers played. Do any standout to you? You can also browse portfolios from photographers to see weddings from other couples. Take a few minutes to browse real Joy weddings in our portfolio and on our floral Pinterest board.
According to WeddingWire, there are other places that you can go to for inspiration, too! “Don’t be afraid to source inspiration from unexpected places, either! Re-watch your favorite wedding-themed movie, scope out the fresh flower section at your local market, or ask your family members about the flowers they used at their weddings. As long as you can share your general vision with your florist, he or she will take it from there and can suggest their ideas for your wedding flowers.”
4. Decide what you’ll need to use wedding flowers for. You’ll likely want the more obvious floral arrangements, like a bridal bouquet or centerpieces, but here are some other ways that you might want to incorporate them, too. Once you recognize how many areas where you’ll want to incorporate florals, you’ll get a better idea of how big of a role they will play.
Bridal hair
Bridesmaids’ hair
Bridesmaid bouquets
Corsages for mothers, grandmothers, or distinguished guests
Boutonniere for the groom or groomsmen
Garlands or other items related to a religious or cultural tradition
Ceremony aisle
Ceremony seating
Ceremony entrance
Ceremony backdrop
Guestbook table
Flower girls
Signage
Cake or cake table
Sweetheart table
This is also a good way to help make decisions on a few different flowers. One misconception is that wedding flowers are only one type. The reality is that you’ll likely have multiple different types of flowers and fillers to help add to the color palette, size, or design.
5. Discuss options with a local florist. One of the best parts of the wedding industry is that it’s filled with experts within different areas of wedding planning. When it comes to flowers (or other alternatives), getting input from a trusted florist is highly recommended.
They should be able to help partner with you to find the best fit for your budget. Pro tip: If you have any newlywed friends, make sure to ask them for recommendations! Websites like The Knot also share local vendors who have high ratings from other couples.
Considering Flower Alternatives for Your Wedding
If you aren’t envisioning a traditional wedding which features lush floral arrangements, there are plenty of other options.
Faux flowers: Check out Etsy for options which range from plastic to wooden materials. This option could be more economic, plus they last forever.
Greenery: This can be a great way to add to the depth and size of existing floral arrangements but can also be very pretty on their own.
Pampas grass: This is traditionally a south American grass, but it’s become much more popular in American weddings over the last few years. It has a rustic feel and comes in beautiful neutral colors.
Feathers: Faux feathers or other similar textured elements can be helpful fillers to any existing wedding décor, and it adds some fun, too!
Seasonal items such as pine combs: These can be great additions to your seasonal wedding theme and help fill in places that flowers typically would.
Candles: If you think about many areas where you might have featured flowers, consider using candles instead to help amp up the romance.
Whether you go the fully floral route, only use alternatives, or are somewhere in between, we hope that you enjoyed these top 5 tips for selecting your wedding flowers.
If you’re planning a wedding in 2023 or 2024, we’re actively booking wedding photography and videography for upcoming nuptials. If you’re interested in partnering with us for your big day, get in touch to lock in your date today.
[Photoshoot in the spotlight: Vidya and Anurad in Tampa, Florida]
Choose Joy,
The Joy Team