Today I wanted to share some tips with you about a very hot topic, flowers!! We are so excited that Destiny from Let Destiny Design joined us to share some insight with you guys! Destiny is a very talented florist in Amelia Island, and she actually provided the florals for my own wedding! Before we dive into the floral tips, read a little bit about Destiny’s story below!
“I got started with flowers kind of by chance! My mom was a wedding planner and she would always bring home the leftover flowers from the weddings she did. I would wait until the wee hours of the morning until she got home and take each stem out to see how the arrangements were made and then rearrange them myself. At the time I was working a receptionist job and basically hated it. I went on to work at a local event rental company and I fell in love with the industry! I had several friends ask me to design their big days and I just kind of ran with it! I dove into learning as much as possible, took trips to work with prestigious designers, and launched my business 6 months later in January of 2017.”
We love how Destiny found her passion, and decided to dive in head first pursuing her dream of being a wedding florist. So now, as promised, here are a few tips from a professional florist!
1) Give your florist your ideal budget from the very beginning, rather than going in blind with all of your inspiration and getting back a quote much higher than anticipated. Many times, brides see the stunning bouquets and floral arrangements on Pinterest, and tell their florist that is what they want, without knowing how much something like this will cost. Therefore, the bride gets a quote back that is much higher than anticipated, gets overwhelmed, and doesn’t work with the florist they love. However, if you reach out to this florist with your ideal budget and then start sending them some inspiration, they may be able to suggest things that are similar to the flowers in your inspiration, but more budget friendly.
Side note – Remember when you get a quote back from a florist, you are not “just” paying for flowers! You’re paying for the product, their time designing these beautiful arrangements for you, the labor, their time and gas to get to and from your wedding venue, time setting up, vases that they provide for your flowers, and many other things. You’re getting so much more than “just flowers” !
2) If you’re going to splurge on just one thing, splurge on the bridal bouquet!! Your bridal bouquet is going to be in so many photos, and a stunning bouquet can completely change the feel of an image! If you’re trying to decide what to prioritize for flowers, the bridal bouquet should be number one. While we’re on the topic of prioritizing, we also want to remind you that you do not have to have huge extravagant arrangements on every table. We believe it is better to have a smaller amount of professionally done flowers than to have a ton of flowers that are not professionally done. For my own wedding, we have one garden rose and some greenery on each table inside of terrariums, and I loved it! It was simple and elegant, and each stem was perfect. Of course, if you have the budget for huge beautiful arrangements on each table, go for it! But don’t sacrifice quantity for quality. Destiny also suggests that if you are working with a budget, choose one statement piece that will be memorable, rather than focusing on the tables. A statement piece would be something like a beautiful arrangement for your arch, an installment near your sweetheart table, or even an amazing seating chart. Get creative and dream up something that will really make an impression on your guests!
3) Repurpose! This is one that often gets overlooked, but one of the best ways to save on flowers! You can use bridesmaid bouquets as centerpieces, your bridal bouquet on your sweetheart or cake table, or even repurpose your ceremony flowers somewhere in your reception. Work with your florist to see what suggestions they have about repurposing, and you will be surprised how you can reuse things!
4) Our last, and arguably the most important tip, is to trust your florist! When it comes to flowers, it is very difficult to make anything identical, because no two flowers are exactly the same. So give your florist “inspiration”, but choose someone that you trust enough for them to use their vision as well. As long as you give them your inspiration and explain the style that you love, they will put something together that fits your budget, style, and vision perfectly. Go into it with an open mind and allow your florist to “create” rather than “replicate”.
We hope you find all of these tips helpful! If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We are here to help! Happy planning!
P.S. Destiny also has a sister company called Bellissima, which caters to brides on a budget, and allows you to select your pre-designed arrangements straight from their site! It is a very simple and cost effective way to have professional flowers on a budget, be sure to check them out!
If you enjoyed this post, you can check out a similar post about “How to get the most out of your wedding photographer” here!
