One of the best parts of planning a wedding, in our opinion, is picking out the florals. We have an extensive list of florists on our preferred vendor list that we are going to drop further down in this blog but before we dive into those details we thought we could take some time to offer up our expertise as far as designing your floral space to provide the wedding of your dreams! Let’s hop into it.
Silk Flowers
First, we have shot a lot of weddings where the couple chose to go with silk flowers and right off the bat we are going to stop you. We aren’t sure if it’s because they seem easier to work with, or because couples believe they’ll be cheaper, or because florals just seem to be too daunting of a task or what- but please stop using silk flowers at your wedding.
Unless you are buying extremely high quality silks (which do exist!) it is going to be very obvious that you don’t have real flowers, and that is going to translate into your photographs and films.
Silks tend to fray at the edges, don’t hold consistent coloring flower to flower and can be difficult for even professional florists to manipulate into the free flowing and dreamy arrangements you see in our portfolio.
Further, they lack the experience that real flowers give. Real flowers will elevate the scent of the room, they will make you feel more luxurious and natural, they’ll impact each little corner of the day- we promise!
Silk Doesn’t Mean Cheaper
If you manage to locate silks that look legitimately real, they are actually going to wind up costing more money than just buying fresh flowers as well!
We have seen this time and time again where couples go with silks to cut down on their floral budget and then wind up spending more money than they intended and then they’re stuck with all of these flowers that do not resell well, do not lay well, and that are difficult to incorporate elegantly into your big day. Not to mention the environmental impact that thousands of pounds of fake flowers have in landfills across the globe.
Suffice to say- silk flowers are a no go.
Maximizing Impact
Once you’ve come to the sensible realization to stick with fresh flowers, you can really make a bold impact by supplementing a few key blooms with lots and lots of greenery.
If you are budget conscious this is a great option as greenery is usually around half the cost of blooms. You can even mix these to add dimension where it’s needed- think draping vines against straight long grasses.
These two combined carefully can make a very small amount of greenery and 3 to 5 large blooms into a very large centerpiece.
Where to Focus Your Budget
When picking out a bouquet, we really recommend going big. We love neutral tones, greenery, maybe a few interesting pieces like a charm or a hand dyed ribbon. These small touches can make or break a vibe- remember that you will be holding the bouquet in a good portion of your photographs and videography clips, you want to make sure that it is cohesive with your surroundings as much as possible and it’s really difficult to do that if you have a really bold color like bright pink or yellow in your bouquet, but no where else in the wedding day.
Also keep in mind, that we can do a lot with your photos if you have a lush bouquet, it is easier to make it look like there were flowers all throughout the day.
Further, if your still considering the budget remember it is totally ok to use florals on half your reception tables and then using candles or lanterns or birdcages or some other item on the other half- this spacing helps create dimensional interest to your decor without blowing the budget or your time on the morning of the wedding.
Speaking of the morning of your wedding, please ask your florist to set aside a few blooms for us to use in your flatlays! Also be sure that your bouquet has been delivered to the area where you are getting ready that way we can grab shots of you holding it as you get into your dress, as well as a few of the bouquet itself. Keep it in water to ensure that it stays fresh as they bouquet takes the most stress throughout a long day!
Florist Suggestions & Preferred Vendors
When you book with us we have a few things that we send over. These include a wedding guide to help with planning, which also includes a more in depth review of florals than what you see here, as well as some information on photography and videography considerations, styling tips and more.
But one of the most valuable things you’ll get from us will be our preferred vendor list. After many years in this industry we have worked with hundreds of other vendors and have been able to see their work, their process and meet their teams. We have a few standouts in the floral category who we absolutely love working with!
Our Preferred Florists
Sara Brown of Meadow View Weddings is an excellent choice. She travels, has a large team of really great assistants, and we have seen some really incredible installments from her using not only florals but ladders, draping and tiered risers. She is masterful in her craft and we would certainly choose her for our own weddings.
Ruffled Willow is another amazing option! They are great at incorporating colors and textures and come highly recommended by lots of vendors- not just us!
Next up Flowers and Furbish! These folks have a refined taste that is perfectly suited for keeping up with trends and ensuring that you’ll always have really amazing set ups at your wedding.
If you’re looking for a florist who loves to work with color, Reach out to Jeanie Gorrell. We’re expected a big trend in 2022, of more colors incorporated in couples wedding palette. Her arrangements are extremely lush and over the top!
Last but not least, Katie Ann with Cecil Farms. Katie has a flair for incorporating unexpected details- she does a lot of work at her family’s venue, White Chateau, but also serves clients far and wide. We have always enjoyed her commitment to professionalism and refined experiences.
Finally, you don’t have to choose someone from our list. We love meeting new people and working with them on these magical days! Just be sure that you’ve gone over your vision with the person who will be doing the installations the day of the wedding and that you have communicated clearly what your expectations are. Weddings have a lot of moving pieces and it’s best to get an expert to ensure your big day is exactly what you wanted.
