Wedding Floral Advice for Couples

Hello again!  So you're about to get married and need to talk to a florist about your wedding floral needs?  Here's some advice about wedding floral and other decor.

One of the biggest piece of advice I give to couples is to buy your centerpiece containers!  Have your florist include the cost of the container in their centerpiece quotes.  This may cost a little more, but your guests will love taking flowers home as a gift!  I used to rent containers and then during break-down, I'd have to throw away all the flowers (and all my hard work!)  I broke my heart.  As a florist, if flowers aren't dead, it is very hard to toss them away.

My second piece of advice is to know when and where to reuse floral!  No matter what your coordinator, decorator, or budget conscious friend tells you, there is a limit to what can be reused.  For example, I never suggest placing bridal bouquets or bridesmaid bouquets on tables as "centerpieces" to cut costs.  The bouquets can stand 10"-14" tall when placed in a vase and can obstruct view!  Also, these bouquets have been without water during pictures and the ceremony and will not look fresh soon after.   However, the toss bouquet may be used as part of the sign-in table decor, since it's viewed during the very beginning and not tossed until the very end.  This bouquet is in a vase with water, causing it to stay beautiful and fresh during the entire evening. 
Other items to not re-purpose: pew hangs, arch pieces, curtain tie-backs, floral crowns, corsages or boutonnieres.

My third piece of advice is to have your florist be the sole entity of providing all floral decor!  Again, no matter what your coordinator, decorator, or budget conscious friend advises, have your florist be the only one handling floral decor!  This will ensure cohesiveness with all aspects of your floral decor.  I learned this the hard way, when I did centerpieces for a wedding where the "aunt who has a green thumb" created the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets and all other personals.  It was not done well, and the aunt was very stressed the day of.  You do not want to put pressure on your guests or family a few days before your wedding or even the day of.  This also helps the florist protect their image and reputation since pictures will be taken and featured on social media, personal pages, and even magazines!