Budgeting and Deposits for Wedding Flowers August 25, 2012

You’ve had your consultation.

You know what flowers you want.

You know how and when to order them.

But how much should you expect to spend and when should you have your deposits in?

Right now the current national industry standard is to budget about 8-15% of the entire wedding budget for flowers (all expenses, not just the venue).  With that said, let’s touch on price fluctuations with flowers as you will need to adjust your budget or your order based on this information.

Some flowers have steady pricing throughout the year, and other flower prices can fluctuate from 30-40%, up to 50-200%. For example: Red roses at Valentine’s day (high demand, but not the prime growing season for roses) can run 2-3 times what they are the rest of the year.  Mother’s Day weddings also will see a premium upgrade for the floral designs and delivery services.

Peonies out-of-season are typically at least twice as expensive. Also, when thinking about flowers that are in season, remember that it depends on the growing season, not colors for the season. For example, in the fall, orange roses and almost anything else orange is actually a higher price because there is so much demand. On the other hand, tulips are very plentiful in the spring and prices come down significantly.

Remember that there are some seasons during the year where specific flowers either just aren’t available or are very, very pricey and must be pre-ordered well in advance. For example, tulips in July, August, or September are available in a limited supply and are much more expensive. Daffodils are just not available at all except a short season in the winter and early spring, at least here in Phoenix. 

Also, where you are located in the country greatly affects availability and cost as well. If you are closer to the area where your favorite flower is grown, the prices will be better. And as is typical with our other selections, we always seem to want the exotic for our area – for example, hydrangeas can be seen as a very common flower in the Northeast or Midwest where it grows in many gardens. Here in Phoenix, it is in high demand because we never see it in the landscape.

It is common for most florists to ask for one-quarter to one-half of the price as a deposit.  At God’s Garden Treasures we require one-third of the complete package for the full deposit. We also offer a hold-the-date deposit for brides who know they want to use us and still are working to make final decisions about their package style. This allows us to release all the information and photos we have gathered, so that they can utilize this in their final decision-making.

Planning a wedding can be stressful for brides, fiancés, and family members. Let use help take away some of that stress and provide you with quality flowers and outstanding customer service. Call us today to schedule your wedding flower consultation.

As always, check out our other wedding tips on our blog here.

I’m Engaged. Now What? A Guide to Planning Your Wedding Flowers February 19, 2012

First of all, Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  I hope that these tips and suggestions will make planning your wedding flowers stress-free and flawless.  The first step in planning your wedding flowers is to consult with your florist.  This is best done in person, however if your wedding is a destination wedding this can be done over the phone.  In preparation for the consultation you should know what colors will be featured in your wedding.  Come prepared with any pictures you have seen that inspire you, color swatches (or websites or better yet, Pinterest that shows your color/style/inspiration for phone consultations, or send the links ahead of the consultation).  Also bring a list of the personal flowers you are looking for, table count, linen colors, if selected (we often will assist a bride in selecting linen colors or the linens themselves).

Wedding Flowers are completely customizable and the world is your palate.  There is no rule saying you have to carry a big bouquet of red or white roses down the aisle.  Maybe you are more of a lily lover and want to carry a simple bouquet of calla lilies.  It’s your wedding and your choice.  Having 2-3 inspirational pictures available for the consultation helps point your florist in the right direction.  Choosing flowers that you like and that compliment the color scheme and season of your wedding ensures that you and your fiancé are surrounded by pure beauty. With that said, we do live in Arizona and location, season, and temperature need to be taken into consideration when planning your wedding flowers.  Different forms of treatment, choices about photography including whether outdoors, time of day, and many other factors come into play when addressing these issues. We want the bouquets and all the flowers to look fabulous through the whole day.

Make sure to share many pictures with your florist and ensure that those pictures are available to the whole team working on the wedding all the way through the process. Ask for a sample to be created, and ask about any costs associated with this (usually based on the scope of the design and whether it’s included in the package). Look at actual flowers as well as photos – some flowers tend to photograph better than others – and be clear about what you like and don’t like.

When ordering wedding flowers it is also important to know the difference between a ladies buttonhole and a corsage.

• A buttonhole, or boutonniere, while typically worn by men, is a smaller size that can be worn on the lapel of a jacket. It might be one flower with or without embellishments, or a composite (multiple smaller flowers or accents combined in an artistic design). Sometimes there is so much attention to detail, it is like a small work of art. With women, wonderful accents that add a feminine touch without adding too much weight or volume are crystals and pearls, or even incorporating a brooch.
• A corsage can be worn on the shoulder or the wrist, and is larger and yet still in scale for the person wearing it. A popular trend now for wrist corsages is to attach the flowers to a wristlet that can be a bracelet, or to an actual bracelet, in such a way that the bracelet can be worn later while remembering the event and the people involved. A great keepsake! Traditional corsages have a base of ribbon tucked into or around the flowers, adding an accent color or bringing cohesion to the corsage. Another modern trend is to not use ribbon in the traditional bow fashion, maybe as a small accent, if any at all. Tropical leaves and grasses are taking the place of the ribbon to add a clean, modern look to the corsage.
• A man’s buttonhole or boutonniere typically is more simple, especially if the men are involved in selecting them. The one exception is the man who has an artistic eye and loves texture – the buttonholes created for them are intricate, works of art, and they love it!
• The colors and flowers used in boutonnieres and corsages are selected from the wedding palette, keeping in mind the overall style (larger or smaller flowers), and the ability to withstand without a water source over the length of the entire event. If a softer, more water-sensitive flower is chosen, especially for the groom’s boutonniere, typically a second boutonniere is created to replace the faded one between the ceremony and reception, or for pictures later in the evening.

Call us to set up your wedding flower consultation today.

Also see my blog to for additional wedding flower planning tips.

Seven Questions to ask before Hiring a Wedding Florist November 16, 2010

So you have your venue and date for your wedding, and your next step is decor and flowers. What questions should you ask when you meet with a wedding florist?

1. How do the flowers get to the wedding? Do you offer delivery services and what is included? Do you have a service where you move florals and decor from the ceremony site to the reception?

2. Can I see pictures of bride’s bouquets and other wedding flowers you have actually done?

 

White Roses, Chocolate Dahlias, White Stephanotis and Schwarzwalder Calla Lilies

3. What suggestions do you have for maximizing my wedding budget?

4. How do you make sure the flowers last throughout the whole day, looking fabulous for the ceremony, reception and pictures?

5. Do I have to know exactly what I want when I come see you or will you help me figure out what I want?

6. How are your packages priced? Do you offer price options or do your quotes come only with one price?

7. What kind of information do I get about what is included in my wedding package with you? What do your quotes look like?

Finding the right florist is more than about the money -it’s about finding the right fit for the look, style and feel, and finding someone you click with and are comfortable collaborating with.  Enjoy the process! We’ll be blogging more about how we answer these questions in the future. Stay tuned!

Contact us at www.godsgardentreasures.com, or www.facebook.com/GodsGardenTreasures

Firesky Resort Wedding, Pink Peonies! August 12, 2010

Thank you, Firesky Resort, for a beautiful setting. Thank you, Erin, for a beautiful selection of florals and colors. Thank you, Melissa Jill, for amazing photography. Thank you, Regina, for your wonderful work in coordinating all of us. I love teaming up with all of  you!

Pink Peonies at Firesky Resort

This wedding featured pink peonies and other pink, ruffly flowers, such as ranunculus, stock, roses and spray roses.

Come visit our website to see more of our Firesky Weddings

Bridal Show Tips May 3, 2010

Wedding planning and bridal shows can be VERY fun and exciting, if you do a few things to organize yourself before you jump in!

When you are planning on attending a bridal show as a participant and before you sign up for lots of vendor information online, set up an email address that is wedding-only! That way you won’t get your personal or work email filled to the brim with wedding offers and information. You can go into that email whenever you are doing wedding planning. Once you have signed with a vendor, then give them your personal email address.

Before you attend a bridal show, really think through how you would like wedding vendors to follow up with you and ONLY give out that information.

Meet with a bridal consultant before attending shows (or just after) and ask her to help you plan a strategy for follow-up with vendors and to help you set up a budget. Or better yet, ask her for her recommendations on vendors and then go to the show with more of an eye to looking at the displays for ideas and relaxing to enjoy the day rather than feeling like you have to see all the vendors.

When at the Bridal Show, don’t assume that all that you see is all the vendor can do – a florist can only have so many flowers in their display, a photographer only so many photos, etc. Take time to talk with them and find out more about them. And pay attention to the ones who ask you about your wedding, and don’t just talk about themselves!

When you meet a vendor that you really like, go ahead and ask them to schedule an appointment, that way they won’t get lost in the sea of vendors that you see at the larger shows.

Take a camera and take photos of the visual displays you like so that you will remember them, and take a photo of the vendor name just after so you won’t have to remember where you saw it.

Submersed Orchid Centerpieces

Check with the wedding vendors you have already connected with and find out where their booth is so that you can make sure to stop by.  You’ll be able to enter any drawing or giveaway they have and find out about specials.  You can also ask them for referrals for who to stop by and see.

I hope these tips are helpful for you! What other questions do you have about this topic? Or what are your tips?

Maximize your Wedding Budget – Using Florals Twice February 27, 2010

Do you want fabulous, amazing wedding flowers, or have you heard that your favorite flower for your wedding is more costly? Maximize your wedding budget by asking us to collaborate with you and find a way for your ceremony floral/decor to be moved to the reception!

Here is the first way to do this. These brides started with the look for the reception tables, and then we figured out how to use them for ceremony decor:

Rich Red Wedding Ceremony Decor – Photography by Mae Michael Photography

Centerpiece with Ceremony Decor

Firesky Ceremony Setting

Creative, Modern Reception Decor

Submersible Light takes flowers from Day/Ceremony to Night/Reception

Ceremony to Reception Decor is only one way to use florals twice in a wedding.  Here are some other creative ideas: using rehearsal dinner decor either in the ‘getting ready’ rooms or hotel rooms, or in other places on the wedding day, using Aisle Decor to decorate the head table, moving Guest book table and/or Unity Candle/Sand Ceremony florals to decorate the gift table or bathroom, holding over flowers from the wedding to the brunch the next day.

Credits: For Green and White wedding: Firesky Resort, for Red Rose wedding: Mae Michael Photography

The Wedding Ceremony is just the beginning! Resources in support of healthy marraiges September 2, 2009

While those of us in the wedding industry are focused on the day of and making it go smoothly, the wedding ceremony is only the beginning! Here are a couple resources that are wonderful in support of forming a lasting marriage:
Love and Respect: I love the tag line ‘How to get off the crazy cycle.’ Their ideas and principles help me and my husband communicate better, and many others have talked about how much this couple makes sense and is helpful.
Financial Peace University – Dave Ramsey has wonderful money management principles, and helps couples have a great relationship with each other around money. And when finances are solid, all things in life are good, and you have money for date nights and resources for a healthy relationship! (including purchasing flowers 🙂