As a wedding videographer, I pay close attention to the details of every wedding. A lot of planning goes into weddings, and most brides appreciate if everything is caught on camera. Flowers and floral decorations are one of the most eye-catching details of any wedding. They can help add tasteful color and certainly help embellish the already classic and romantic feel of the event.

That said, flowers can also be costly if you plan to decorate and use elaborate bouquets made from real blossoming flowers. With that in mind, it is a good idea to do your research before walking into a florist and placing an order. There are more flower options than ever available to brides and grooms today, and you can save yourself a heart attack at the florist if you choose carefully.

Where Do You Actually Plan to Use Flowers?

There are dozens of places that you can decorate with flowers at a wedding, so before looking at figures it helps to narrow down where you absolutely want flowers. It is a good idea to get an estimate for the areas that you can’t and won’t negotiate with, and then add quotes for additional flowers that you can consider based on your overall flower budget. These are a few of the locations for flowers at weddings.

Boutonniere & Bridal Boutique

It should go without saying that real flowers are expected in the bridal boutique and the boutonniere. Not only should these flowers be coordinated to match the overall color and floral scheme of the event, but they also should be almost exact replicas of each other.

The boutonniere is a smaller flower that should be carefully planned since it is usually worn by the entire wedding party, but the bridal boutique is where the real focus needs to be. This is usually the first and the most elaborate floral arrangement of any wedding. It is also the one that usually makes a prominent appearance in most bridal photography and videography. Keep in mind that you will want a smaller bouquet that is similar to use for the bouquet toss later.

Flower Girls

The very essence of a flower girl demands the use of some type of floral arrangement. Whether you give your flower girls some petals to spread over the aisle or choose flower crowns and flower wands, you will need to add something to your floral order.

Centerpieces on Your Tables

Many weddings use flowers to create their table centerpieces. Of course, there are different crafty alternatives, but even couples that choose not to use floral centerpieces often opt to scatter petals on a table or create a flower arch that guests walk under in order to enter the reception area. These also need to be booked in advance with the rest of your floral order.

Budgeting your Floral Arrangements

The trend right now for most couples is to spend about 5% of your total wedding budget. Of course, some couples may have dreams of more elaborate floral decor and may be willing to splurge more on their flowers. Unless you have big dreams for your flowers, 5% is a good amount to reserve for flowers. As a helpful guide, that means a wedding with a $20,000 budget would need about $1,000 for flowers and a wedding with a $40,000 budget will need about $2,000 for flowers.

How Should You Spend on Your Wedding Flowers?

With this in mind, you may be debating how important flowers are to you in the larger scheme of things. Some couples consider flowers essential, whereas others may be a bit more open to using fake decor. A survey conducted in Australia found that the average couple will spend about $1,620 for flowers. As you might expect, couples from South Wales spent the most on flowers because of the trend towards luxury weddings. In South Wales, the average couple spent about $2,101.

Choosing Your Flowers

These are just estimated to help you plan, ultimately the choice will come down to a couple’s personal taste and choices. A good florist is instrumental in figuring out how to make your wedding dreams come true. They have been through the process hundreds of times and can help you find budget-friendly options for the arrangements in your mind.

Over half of couples end up going with flowers while 20% will use artificial flowers. The remaining group uses a combination of both choosing real flowers for things like the boutiques and fake flowers for decor. A good wedding florist can work with you and your floral preferences to help create the perfect floral order for your wedding. If you want your wedding to look picture-perfect, it’s going to start with your flowers.