Budgetting for flowers

When first meeting a bride the conversation always should begin with a little about her. Budget then comes fairly close behind. There is no point in getting into long, drawn-out conversations with lots of detail if someone can't afford it. It is a good idea to know roughly how much money you can spend on flowers before you come visit a florist.

If you are fortunate enough to be a bride whose parents are footing the bill for your wedding the 'traditional way', then the groom is responsible for your bouquet, the bridesmaids' flowers and the buttonholes.

Allocating around ten percent of your overall budget to flowers is a good starting point when assessing how much you can spend. Flowers are expensive and can be purchased and arranged within hours of the wedding. The labour costs are high because it is time-consuming. Many brides are shocked at what they see as the cost of the flowers, but they are paying for for the labour as well as the flowers.

The florist has to go to markt, select the flowers, put them in the van, unload them, wash them, sort them, store them, put them back on the van and take them to the venue, unload and arrange them, make secure buttonholes, tie or wire bouquets and so it goes on. Every single flower could be handled up to ten times and it's all mostly in the two days leading up to the wedding and the wedding day itself. If it's a big wedding then in most occasions the florist needs to throw people at it and they all have to be paid. So therefore ten percent of an average budget based on that is now beginning to make more sense!

Within your budget you will need to purchase the bride's bouquet, bouquets or corsages (which will be cheaper) for your bridesmaids, and buttonholes and corsages for the weddingparty. The rest can be spent on the ceremonyand reception flowers. We advise you to spend your money on your budget and reception flowers. Keep the ceremony flowers to a minimum as it is rarely lasts more than an hour. The reception on the other hand goes on for several hours so spend your money there.

If your wedding day is more than six or nine months away you do not need to make any detailed decisions right away, you simply need to select a florist and have an idea of how much you have to spend and where it is to be spent. You and your florist can work out the details together nearer the time (about six to four months before). If you have a year or more to go simply secure the booking and arrange to meet again at a later date when you have the other specific details in place.

The exact flowers you want are then the biggest factor in determining costs. Flowers in season will be in the best quality, toughest and the best value for money. Even in the winter there is a hige choice. If you have a year or more to go then look at what is in the florists, flower markets and gardens twelve months before your wedding and seek your florist's ideas so that you can go and look at the flowers when they are in season. It's then to do with the type of flowers and arrangements you want. You could throw a handful of petals on a table with a few candles, or you could have a huge and elaborate table centre with say orchids and roses. It comes down to the type of flowers you are using, the quantity and season. The florist needs to establish whether it is an elaborate affair or if it is simpler and understated. The more complicated and time-consuming the arrangements, the more expensive they will be.

Establich with your venue(s) as early as possible what restrictions, if any, there are with regard to flowers. At certain times of the year churches and religious venues do not always allow flowers, and register offices have several weddings every day of the week and cannot accommodate access for the delivery of flowers because of this. Your ceremony venue may have more than one wedding on your wedding day and you may be able to liaise with another bride and shar flowers. Church flower volunteers may also be delighted to assist you and that too could effect your budget.

If money is no object, than leave it to your florist. They'll come up with the ideas for you and interpret what you have in mind. Wholesalers can provide flowers from across the world, so if money is not an issue you can have almost anything you want. But expect to pay, and allow your florist sufficient time to place the order.