Not everyone appreciates the place flowers play in weddings. They are what make the ordinary extraordinary and the special sublime. There are events that take place week after week in all the places where weddings are celebrated. Flowers dress up rooms and dress just as they lift the spirits of all who see their beauty. Decades ago, even hippies who got married on the beach carried flowers to add that extra touch. The memories that are formed when attending a beautifully decorated wedding live on in pictures and the minds of all who have attended. Florists go to great lengths to be sure that the blossoms are all at their fullest at just the right time. We love to personalize and have our imagination stretched by those who are looking for something different. This does not necessarily mean more money. As I have written many times here in the past, it is important to go to someone you trust. And, you should never have to pay for a consultation. I have often thought that those who charge must not get many of the sales. Good designers and planners know that they have described a look that best suits their client and have conveyed a confidence that the look will be delivered. Remember on this special day, nothing can go wrong and you don’t want to be worrying about anything in advance. Every part of the wedding and the time leading up to it needs to be exciting and fun. Pick professionals whose personalities mesh with yours. This is good for us too; we love dealing with nice people. More and more grooms are getting involved in the planning process; over 80 percent as written in most major bridal magazines. Brides and grooms are older than a generation ago and want the wedding to be more than a party and want it to reflect their personalities. Sharon Naylor, who wrote 23 wedding books including “The Groom’s Guide: A Wedding Planner for Today’s Marrying Man” suggests that grooms offer flower varieties that are special to their mother and order the wedding bouquet or a special bouquet for the bride or her mother. Here is definitely a time when a good florist can help guide the direction so there are no surprises.
You have heard of some very elaborate weddings. Donald Trump’s latest wedding was heralded as the “wedding of the century”. I don’t know if that means much since the century in only a few years old. The church was completely decorated with gardenias. With these flowers selling for about $15 each, you can imagine what was spent. However, with the bridal gown alone costing about $200,000 no one was concerned about flower costs. The average bride who loves the fragrance of gardenias can have them added to other less costly flowers and achieve a great look.
Sometimes even great quantities of flowers cannot insure a lasting marriage. When Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were married in 2000, they had 50,000 flowers. The next year at Valentines Day he sent 1500 roses to her in her trailer at Friends and used rose petals to say “I love my wife”. Poor Liza Minelli probably holds some kind of record. Her 4th wedding cost $7,000 for each day the marriage lasted.
For the rest of us, moderation prevails. The average American wedding costs between $20,000 and $25,000 for everything. The most important thing is that the wedding reflects the personality and style of the bride. A good floral professional can work with almost any budget and produce a great look. Most times the cost of the designs is determined by the varieties of flowers selected. Similar designs can be made with substitution flowers for much less than ones made with fancier varieties. Other little touches that can make the designs special could be wrapping the bouquet with linen from the bride’s mother or grandmother. Table decorations could be made in an assortment of personal vases that have been collected by the bride’s family. The great thing about working with a florist is that anything is possible. We will be making the arrangements just for you just as you wish. Decorating the tables is no longer just done by placing a centerpiece in the middle. “Tablescaping” is today’s term and it allows you to have a collection of containers that are different styles, heights and sizes on each table. You can take inexpensive containers and cover them with fabric and tie together the colors of the wedding. Many times having many arrangements that are different on different tables, the room is softened and it feels more intimate and personal.
