Top Advice From Two Seasoned Wedding Florists

Photo: Jenny Quicksall

Florist: Poppyhill Flowers

Hey friends! Something that I love about what I do is being able to be creative with some of the most incredibly talented vendors in the industry! It truly means the world to me that so many of my vendor friends were willing to share some of their top tricks + tips pertaining to their field. Today, I’m sharing advice from two wedding florists, Caitlyn Rylander of Fleur De Rye, and Laura Williams of Poppyhills Flowers. These two women never cease to amaze me in their creativity + vision! I’m so thankful they were willing to share their expertise for couples looking to find their florist. See their biggest pieces of advice below:

Photo by: Rebecca Theresa Photography

Florist: Fleur De Rye

What would be an appropriate budget?

With this being highly dependent on the size of the party. My estimates generally hit around $3,800 with out taxes and fees (like labor, time, delivery, insurances) for a guest count of 130 and a bridal party of 5 on each side with no huge installations and simple table decor. With the floral shortage the market rates are kind of exploding so it’s looking like that will be closer to 5k for next year. Fingers crossed the market stabilizes. A hard budget line is okay, but it has to be realistic. If you want to copy a celebrity wedding, but have 150 guests and a $1,200 budget — it’s not going to happen for you. – Caitlyn Rylander of Fleur De Rye

Photo by: Rebecca Theresa Photograph

Florist: Fleur De Rye

What can we do to cut costs?

1) Find a venue that fits the vibe you’re going for. If you book a rustic barn, but want tropicals you are going to spend more money to fight the rustic and make it make sense. 2) Simplify your general plan if you need to. Go for loose greenery laid on tables vs tied garlands. Smaller arrangements on tables. Provide your own vases (with some hand holding from your florist so sizing and matching the general vibe). Plan decor for repurposing. Is the arch moveable? Aisle arrangements can be moved in front of a sweetheart table or onto a bar/lounge area vs chair swags. Put bridal party bouquets on a dessert table (these shouldnt be used as a major decor piece like table centerpieces). – Caitlyn Rylander of Fleur De Rye

Photo by:  Lauren and Jared Bowser

Florist: Poppyhill Flowers

What are some ways we can have a beautiful wedding when we have a limited budget?

Our best advice is to consider the most important floral pieces in your wedding and don’t compromise. Then scale back in other areas. 

Yes, your ceremony may only last 25minutes, but this is THE spot where you will declare your vows to each other, the main event, the photograph that you will most likely have hanging on your wall for a lifetime. Go all out on your ceremony backdrop. Even if you have a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean behind you, it’s still important to “frame” the bride and groom.  

Yes those aisle florals may add up, but remember, you can repurpose them to the reception.  Maybe use them to creat a real “Wow” moment around your wedding cake or deck out the sweetheart table with them. Scale back in other areas. Could you skip the elaborate large bridesmaids bouquets and do something smaller? Could you do lush floral centerpieces on 1/2 of the tables and candle centerpieces with coordinating pops of florals on the other 1/2? There are always ways and we are here to help you have the most beautiful day! – Laura Williams of Poppyhill Flowers

Photo by: Rebecca Theresa Photograph

Florist: Fleur De Rye

How do we find a florist to match our vibe?

Blessed be the instagram! This is the kind of research I live for. Destination wedding? Search the city+florist hashtag and see if anything catches your eye in terms of style. Jump on their website for past wedding portfolios.  Find someone that you and their aesthetic would be friends. If you are going for a hydrangea and rose look, you wouldn’t ask a wildflower farmer/florist to do that job. You wouldn’t send an inspo photo of a premade bouquet from Michaels to a studio florist. Finding someone who’s natural style matches yours will save so much time, money, and mental energy when it comes to planning and executing your day. – Caitlyn Rylander of Fleur De Rye

Photo by: Rebecca Theresa Photograph

Florist: Fleur De Rye

How should we approach floral seasonality?

Plan your date around the flowers you love and local timing if available. See what’s available at the local farmers market. Search for local farms on instagram and go through their feed to see timing year round. If you love the magical dainty-ness of poppies, jasmine vine, sweet peas and blooming branches – SPRING IS YOUR TIME. Peonies and dahlias a must have? Summer! Marigolds? Late Summer and Fall. Woodsy evergreens? Winter baby. Playing into the season will save you more money than fighting against it. – Caitlyn Rylander of Fleur De Rye

Photo by: Laura Ford Photos

Florist: Poppyhill Flowers

Are you going to give us a list of the exact flowers that will be in our wedding?

Short answer is No, and I promise, you don’t want us too. 

We do our best and most beautiful work when you give us the freedom to create without these types of boundaries. Mother Nature can be finicky. We don’t want to promise you a coral charm peony, and then be bound to use it, even if all that is available, your wedding week, are bruised and falling apart.  Additionally, we don’t want to find a perfect shade of blush accent florals that we can’t use because it wasn’t on our flower “list.”

A florist will work off of two things…. Photo inspiration and color palette. This is where trust comes in. Your Pinterest and inspiration boards say more than you can imagine to inform us of your style and your dream wedding. Your color palette gives us a playground, if you will, of stunning main and transition colors that will cause the eye to float from one shade to the next in the arrangements. Trust us, you chose us because we are the experts in the floral field and we want your wedding to be the most beautiful wedding, just as much as you do! – Laura Williams of Poppyhill Flowers

Photo by: Sisterlee Photography

Florist: Poppyhill Flowers 

What elements of wedding flowers are we supposed to have?

The truth is there are no “shoulds” when it comes to today’s brides. Your wedding should fit you as a couple. Skip the mom’s corsage and ask for a special handful of blooms to adorn her hair instead. Include your pup in the wedding and add flowers to his leash or collar. Have a curved wedding aisle instead of a straight one. We recently had a bride ask for a special arrangement to sit on the chair where her loved one, who had recently passed, would have been seated. These are the special elements that are perfect and personal to you. There are no limits. – Laura Williams of Poppyhill Flowers

Huge thank you to Laura + Caitlyn for sharing your expert advice! Be sure to check our their website and social for all your floral inspiration needs! If you’re interested in seeing more from our Vendor FAQ series, check out this DJ FAQ post and this videographer FAQ post! And if you’re ready to start putting together the pieces of your vendor team, contact me on my homepage here and let’s start planning!