Why you should NOT DIY your wedding flowers

One of my best friends is getting married in March. She told me she’s going to DIY flowers to cut the cost of her wedding. To me, this. is. just. painful. Friends. If I could give you one piece of advice that you would ACTUALLY listen to it would be to NOT DIY flowers for your wedding. Hear me out because I’m all in on this one. This isn’t a matter of preference, this is a deal breaker. 

First, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s hard to spend so much money knowing that you can pull together beautiful flowers from the Trader Joe’s bin while you’re also picking up some bomb goat cheese and crackers, and it’s ALSO hard spending that much money knowing they will die.

BUT. Let me explain to you the cost you will incur if you DON’T hire a florist.

Because flowers die, you cannot do this ahead of time like, say, the table assignment welcome sign. So that means TWO days before your wedding, when family and friends are flying in and you’re trying to juggle new in-laws and last minute trips to get a pedicure, you or someone you love DEARLY will be driving to a flower market, schlepping the flowers home in a bunch of DIY buckets hoping they stay alive. The stress surrounding keeping such an integral part of the wedding alive, is so huge, and it usually falls on the shoulders of the bride, the bride’s mom, or her bridesmaids (because let’s face it, no one wants that pressure!).

This is why you hire a florist! They are the professionals! Not only do they know how to keep these beauties ALIVE, they know how to do that without invading your mom’s entire kitchen, AND they know how to make them look good. Ladies, I have TRIED to put together a floral arrangement. Mine look like a joke compared to the professionals. It’s not pretty. 

Here’s what the florist provides:

1. With their license, they drive miles and miles to the best flower market with the best flowers and greenery you could hope and dream for. 
2. With their professional experience, they select the best product that will last the longest and that will look the prettiest with your colors, the venue, etc. 
3. Then they arrange it. They put the bouquets and the centerpieces all together, which takes HOURS. Once they’ve done that, they have to transport it from their studio to your wedding and make sure that in that whole process, the flowers don’t die (stresssss).
4. Then they keep them perfect… FOR YOU! Most professional florists have a fridge a big industrial sized fridge to keep your flowers fresh. And to keep them alive. Especially in the summer months. (Sidenote: Don’t even MESS with DIYing your own flowers if you’re getting married in the summer. And if you do, don’t tell me.)
5. Lastly, they get them to your venue with cooled vans and transport them carefully so that they don’t get crushed, broken or damaged from location A to location B.

And if all of that isn’t super clear, let me break it down like this: If you spend money on a nice venue but you then get a cheap photographer, they’re going to make your nice venue look like a $5,000 wedding. If you hire a great photographer and your wedding is $5,000, they are going to make it look like a $50,000 wedding. The florist has the exact same impact. A professional florist will make your wedding look amazing and beautiful.

Honey, I love you, but you are not a florist. You have so many talents and gifts, but just because you have flowers in your garden and in the vase on your table does not mean you can get them ready for your most important day. Flower arrangements are an art. Florists look at the types, the variety of flowers, the variety of colors, the textures of the greens and the flowers together. They tell a story, they invite the audience in, and they are the finishing touch that makes every photo juuust right.  

So yeah, pay florists what they’re worth. 🙂

xo-

Kelsey