The Other “B” Word
That’s right, I’m talking about budget! I know money is a sticky subject and it makes a lot of people uncomfortable to talk about it. We do ask our brides what they have in mind for budget and there are many that don’t give an answer. A big reason is that flowers are a hard one to estimate. It isn’t like photographers or venues where you can do some research online and scope out the different options and their packages. With flowers everything is so custom it makes it really hard to estimate what it will cost to get the flowers you want.
In addition to not knowing what flowers will cost, I think there are also some brides who feel embarrassed (for lack of better word) when discussing budget. Especially during this year, times are a little tight and people are tightening up their budgets. Some worry that your budget will appear low so you want to just price out what you want and then cut out or add as needed. Some others may worry that if you state your budget that a florist will just continue to add on things or size to milk to the top of your budget. There are lots of reasons why a bride may feel uncomfortable. This is why it is important to pick a florist that you trust!
That being said, it is really quite important you let us know what you have in mind for budget. If you are at the beginning stages of planning and have no idea what to budget for flowers, you can call or email some of your local florists to ask them what some of the average prices are for bridal bouquets, bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres etc to help give you an idea of what your costs might look like. We get that life is busy with school, work, kids, activities so not everyone has time to do this. Even if you haven’t had the chance to do a little research and have no clue what flowers cost, you must have SOME number or price range in mind of what you are wanting/willing to spend. It is really important to share even those rough numbers with your florist.
We do genuinely want be a help to you, and knowing your budget will make our job significantly easier! I know we have all seen an episode or two of “Say Yes to the Dress” and they don’t like to let brides try on dresses that are way out of their price range. Why is that? The brides that do insist on doing it absolutely fall in love with the gown and then they can’t afford it which is crushing and other, less expensive dresses don’t seem as awesome. It is the same with flowers. Flowers are often more expensive than people expect them to be and there are endless possibilities, always ways to add in more flowers or bigger centerpieces and by knowing your budget we can do our best to work with it. This also is a time saver for you and for us. Rather than the getting the floral quote back, it being way over and then doing back and forth trying to find areas to cut and trim that leave you feeling disappointed we can work with the budget right from the start to create a look you will love. We get that your time is valuable, especially when there are a million little details to plan for your special day!
So. While it may be a little hard, and it may make you a little uncomfortable to give us some sort of number or price range you have in mind. That discomfort will ONLY last for a moment and then there are three different routes it can go!
1. Your budget small for your floral needs.
As I mentioned, flowers are often more expensive than people expect. It isn’t unheard of that flowers end up more expensive than planned. It isn’t the end of the world! You have options. You can adjust your budget, even if it is just to a middle ground where we can achieve a look that is close to what you have in mind without breaking the bank. You can choose from our packages that have some budget friendly options that are also very flexible to match your style. OR. If your budget really doesn’t match what your florist says things will cost and flowers aren’t a high enough priority for you to bring up your budget you can simply go some place like Costco or Safeway where there are fewer options that are inexpensive.
2. Your have a realistic budget for your floral needs.
Maybe you did your homework, maybe you just love flowers and set a good chunk of money aside for them. You either have enough budgeted for what you want or are near it. Awesome! We can make sure that the ideas we are suggesting will work with the budget you have. If your budget is just a little under for the look you want, we can use the consultation to find ways to adjust your floral needs, whether it is making arrangements a touch smaller or swapping out one flower for something more cost effective to achieve the look you want without blowing your budget.
3. You have way too much money.
Okay, I don’t know that this has ever been a problem, but it could happen! If this were to happen you have options too. We can always help you find ways to spend your money on flowers! You can save the money for a rainy day. Or you could allocate the leftovers to other areas of your wedding budget that may need it.
At the end of the day, once we know, we can move forward! There are always options. We do truly want to help you to the best of our ability. We want to make picking your wedding flowers a process that is both fun and easy, but for us to do that we need to know all your details. Happy planning, ladies!
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