Planning a wedding, let alone a destination wedding in Italy, involves a lot of exciting preparations. Your wedding flowers are certainly one of the most exciting – and prettiest – elements you will be working on! Flowers are the cornerstone of your wedding aesthetics, whether you’re going for a full-on floral extravaganza or for a very minimalistic theme, your wedding florist will definitely be involved.
His or her touch will be there for everyone to admire, from the tiniest boutonniere to the most imposing wedding arch, and all through your wedding day: ceremony, cocktail, reception, and party…Everywhere basically!!
Your wedding flowers are the embodiment of your vision, and this is why knowing how to hire your wedding florist in Italy is crucial!
Here is our ultimate step-by-step guide to hiring a wedding florist and choosing your wedding flowers & design:
First, let’s start by why it’s important to hire the right wedding florist and how to know if he or she is the right one for you
Being a wedding florist might seem for some like an easy job, like how hard is it anyway to color coordinate naturally beautiful flowers? Well, they couldn’t be more wrong! It’s not enough to put together a few flowers and call them a bouquet!
A wedding florist is basically an artist – an often underrated one. His or her eye for colors, taste, plants & flower knowledge, as well as craftsmanship skills are an important and essential factor for your selection (more on this below). He or she should also be a good listener to be able to understand your vision for your big day. They should be knowledgeable enough to offer you the right wedding floral decor, not only in terms of design but also to advise you on the type of flowers that will sustain the weather conditions. For example, if you’re going for a flower in the hair look for your beach wedding, a good florist will advise you to refrain from going for this look and opt for dried flowers instead, so that (god forbid) you don’t end up with a wilted flower crown because of the heat and sun!
And why is it important to choose the right wedding florist? Let’s go through your wedding day to find out:
– You’re in your room getting ready with your bridesmaids: flowers will make your room look great in pictures.
– Then you’re taking wedding portraits with your groom: flowers will elevate your wedding arch and wedding backdrop
– Time for the bridal walk: think wedding bouquet, wedding aisle décor, ceremony, and altar décor…
– Dinner reception: flowers will be part of every decorative element like centerpieces and table setup…
and the list goes on and on (and on!).
You get it! Flowers will be there throughout the wedding and will show up in almost every wedding picture. Basically, while flowers in their essence may only last for a few days or hours, their memory will last forever! So now you probably understand why it’s so important to choose the perfect wedding florist.
But how do you know which one is right for you? Choosing the best wedding florist is a very personal affair. You should go for the one that you have chemistry with, with whom you can easily communicate, who has a rich portfolio and whose style matches yours! While this seems like a lot of cases to check, worry not! Our below step-by-step wedding guide will help you make the right decision!
And now, here is how to choose your perfect Wedding Florist in Italy:
Step 1. Define your style and set your budget
Defining your wedding theme and style including your dream floral design is one of the most important steps to making sure your wedding florist understands your vision and is able to materialize it! Your choice of flowers and floral arrangements should beautifully represent you and your wedding theme. Flowers will set the mood and tone of your wedding day. They are the best and most important (and most obvious) representation of the wedding style you’re going for.
Research bouquet styles, centerpiece structures, and flower types that best represent your wedding’s mood. Rustic wedding theme? Look for perfectly imperfect bouquets of wildflowers and branches. More of a romantic wedding theme? Go for beautiful arrangements of classic roses and white baby’s breath. A Boho-chic wedding style won’t be complete without dried pampas and eucalyptus leaves.
A good starting point will be to learn some basic flower lingo to communicate your wedding’s floral style. Check out this comprehensive floral glossary by The Knot to help you put a name on it!
After defining your floral style, you should ask yourself what is your wedding flowers budget? In fact, one of the important selection criteria will be your allocated budget. Bearing in mind that your budget shouldn’t mean accepting lesser quality. Indeed, and luckily, the flower options are endless, and a good and experienced florist will help you choose the ones that match both your style and budget! According to the Italian region you’re getting married in, the weather, the environmental conditions, as well as the availability of the flowers in your wedding’s area, he or she will make sure you get the best choice within your allocated budget bracket.
Step 2. Start your research. And start it early.
Just like wedding venues and wedding photographers, and especially during the high season, the best wedding florists are usually already booked several months ahead. We recommend you start your research early on, to avoid being constrained by availabilities (if you need more details on the topic, head to our article on how early you should start planning a destination wedding).
So how do you go about your search? There are essential and trustworthy platforms, like WedBoard, that will make things easier for you by curating the best wedding florists in Italy to make your search easier and allow you to make the best choice.
These will be your best tools to dive into the world of each of the florists and shortlist your favorite ones. You’re now ready to dive deeper and meet/chat with them directly.
Step 3. Ask the right questions
The first meeting is the basis for selecting your wedding florist. By meeting or chatting with them, you’ll have a feel of how things will go, how knowledgeable and experienced he or she is, their artistic style, and how well it matches your vision.
A great and useful tip to consider would be to bring along your mood board. No words will properly show your vision as well as your wedding board. Bring it with you to avoid any misunderstanding! This will also inspire you both and ensure you end up having a successful and stunning collaboration!
One cool feature you can find on WedBoard is the ability to create your own shareable Italian Wedding Mood Board! Exciting, we know!
Only select wedding florists that understand and share your vision of the perfect wedding day. Being aligned is crucial, if you don’t feel that you’re understanding each other then directly move to the next one on your list!
If the conversation is flowing then keep the meeting running and make sure you ask the following questions to ensure hiring the right wedding florist:
- How many weddings have they worked on? What is the average size of weddings they usually handle? (remember experience is key!)
- How well do they know the area in Italy you are getting married in (the available type of flowers, weather conditions, etc.)?
- Have they ever worked in your wedding location? Are they familiar with your wedding venue?
- Have they ever collaborated with your wedding planner? (this is important to make sure they never had a problem with each other and will be able to work together)
- How big is their team? And do they have the right equipment to cover your needs?
- Will they be on-site on the wedding day to ensure everything goes smoothly (especially if you’re reusing some of your wedding ceremony floral décor by incorporating it into your wedding reception décor)
- Will they need to rent out some décor elements or do they have them? Is this included in your package or will it be an additional cost? This is especially important if you‘re planning to have wedding floral suspensions or if you will need sturdy structures for your wedding arch design)
These questions will guide you in selecting the right one, beyond the florist’s style.
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Step 4. Make your choice
Now that you have all the information you need, you can make your choice. Does their style match yours? Did they understand your vision and were they as excited as you about it? Is their experience and knowledge (regardless of the number of weddings they worked at) convincing? Do they offer packages that are in line with your budget? Do they have chemistry with both you and your wedding planner?
Did you answer yes to all of these questions? then Congratulations! You’ve found your perfect wedding florist!
Now that you know the process for choosing a wedding florist, where can you find the best wedding florist in Italy?
A platform like WedBoard will showcase a curated list of the best wedding vendors in Italy by region and will allow you to create and fill your mood board with the most beautiful and unique wedding flower ideas and designs. You’ll be able to directly reach your favorite wedding florists, explore their portfolios, and chat with them commitment-free to achieve the first steps of your selection. And once you make your decision, you can even sign your contracts digitally and pay your wedding florist directly online.
You can also ask your wedding planner for recommendations. A great destination wedding planner specialized in Italy will offer you the best advice based on their own experience.
Don’t hesitate to also ask your venue if they have a specific list of florists they usually work with. This is helpful as the florist will then have good knowledge of the location and how to elevate the surroundings! You can even speak to one of your florist’s previous brides to have genuine, tried-and-tested reviews.
How much does a wedding florist cost in Italy? And how much should you spend on wedding flowers?
On average, couples spend between EUR 3,000 to EUR 6,000 on their wedding flowers for their wedding in Italy. This budget typically includes the bridal bouquet, the wedding ceremony floral décor, the wedding reception flowers and setup, the cocktail area, and the halls around it.
Flowers might be a close second to the biggest chunk of expenses in the cost of a destination wedding in Italy. Below are some of the variables that will determine how much you’ll spend on your wedding flowers:
- The types of flowers you want: roses and peonies, or wildflowers?
- The time of year of your wedding: will you use seasonal flowers or imported ones?
- The spots that need decorating: will you only transform your altar and reception area? or do you have other corners you’d like to dress up?
- The number of guests: is it an intimate wedding of 20 people or an extravagant big wedding with 200 invitees?
In all cases, it’s crucial to coordinate with a local florist in Italy that will be familiar with the market prices, the seasonal flowers that are grown at the time of your wedding, and the event space(s) that needs to be decorated. Going for “in season” flowers will really help with your budget while adding an authentic (and sometimes exotic!) touch to the general look & feel of your big day. if you need more details, you can check our article on “How much does a wedding in Italy cost?
In a nutshell, the best wedding florist is the one that has all these skills and capacities and who can make your wedding vision a reality so make sure you hire the right one!
Looking to learn more on how to plan a destination wedding in Italy? Do you need tips on how to choose the right Italian destination photographer? Stay tuned as more insights are coming your way!
Featured image details: Wedding ceremony floral décor by Flowersliving | Photos by Facibeni Fotografia
