A Guide for Wedding Planners: 7 Things Florists Wish You Knew

When planning a wedding, the florals don’t just decorate the space—they set the mood, tell a story, and transform your wedding venue into something that feels unique to your event. For wedding planners, navigating floral design can feel like balancing artistry with logistics, which is why I created this guide for wedding planners. As the Founder and Principal Designer of Soulflora, I have collaborated with planners and couples for over 12 years, creating luxury floral designs that tell personal stories and bring unforgettable ambiance to life. I love working with planners!

From garden-inspired weddings in New England to elegant celebrations along the Maine coast, my mission is to elevate each event with florals that reflect a couple’s personality. Yet even the best collaborations can benefit from better understanding and communication. This guide for wedding planners offers insights into what florists wish planners knew—so together, we can create events that leave couples and guests in awe. 

7 Things Florists Wish Wedding Planners Knew

Floral design is more than just arranging beautiful blooms—it’s about creating an experience that perfectly complements the couple’s vision and the wedding’s overall aesthetic. For wedding planners, partnering with a florist means balancing creativity with practicality to bring that vision to life.

But even with years of experience, there are nuances to floral design that aren’t always obvious. From timelines to venue constraints, these details can make or break a seamless collaboration. When planners understand the key priorities of florists, the collaboration becomes more seamless, leading to breathtaking designs that exceed all expectations.

1. Early Communication is Key

Good floral design starts with open lines of communication—early and often. When planners bring florists into the planning process from the beginning, it allows us to offer creative ideas, address logistical challenges, and ensure the floral vision aligns with the overall design.

For example, sharing details like the couple’s inspiration, color palette, ideal budget, and must-haves as soon as possible ensures every aspect of the floral design feels cohesive with the rest of the event. On the other hand, late-stage decisions or drastic design changes can create unnecessary stress and limit options. It’s also helpful to loop in florists on key vendor meetings, such as walkthroughs with the venue or the couple, so everyone is aligned from the start.

Additionally, your florist should be able to offer insights into seasonal availability, creative trends, and how to incorporate florals into unique spaces—all of which are easier to refine early in the planning process. For more on selecting the perfect blooms, check out our post on Everything You Need to Know About Using Local and Seasonal Flowers in Your New England Wedding.

2. Set a Realistic Budget: A Guide for Wedding Planners

As we all know, luxury floral design is a significant investment, and it’s important to set expectations early. With inflation impacting every aspect of the wedding industry, floral costs have risen dramatically. Flowers are perishable, labor-intensive, and influenced by supply chain dynamics—all of which affect the bottom line.

Depending on your couple’s priorities, I would love for more planners to encourage couples to allocate at least 10-20% of their wedding budget to florals (if they’re seeking a truly high-impact design). For a deeper dive into what this budget can achieve, read this post on setting a realistic wedding floral budget. Discussing these costs upfront helps avoid sticker shock and ensures couples feel confident about their investment.

Additionally, labor costs are a crucial component of full-service floral design, often representing around 30% of the total invoice. These costs cover the expertise and time required for intricate installations, setup, and breakdown. Elements like dramatic ceiling installations, floral arches, and high-touch details such as candlelight arrangements require significant time and skilled craftsmanship, which should be factored into the budget. Educating clients on this aspect ensures they understand the value of the service.

How to Choose the Right Floral Designer for Your Client

In today’s market, where new faces are constantly entering the industry, hiring an experienced floral designer is more important than ever. As planners, you can help guide your clients toward the right choice by focusing on these key differences:

• Experience and Expertise: A seasoned event floral designer brings invaluable knowledge of design trends, installation techniques, and logistical problem-solving. This level of expertise ensures your client’s vision is executed flawlessly.
• Event Specialists vs. Flower Shops: While traditional flower shops are ideal for everyday arrangements, they often offer limited customizations. Specialized event florists, on the other hand, focus exclusively on creating bespoke designs, managing intricate details, and ensuring seamless installations tailored to your client’s event.
• What to Ask: Encourage your clients to ask questions about their floral designer’s portfolio, experience at the venue, and collaborative approach. These details can provide peace of mind and ensure a smooth planning process.

By addressing budget expectations and emphasizing the value of hiring the right designer, you can help your clients achieve their dream wedding with breathtaking floral designs that exceed their expectations.

3. Venue Constraints Matter

Not all venues are created equal when it comes to floral design. In order for us to do our best work, we will need you to share the venue’s layout, access points, and any restrictions as early as possible into the planning process.

For example, outdoor venues may require weather contingency plans, while historic buildings might have rules about attaching installations. Understanding these constraints helps us design florals that work well within the space while still creating a wow factor. Venues with limited access or tight delivery windows can also affect how florals are staged or delivered.

Additionally, providing photos, floor plans, and a list of venue rules allows florists to think creatively and find innovative ways to work within constraints while maximizing the space’s potential.

4. Timelines for Sourcing and Complex Installations

Next on the list in this guide for wedding planners is the timelines. Floral design is an art, and great art takes time. Many couples and planners underestimate the amount of time required to source flowers, create intricate designs, and set up large-scale installations.

Custom floral sourcing can take weeks, especially if the design includes specialty blooms or eco-friendly options. Once flowers arrive, creating complex pieces like floral arches or hanging gardens involves careful planning and hours- sometimes days of labor. Starting discussions about floral timelines well in advance ensures everything comes together flawlessly on the wedding day.

Keep in mind that unexpected delays, such as shipping issues or supply shortages, can occasionally arise. Building in extra time helps your florist handle these challenges without compromising on quality.

5. Set-Up and Teardown Logistics

Luxury event florists do much more than deliver flowers; we’re often deeply involved in set-up and teardown logistics. From carefully transporting delicate blooms to constructing large-scale designs on-site, these tasks require significant planning, coordination, and time.

To make sure that everything runs smoothly, you need to provide the florist with adequate access to the venue, including clear delivery times, designated unloading areas, and set up windows. After the celebration, clarify who will handle the teardown and disposal of florals to prevent confusion. Clear communication around these logistics helps avoid last-minute surprises and keeps the event on schedule.

In some cases, florists may offer additional services, like repurposing ceremony arrangements for the reception or packaging blooms for guests to take home. Discussing these options ahead of time ensures every detail aligns with the couple’s vision and maximizes the use of floral designs. Basically, just ask us!

6. Eco-Friendly Requests

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for many couples, and I know that I’m personally thrilled to incorporate eco-friendly practices when possible. However, not all requests are feasible within every budget or design.

As a florist, I love when the wedding planners I work with encourage couples to focus on achievable goals, like using local, seasonal blooms or repurposing ceremony arrangements for the reception. I’m also always happy to discuss sustainable mechanics, like foam-free installations or biodegradable materials, but understand these options may require additional labor or costs. Trust your florist to find the balance between beauty and sustainability. I have an entire blog post on designing a sustainable wedding with luxurious floral touches here.

Another way to prioritize eco-friendliness is through donation programs for leftover flowers or incorporating potted plants that guests can take home. These small touches add meaning to the design while reducing waste.

7. Trust Your Florist’s Expertise

At the end of the day, florists are artists, and every design they create reflects years of skill, creativity, and passion. Just like your wedding designs do! While Pinterest boards and mood boards can be helpful for inspiration, it’s important to trust your florist to adapt designs to suit the season, venue, and overall aesthetic.

For instance, if peonies aren’t in season, a skilled florist can recommend stunning alternatives, like garden roses, to achieve a similar look. Rigid expectations can limit creativity, but allowing flexibility empowers florists to craft designs that not only meet but often exceed expectations.

Encourage couples to share their vision, but give the florist the freedom to interpret it in their own way. Some of my favorite wedding planners bring me a mood board and a few ideas and trust me to do the rest. The most memorable arrangements often emerge from a blend of collaboration and creative trust, resulting in florals that feel fresh, unique, and deeply personal to the couple’s story.

Bringing It All Together

Creating a luxury wedding experience requires seamless collaboration between planners, florists, and other vendors. I love to work with wedding planners because they truly do so much to help florists (and all of the wedding vendors) do their best work. When wedding planners embrace early communication, realistic budgets, and trust in their florist’s expertise, the result leaves couples and guests speechless.

At Soulflora, my goal is to transform spaces into works of art that feel deeply personal and reflective of my couples’ love stories. Whether you’re planning an elegant garden wedding in Cape Cod or a coastal celebration in Maine, I’m here to make the floral process effortless, inspiring, and unforgettable.

Ready to create something extraordinary? Inquire today to start designing florals that elevate your next wedding to new heights. For more inspiration and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our work, follow along on Instagram and Pinterest!