Having experience of the florist industry from the florists prospective and as a wholesaler the one element that is always in the forefront of my mind is how the wedding couple can be better informed on the potential cost of wedding flowers upfront before setting their hearts desires on an Aston Martin with a Ford Fiesta budget.
Bridal magazines are full of innovative ideas and latest trends, beautiful dresses, stunning settings and photo shoots of the most magnificent flower bouquets, table decorations adorned with row upon row of the most magnificent hydrangeas, peonies and garden roses, milk churns and pedestal arrangements full of metre tall delphiniums, the best roses from Ecuador, eucalyptus draping from every side. Then there is Pinterest, a fantastic source of ideas for creating mood boards but the devil is in the detail as to whether the arrangement has been made with Fresh or Silk flowers. What neither source of information supplies is an idea on the cost of these flowers. I understand flower prices are seasonal and these days very volatile but I wish their could be a way of educating the consumer of the cost implications of these stunning arrangements so they can make an informed choice when planning their wedding.
The florists time in putting together detailed quotes for the happy couple, the time spent liaising with the wholesaler on the order, collecting the flowers and hardware. Conditioning the product and then with skill that has been nurtured and invested in over many many years the florist creates the most magnificent arrangement that will feature in each and every one of the wedding photos for ever more but how much of this is truly valued or understood by the client when considering their flower wedding budget.
Having spent hour upon hour creating visions of their dream weddings the happy couple visit the florist with their vision. Whilst there are always alternatives in the flowers used and the style of arrangements there is little way the happy couple can have any expectations of the cost of such arrangements in advance and without a limitless budget they have to consider cheaper alternatives.