Maine & NH Wedding Photographer // How to Pick Flowers for Your Wedding (Without Losing Your Mind or Blowing the Budget)

So, you're planning a wedding and you want flowers. Cool, cool. But before you go full Pinterest-board-overload and start dreaming of cascading orchids and rare peonies flown in from Mars, let's break this down like the practical flower-loving, budget-aware badass you are. Let's talk wedding flowers—the beautiful little botanical money-suckers that somehow end up in half your wedding photos.

Pick Your Florist for Their Work (Not Just Their Vibes)

Listen, florists are artists. Just like photographers, makeup artists, or tattooists—they all have a unique style. You wouldn’t hire a watercolor painter to create a street-style graffiti mural, right? Same goes for florists. Stalk their Instagram. Creep their website. Look for consistency in style—whimsical and wild? Classic and clean? Moody and dramatic? Find someone whose actual work screams your name, not just their logo and branding.

Seasonal Flowers: Nature’s Way of Saying 'You're on Budget’

Wanna save cash and look like you know what you’re doing? Pick flowers that are in season. Peonies in December? LOL, good luck. But ranunculus in spring? Now we’re talkin’. Seasonal blooms = fresher, cheaper, and way less stress on your florist. You’re not just getting a deal—you’re being smart. Be like you.

Match Your Flowers to Your Wedding Colors, Not Your Mom’s Favorite Rose

Before you go rogue with floral inspo, look at your overall wedding palette. Are you doing moody earth tones? Bright and punchy summer hues? Neutral and soft AF? Your flowers should be vibing with your color story, not crashing the party like that one drunk uncle.

Budget: Champagne Taste, Boxed Wine Budget? Pick Your Priorities

Okay, real talk. Flowers can be expensive. Like... mini-vacation expensive. So if you’re dreaming of a floral arch dripping in orchids but your budget says “Trader Joe’s checkout bouquet,” it’s time to prioritize. Maybe go all out on your bouquet and ceremony piece and chill on the reception tables. Not everything needs to be floral-bombed. Don’t spend like you're starring in *The Bachelor* unless you’ve got the budget to match.

Bouquet Size: Don’t Be a Hero

Sure, those oversized bouquets look killer in photos—but remember, you're carrying that flowery beast all day. If your arms aren’t ready for a gym session mid-ceremony, you might want to scale it back. Think elegant, not exhausting. Unless you’ve got Popeye forearms, don’t punish yourself with a bouquet that weighs more than your dog.

Preservation Plans: Think Ahead, or Cry Later

If you're planning to preserve your bouquet, plan for it now, not the morning after your wedding when it's half-wilted and sitting in a water glass next to a champagne bottle. Different methods (pressed, resin blocks, freeze-dried) work better with different types of blooms. Talk to your florist and whoever’s preserving them so you don’t end up with a blob of brown petals that used to be a rose.

You don’t need a million-dollar flower budget to have a killer bouquet—you just need some smart planning, a florist you trust, and the good sense not to carry around a full bush all day. You got this.