3 Tips for Bringing Pinterest-Worthy Wedding Flowers to Life

While planning your wedding, there are many milestones to look forward to- saying YES to the dress, designing your dream decor and sampling your tasty menu. But I think we can all agree that the best part of the planning process is pinning all those pretty little photos to your Pinterest board, flooded with perfect peonies and gigantic garden roses - are we right?

While you daydream over dahlias, we are here to ensure your floral planning process runs smoothly and you don't get overwhelmed by orchids and blow your budget on one of the most beautiful (but confusing) parts of the planning process. Below are our top three tips to bring your Pinterest boards to life.

PREPARE YOUR VISION
Before booking consultations with local floral designers, you will want to have a clear direction laid out for your vision. Clean up your Pinterest board and either create your own mood board or hire an event designer to pull together a design blueprint, including color palettes and curated photos, to show your event design vendors.

"In order to best prepare for a floral consultation, brides should have an idea on what colors and style they want to create for their event." says Cristina Barragan of Posh Peony.

You may also want to bring in a plethora of inspiration to pore over, but Svenja Brotz of Chestnut & Vine says less is more when designing your floral.

"It is fun to be open and experience the process less as a task, but more as an exciting part of shaping the wedding day. It is much like tasting a menu, you sample and enjoy and see, if this fits your palette."

KNOW YOUR BUDGET

Floral design is an area that can quickly get out of hand. If you're not careful with budget planning, you will find yourself getting sticker shocked with the high price tag associated with certain stems and season.

"It is helpful to have a number set aside for the floral budget that can be shared with the designer. As much as I wish I could only focus on the design work, the budget is an important part of the conversation and needs to be addressed." says Brotz.

Barragan states that if you're not sure on your budget, be sure to ask your floral designer to educate you on the process. "It is really hard to communicate value in such a saturated market these days. That is why it is important for designers to educate their clients on their process, client experience, and how things will unfold leading up to the event so that value is communicated clearly."

KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR FLORAL DESIGNER

Have you jumped into the floral designer process but you're STILL feeling confused? Communication is key, says Barragan.

"All questions should be welcome during a consultation to ensure that both parties know what the vision is and understand the expectations. Some questions to consider: Is my budget reasonable? Do you do more than one event? Are you insured? Have you worked at my venue before? These questions will help brides determine if they are truly getting the client experience they expect and if their florist is qualified to take on their event. "

At the end of the day, Brotz believes it is all about establishing trust in the talented floral designer you ultimately end up hiring.

"It is mostly a matter of establishing a bond of trust. It is my job to convey that and I am here to answer questions. The more transparent the process, the less question marks and worries arise."

Style Me Pretty Contributor - Jennae Saltzman is based in Minneapolis, MN and is the owner of Blush & Whim Wedding Planning + Event Design. She was recently named one of the TOP 10 Wedding Planners in the Midwest by Martha Stewarts' sister company, MyWedding Magazine.