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Planning Your Wedding Flowers: What Your Florist Wants You to Know
Wedding flowers have a way of bringing the entire day together. Our in-house florist, Flora by Jamae, shares how to make thoughtful floral choices, create beautiful statement moments, and design flowers that complement your venue, your priorities, and the feeling you want for your wedding.
Wedding flowers have a way of bringing everything together. They can soften a space, highlight the architecture, bring in color and texture, and completely change the feeling of a room.
But if you’re starting to plan your wedding flowers and wondering how you're supposed to know what you need—or where your floral budget will have the most impact—you’re not alone.
At Flora by Jamae, our in-house floral studio at The Lageret, I work with couples to take all of those saved inspiration photos, colors and ideas and turn them into a floral design that feels cohesive, intentional and personal to their wedding.
And you definitely don't need to have it all figured out before your first consultation.
Start With the Feeling, Not a Flower List
Before your first floral consultation, think about the feeling, colors and overall style you want for your wedding.
You don't need to know flower names. You don't need to decide exactly how many arrangements you need. And you certainly don't need to walk in with every detail planned.
Inspiration photos are always helpful—even when you can't quite explain what you like about them.
That's actually part of my job. When I look through a couple's inspiration, I can usually start to see the common threads. Maybe you're repeatedly drawn to loose, organic arrangements. Maybe it's a certain color palette, lots of greenery or a particular shape and scale.
Those common elements give us a starting point for creating a design that feels cohesive rather than simply recreating individual photos.
I also encourage couples to ask themselves one important question:
Where do you want your guests' eyes to go?
That answer can help guide so many of the decisions that come next.
You Don't Need Flowers Everywhere
One of the biggest misconceptions about wedding flowers is that more arrangements automatically create more impact.
They don't.
Often, a few intentional statement pieces will transform a space more than lots of smaller arrangements spread everywhere.
Large-scale floral moments—like a ceremony backdrop, hanging installation, statement entry arrangement or a beautifully designed head table—naturally draw the eye. They become part of the experience of the room and often end up in some of the most memorable photographs from the day.
Instead of asking, “Where else should we put flowers?” I like to think about, “Where will flowers make the biggest difference?”
Those are two very different approaches.
Let the Venue Be Part of the Design
Your venue should influence your floral design.
I never want flowers to fight with a space. I want them to feel like they belong there.
At The Lageret, for example, there is already so much character built into the venue—the exposed brick, greenery, industrial details and architecture. We don't have to cover all of that up to make the room beautiful.
Instead, we can use florals to highlight what's already there.
That might mean drawing attention to a ceremony location, adding softness to an architectural feature or creating a statement piece in an area where guests naturally gather.
Every venue has its own personality. The best floral designs work with that personality rather than competing against it.
Put Your Floral Budget Where Guests Will Notice It
When I help couples prioritize their floral budget, we start with the big picture and work backward.
What's most important to you?
Maybe you have always pictured saying your vows surrounded by flowers. Maybe the reception tables matter most. Maybe you want one dramatic installation that changes the feeling of the entire room.
Once we know the priorities, we can put more of the budget toward the elements that will actually make a difference.
Trying to make every single floral detail equally important can spread a budget very thin. I'd rather help a couple create a few really beautiful, intentional moments and simplify in the areas that matter less to them.
Repurpose Flowers When It Makes Sense
Another way to make your floral investment work harder is to consider whether certain arrangements can serve more than one purpose throughout the day.
Altar arrangements, aisle arrangements, welcome pieces and some larger installations can sometimes be moved after the ceremony and used at the head table, sweetheart table, bar or another reception focal point.
But there is an important caveat: repurposing only makes sense when it can be done safely and efficiently.
The timing, size of the arrangements, mechanics and logistics of moving them all matter. That's something your florist can help you determine during the planning process.
When it works, though, repurposing can be a great way to create impact in more than one part of the wedding without designing an entirely separate arrangement for every space.
Wedding Flowers Cost More Than the Stems
Floral pricing is one area that can surprise couples because so much of the work happens before guests ever see the finished arrangements.
When you're investing in professional wedding florals, you're not simply paying for the flowers themselves.
The price can include the product, sourcing, freight, design time, vessels, mechanics, labor, setup, installation, teardown and cleanup.
Large-scale installations in particular can require significant planning behind the scenes. We have to think about how something will be constructed, how it will be transported, how long it will take to install and how it can safely exist in the space.
What guests see for a few beautiful hours is the finished product of a much longer process.
Understanding that can also make conversations about budget easier. Instead of simply asking, “How many flowers can I get for this amount?” we can talk about how to use that investment intentionally.
Don't Make Everything a Priority
If there's one thing I wish every couple knew before planning their wedding flowers, it's this:
Don't try to make every single detail a priority.
Choose the things that matter most to you and invest there.
Your wedding flowers shouldn't just check boxes on a list. They should help tell the story of the day and create the feeling you want your guests to experience.
Come to your florist with your inspiration, your priorities and an idea of how you want your wedding to feel. Then give them some room to create.
You don't have to arrive with every answer.
That's what we're here for.
Planning Your Wedding at The Lageret?
One of the advantages of working with Flora by Jamae, The Lageret's in-house floral studio, is having a floral designer who already knows the venue—its architecture, its possibilities and the logistics behind bringing a design to life in the space.
Whether your vision is understated and organic or filled with statement floral moments, the goal is the same: to create something that feels like your wedding, while making thoughtful use of the space and your floral investment.