“I can make that from scratch!” “I bet I can make it cheaper than that.” “I’ll just go buy the flowers and design it myself!” If you are reading this, then more than likely you have been guilty of saying something along those lines. I know that I have tried to DIY (Do It Yourself) on many occasions, and while it can be fun, there is also a stressor that comes with it. It may not turn out to be exactly what you had in mind. It might end up being WAY more expensive than you originally planned. As with everything, there are pros and cons to DIY, and right now, DIY has somewhat taken the wedding world by storm (thank you Pinterest)! In this blog, I want to dive into the ups and downs of DIY vs. PRO specifically in the realm of wedding florists.
Hi there! My name is Maegan Ferguson, and I am the owner and lead designer for The Floral Pop, a Nashville-based wedding and event florist. I’m so glad that you have found my blog! I've been in the wedding and florals industry since 2019, and started my company, The Floral Pop in 2021.The industry is constantly growing and changing, but I hope that this blog will help you discover and learn what all is great about hiring a professional to do the flowers for your big day. As someone who likes to know all the facts, I want to help you feel prepared to take the leap with a professional florist. When comparing professional vs. DIY florals, there are 4 main things to consider: cost, materials, design & time. Let’s dive into some pros and cons.
diy Wedding Flowers vs. professional florist: pros and cons
COST
Most brides think that it will be cheaper to DIY their florals than to pay a professional. While in some ways it may APPEAR that way since you will not be paying for someone’s time, you will be investing your own time (which we will get to in a minute)! Before we go there, you should consider the fact that most brides will buy their flowers from a bulk retailer (Costco, Sam’s Club, Trader Joes, etc.) or a local floral shop. Though the prices at these places may seem inexpensive, you are paying a retail cost for those flowers NOT a wholesale cost which is what a professional wedding florist will be paying. Most floral wholesalers require a floral business license to sell flowers at wholesale cost to their clients and quite a few will not sell to the general public at all! Wholesale will always be cheaper than retail costs. Thus going with a professional wedding florist with save you money on the cost of flowers.
MATERIALS
Materials commonly used by a wedding florist include items such as floral tape, floral pins, boutonniere tape, vases, floral wire, ribbons, and even sometimes candles and bud vases as well as other various items. These are items that you would need to build the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets and make your own arrangements as a DIY bride. These materials are fairly easy to find at your local craft store, but you will likely be buying more of each product than you need, leaving you with excess. When working with a professional wedding florist, they will have all of these items and more available for your designs and some will even supply rental items at a lower cost to you. Fun fact: If you choose the Floral Pop to be your wedding florist, we are dedicated to using as many sustainable and eco-friendly materials as possible for your day, and to reduce waste by composting your flowers afterwards!
DESIGN
For a DIY bride, the design itself can be challenging even if you have a knack or an artistic eye. Not to downplay anyone’s skills or artistic abilities, but there are certain rules of floral design that should be followed to create the beautiful designs that you admire on Pinterest and Instagram! If floral design is not something that you have studied or do every day, then the tricks of the trade and mechanics of how to build each design well can be challenging to replicate or learn within a strict timeline. This does not only apply to bouquets and boutonnieres, but also to the large statement pieces (floral arches, floral clouds, statement table arrangements, etc.) or even small bud vase designs. Having a professional design your flowers brings the expertise, the on the job training, and the accomplished eye for color, texture and shape to your wedding or event! Remember, this is our form of art, and we love to create for and with you for your special day!
TIME
The biggest factor that you will be sacrificing or paying a professional florist for is time. Floral designs must be completed just days before a wedding or event to preserve the freshness, and depending on your access to a floral cooler, time may be even more limited! Some may say, “Well I have access to a fridge so it shouldn’t be a problem!” While that is great, just know that if you have fresh food, say an apple, in the fridge along with the florals then the gases of the apple can wilt the flowers faster, which is why florists have separate coolers for food and florals. Also, the humidity in a typical kitchen fridge is not the same as what you would have in a floral cooler; the humidity is what will keep the flowers looking crisp and beautiful. But I digress… your time is valuable, especially in the week leading up to your wedding or event!!! You may have multiple other events that you are also attending during this time (wedding showers, teas, bachelorette parties, etc.), and having extra projects can just add stress which is not ideal for a bride before her big day! If you decide to go with the DIY route, then be aware that you will be the one in charge of/the point person for all set up and tear down of your florals. While this is doable, it adds a whole new level of responsibility to your special day/event that you, after speaking with various brides, may regret later. Should you choose to work with a professional florist for your wedding/event, we each have set standards on how long tasks should take us and can estimate our time and labor for your event accordingly. Again… YOUR TIME (and peace of mind) IS VALUABLE!!!
To reiterate, the four main things to consider when comparing DIY vs. PRO are cost, materials, design and time! My hope is that you now recognize the merits of working with a professional, but also feel more informed if DIY is the path that you choose! At the end of the day, it is YOUR choice! If you are still considering which direction to go, then I would love to discuss your ideas with you and create a proposal with you. If you have questions about how we create proposals here at The Floral Pop, check out our blog BEHIND THE SCENES: THE FLORAL PROPOSAL. My goal is for you to feel informed and prepared to make your day the best day ever!
