How to Find an Affordable Wedding Florist

Flowers are at the heart of your wedding decor, so it’s no surprise that finding an affordable wedding florist is key to keeping your budget in check. Your florist will not only buy and arrange the flowers for you, but will help design the overall look of your celebration. Work with them to create whatever style you desire, from modern romanticism to rustic and whimsical. Thankfully, finding an affordable florist for your wedding is a lot easier than you might think.

Let’s take a look at how to find affordable wedding flowers and an affordable florist—as well as some suggestions for affordable wedding flowers to help you pick the perfect budget-friendly blooms for your big day:

1. Match Your Style

Before you look for a florist for your wedding day, it’s important to decide the style you’d like to create. Keeping this in mind will help you as you begin to research for vendors. You'll know instantly if a florist's signature intricate and luscious style works with your vision, or if sleek, minimal flower arrangements work best with your overall scheme. Familiarize yourself with the popular elements of your design style (for example, do you want to go with all fresh flowers—or are you also open to silk flowers?) and then look for that style on the florist’s website and social media accounts. Doing so will help you find someone who’s in line with your vision for the wedding ideas and wedding theme—and allow you to talk with them more specifically about what you’d like to see. Matching your style to the florist you select also ensures that you are getting the best expertise for your wedding.

2. Determine the Services You Need

Your local florist shop may not be willing or able to provide extensive design services for your wedding. Be sure to take a wedding flower checklist of all the items you will need to your first meeting. So, if you are looking for someone to help with the overall appearance of your tablescapes and ceremony aisle, you’ll want to seek out someone with floral design services and skills. If, however, you have a keen eye for design or a clear vision of what you want, you may be able to secure the flowers and rent accessories from a traditional florist or independent supplier.

Understanding the expectations you have for your florist will complement your research and help you create an accurate wedding floral budget.

3. Set a Floral Budget

Most couples end up spending around 10 percent of their total wedding budget on flowers, greenery, and associated decor items on their wedding day. However, this will depend on the types of wedding flowers you want, their seasonality, and the complexity of the displays you’d like to create. Ask your local florist for advice on the most affordable wedding flowers and floral arrangements. A good florist will give you tips on how to cut costs on wedding bouquets, centerpieces, boutonnieres, and other flower arrangements for the venue (for example, by shopping for in-season flowers). Also consider that extras will increase your costs, items like setup and breakdown fees, taxes, and tips. Knowing your budget restrictions will help you find an affordable wedding florist and choose the right flowers for your event and your wallet.

4. Talk to Friends and Family

The best advice for finding a cheap wedding florist and wedding flowers is asking for referrals from your friends, family, and other acquaintances. To uncover these word-of-mouth recommendations, reach out to your network, search online reviews, and browse local wedding magazines. Your wedding coordinator may also have some ideas. As you talk to people, be sure to emphasize that budget is a top concern for you and that you’re looking for a florist and/or floral distributor who can work within your price range. You may be surprised by how many newlyweds have felt the same, even if their weddings looked extravagant.

5. Interview Your Top Picks

If you’re going the route of hiring a florist, it’s essential to make sure that you and your florist will have a friendly and honest working relationship. The best way to do this is to interview a few of your top picks. Schedule in-person consultation appointments at least nine to eleven months before your wedding, so you can view a portfolio of their work and discuss how they’ll execute your vision. This is a great time to review budget restrictions and determine if each florist will be able to work within those limitations.

When you interview your florist, there are many questions you should ask. Here are five of our top questions to get to know your florist:

• What is your planning and design process?
• How many weddings do you design per day, weekend, and year?
• How does your contract and payment system work?
• Does your fee include set-up and tear-down services?
• How did you get started, and why have you continued in this line of work?
• What is included in your wedding flowers package?

Your florist will be interviewing you as well. So, be prepared to answer some questions about who you are as a couple and what your wedding will be like. These might include questions like:

• What’s your budget?
• Where’s your venue?
• Do you have a vision for the ceremony and reception?
• What’s your favorite flower, and why?

6. Compare Proposals

Once you have narrowed down your shortlist of potential florists to two or three finalists (or, if you’re going the DIY wedding flowers route and buying your own flowers from an independent supplier), set up a follow-up meeting to discuss the details of your wedding, including exact flower choices, cost of additional materials or accessories, and any other extras. Ask each florist (or supplier) to provide an itemized proposal for you based on what you’ve shared about your vision for the wedding and budget concerns. Make sure their proposal covers all the things you want from your flower budget—including wedding centerpieces, flower bouquets, corsages, and any other flowers you’ll need to bring your wedding vision to life.

If you have a few different ideas and have yet to decide on a final plan, ask them to put together both best-case and bare-minimum proposals so you can evaluate both scenarios. You can use these proposals later to mix and match a mid-range package that meets your needs. Having a proposal in hand from each florist will allow you to compare and pick a top choice.

7. Finalize with Your Florist

After reviewing all the proposals, you may have a clear-cut match, or you may have some concerns about specific costs or elements of the proposal. Don’t be afraid to use the proposals from other florists to negotiate with your top choice. It’s critical to talk through all your concerns prior to finalizing a contract, so speak up now. When you are both satisfied with the proposal, your florist will ask you to sign a formal contract. This process should be completed, and your florist secured, five to six months before your wedding.

Following these steps will ensure that you have completed a comprehensive search for your florist and are choosing to work with the best match for your wedding. A cheap wedding florist is a relative term. Rather, it is important to find someone who can work within your budget and help guide you through the many decisions you will need to make in order to achieve your vision. Explore Zola's vendor directory to find trusted florists in your area. Connect with wedding florists from Miami, FL to Los Angeles, CA and everything in between.

Affordable Wedding flowers

Now that you know how to find a wedding florist that won’t break the bank for your big day, let’s jump into some of the different types of flowers can incorporate into your bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, table centerpieces, and other floral arrangements that will help you save money without losing impact:

1. Hydrangeas

These flowers are a go-to wedding choice not only because of their striking blooms and wide color variations (hydrangeas come in a variety of shades, including white, blue, purple, and pink), but also because of their affordable price tag.

In bloom: Late spring through early fall

2. Solidagos

These club-shaped yellow flowers are a great filler, particularly if you’re crafting arrangements using wildflowers.

In bloom: Late summer through early fall

3. Lillies

Lillies are a classic, elegant flower, making them a popular choice for weddings. They also come in a large variety of shades (including peach, cream, and pink)—giving them versatility with a variety of wedding color palettes.

In bloom: Early summer through fall

4. Carnations

These cheap wedding flowers are making a major comeback thanks to their versatility. Carnations come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes—like large flower carnations, which feature one large flower per stem, and spray carnations (also known as mini carnations), which feature lots of smaller blooms.

In bloom: Late spring through summer

5. Tulips

These classic flowers may not be in-season for long, but their unique shape and huge variety of color options (including red, yellow, white, green, pink, purple, and lavender) make them a favorite (and affordable!) option for spring weddings.

In bloom: Early-to-late spring.

6. Roses

Is there any flower more closely associated with weddings than the rose? Roses (and particularly garden roses) are an impactful option—and because, in certain areas, they bloom year-round, they can also be an affordable choice.

In bloom: Year round, depending on the area and variety

7. Blue Thistle

Looking for a filler flower that adds a pop of color and won’t break the bank? Then you’ll definitely want to consider the blue thistle.

In bloom: Summer

8. Begonias

If you want to incorporate a unique flower into your wedding flowers, consider the begonia. With a variety of colors and petal sizes and shapes, this flower can lend floral arrangements an unexpected look.

In bloom: Spring to early fall

9. Gerbera Daisies

If you want your wedding flowers to feel cheerful and colorful, Gerbera Daisies, which grow in a variety of bright hues, would make a great choice.

In bloom: Late summer through fall

10. Alstroemeria

The Alstroemeria, which comes in a variety of colors, resembles a smaller version of a lily—so if you want the look of lillies without the size, this affordable wedding flower would be a great choice.

In bloom: Summer

11. Peonies

If you want to add some glamour to your wedding flowers, these stunning blooms are a great choice. Not only are they visually impactful (making them a great flower for centerpieces), but they also come in a variety of shades and, when in season, also offer affordable flower prices.

In bloom: Spring through early summer

12. Baby’s Breath

One of the most classic filler flowers for weddings, baby’s breath is not only a great traditional choice for bouquets—it’s also an affordable one.

In bloom: Summer through fall

13. Freesia

Want your wedding flowers to also add a great fragrance to your wedding day? These trumpet-shaped blossoms give of a sweet, almost fruit-like scent that people love.

In bloom: Late winter through early spring

14. Queen Anne’s Lace

Another good filler flower, particularly for summer weddings, these white flat-topped blooms are great for fleshing out bouquets.

In bloom: Summer

Sunflowers

The sunflower is one of the happiest, most cheerful, and most iconic flowers of all-time. And it also happens to be one of the more affordable options—making it a great choice for weddings, particularly weddings with a boho or laid-back aesthetic.

In bloom: Summer through early fall