Wedding Planning: The Belli Fiori Experience
Congratulations on your engagement! Now you can finally take that secret wedding Pinterest board off “lock” and begin planning! ;) But where to start?! If you type “wedding planning” into Google you get roughly 577,000,000 results! That is overwhelming to say the least, but very few of those articles actually detail the process of selecting your vendors. There are countless checklists of when to book things, but very little on what to expect as you begin to reach out to vendors.
I’m the type of person who researches everything before making any big decisions, especially these days with the pandemic, and I’m sure many of our clients are the same. That’s why I wanted to put together some information to help take the mystery and some of the stress out of the process, and give some insight into what working with Belli Fiori is like!
When should I book Belli Fiori for my wedding?
Most of our clients book with us 6 months to one year out from their wedding date. This of course is not a hard and fast rule; we have some clients who book more than a year out, and others who reach out 3 months from the big day. If we have your date available, we’re happy to chat!
Before you begin the search for a florist, it’s helpful to have your venue selected and booked, since the location determines so many factors of the day (style, guest count, etc). Planning reception flowers and décor without a venue is like decorating a house you haven’t bought yet – the couch might not fit and the colors could be all wrong! If you’d like to chat flowers before you book your venue, just keep in mind that it will be a more general conversation and things might change once you settle on a space.
I have my venue, let’s talk flowers!
Once you have your venue, the design fun can start! When you submit an inquiry through our website or The Knot, you’ll get a response from our Operations Manager, Kim (that’s me!) I’ll check our availability, and if we have your date open I’ll send you a link to our calendar so you can schedule a consultation. At the moment we’re offering appointments over the phone, by video chat, or in person with some safety guidelines in place. We’re happy to accommodate whatever you’re most comfortable with!
When I confirm your meeting time I will also ask you to send inspiration photos or a Pinterest board if you didn’t submit one with your inquiry. This is SO helpful in getting a sense of your wedding style and vision. There is no such thing as too much inspiration!! (If you’re curious how inspiration photos help us to design the day, check out our Inspiration vs. Reality post!)
At your consultation you will be meeting with our owner Lisa or our Lead Designer Sandra. These meetings last about an hour, and will be a deep-dive into your wedding vision. The discussion will include everything from the type of bouquet you envision carrying, to how you want the reception space to feel when you walk in for the first time. The consultation is our time to get to know you, but also for you to get to know us!
Your Floral Proposal
After your consultation, Lisa or Sandra will put together a custom proposal based on everything discussed at the consultation. The proposal breaks down each item of the day, from your bouquet to the cake flowers, with a description, photos, images of all the flowers used throughout the designs, and price; this makes it easy to add or remove items before finalizing a contract. Sometimes additional items or ideas are included that we think might be a great addition to the overall design.
The proposal also includes the event labor costs associated with the wedding; from the designers to the setup and breakdown crews, some weddings require a small army to bring to life! The labor includes all the prep leading up to the wedding (logistics, designing, pulling rental items), the setup and breakdown teams on the day itself, loading at our shop and unloading at the venue, and then cleaning rental items after the wedding. We generally spend about two weeks on everything that goes into prepping, designing and cleaning up an event!
Most clients will make a handful of adjustments to their proposal before finalizing their contract. Once you’re happy with everything, you can sign off and officially become a #BelliFioriBride!
I’m a Belli Fiori Bride! Now what?
This is the worst part… the wait for the big day! Feel free to reach out as you continue planing to make adjustments, or to just get advice on different aspects of the day. We’ve seen a lot of weddings and are happy to help you figure out what might work best for you! As you finalize details you might also need to touch base to confirm or edit things - for example, once you settle on a cake design with your baker you might need to add cake flowers.
We’ll begin reaching out a little over a month before the wedding to make sure there are haven’t been any major changes to your guest count or bridal party (don’t forget to tell your florist if you add bridesmaids!!) In the weeks leading up to the wedding, we’ll work with your other vendors to arrange logistics, finalize counts and generally make sure all the little details are taken care of.
What to Expect on Your Wedding Day
On the day of your wedding while you’re getting your hair and makeup done, or sipping mimosas with your bridesmaids, the Belli Fiori team will be hard at work behind the scenes to make sure you don’t need to worry about a thing. We’ll deliver bouquets, pin boutonnieres, and make sure the ceremony and reception look amazing. If your wedding day includes a room flip, the BF team will be waiting in the wings to help the venue staff transform the space quickly during cocktail hour. If your contract includes breakdown, we will return to strike the room and take all the rental items back to our studio at the end of the night.
Our goal is to make sure everything is executed perfectly so that you, your family and your friends don’t have to stress about the little details of the day!
So how much do wedding flowers cost?
This is one of the first questions most people ask, but it’s a difficult one to answer! As a custom wedding florist, we don’t have set pricing and packages; each proposal is custom-built for the client based on what they are looking for. Cost factors include the style of the designs, the types of flowers and greenery used, guest count, and bridal party size (more bridesmaids = more bouquets!)
Some flowers will always cost more than others, so if you have your heart set on peonies or orchids covering your reception space just know that this will be pricey! We often suggest reserving the most expensive blooms for the bridal bouquet, sweetheart or head table, or other high impact places throughout the day.
Also keep in mind that flower pricing changes with demand, so trends will affect cost. Greenery was once a relatively inexpensive addition to arrangements, but as wedding trends became more loose and natural, the price of greenery skyrocketed. There are times where a stem of eucalyptus might be more than a rose! If you are working within a tight budget, be open to suggestions that might help you get more impact for your money. We can often achieve an expensive look with carefully selected and cost effective materials!
The most important thing to remember as you’re looking for a florist (or any wedding vendor for that matter!) is to choose someone who understands your vision and who you connect with. You’ll be working closely with your vendors leading up to your wedding day, so you want to be sure you build a team you trust and are excited to work with!
Ready to set up a complementary consultation to discuss your wedding flower vision? Fill out our information form here - I’ll check our availability and get back to you as quickly as possible!
Chelsea & Michael’s Amazing Vendor Team:
Photographer: Ashley Pieper Photography | Planning: The Savvy Bride | Venue: The Caramel Room | Florist: Belli Fiori Floral & Event Design | Catering: 23 City Blocks Catering | Hair & Makeup: Looks by Lisa | Bridal Gown: Pronovias | Tux: Suit Supply | Desserts: The Tipsy Goat | DJ: DJ Connection | Veil & Belt: Sara Gabriel | Accommodations: Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel