The Belli Fiori Experience
If you’re here on the Belli Blog, chances are you’re recently engaged (congratulations!!) and planning a wedding in St. Louis, or perhaps helping a loved one with their wedding planning! Whichever the case, this post is dedicated to helping explain the Belli Fiori process, and what you can expect when it comes to working with our team for your wedding flowers. It’s no secret that wedding planning can be overwhelming, and while there is no shortage of wedding planning advice out there, a lot of it can feel generic and not particularly helpful. I’m the type of person who loves information, so I wanted to write a post for my fellow research junkies who like to know what they’re in for! Wedding planning is stressful enough, so consider this your Belli Fiori Guide Book :) In this post we’ll be discussing the inquiry and consultation process, our floral proposals, and what to expect leading up to and on your big day!
When should I book Belli Fiori for my wedding?
On average, most of our clients book with us 6 months to one year out from their wedding date. That said, we have some couples who book more than a year out, and others who reach out 3 months from the big day. But don’t wait to reach out to your top choice vendors, especially if you’re getting married during peak wedding season, since most are only able to accommodate a few clients per weekend!
Before you reach out, it’s helpful to have your venue selected and booked, since the location determines so many factors of the day (style and color palette, 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 booked 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. Planning from out of town? No problem! We offer phone, video or in person consultations and we are happy to accommodate whatever works best for you.
When I confirm your meeting time I will also send a link to our pre-consultation form, which gathers information like wedding party size, color palette and timing for the day. I’ll 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, and there is no such thing as too mush 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’ll be meeting with our owner Lisa or our lead designer Sandra. Feel free to bring your wedding planner or mom along, but we do suggest limiting your group to just a few key decision makers… you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen! Initial consultations 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 your time 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, rental vans or trucks when needed, 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 part of the Belli Fiori family!
We signed our contract! 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! We will also check in periodically to touch base on outstanding design elements like cake flowers or escort card displays, and if you’re working with a planner we will be in contact with them throughout the process.
About a month before the wedding things really kick into high gear! Lisa will check in to make sure there haven’t been any major changes to your guest count and see if you need any last minute additions like styling blooms or additional centerpieces before placing your flower order. You’ll also get a “Final Details” email from me where we confirm logistics for the day, triple check your wedding party numbers (you won’t believe how many times clients add a bridesmaid and forget to tell us!) and tie up any loose ends. In the weeks leading up to the wedding we’ll also be working with your venue and other vendors to schedule timing and generally make sure all the little details are taken care of on our end.
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, our 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 potential clients 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 wedding party size (more bridesmaids = more bouquets!)
It’s also important to note that the floral industry is currently dealing with a massive floral shortage caused by the pandemic. Many flower farms were forced to close last year, which disrupted the growing cycle and caused product shortages just as lockdowns were lifted and events began to resume. As I’m sure you’ve heard, wedding vendors have been fitting two years worth of weddings into one. This has meant a huge demand for flowers at a time when product was hard to get, causing prices to increase around the world. Not only that, but the global disruptions in supply chains have made it harder to get floral supplies, glassware and new rental inventory.
We have worked hard this year to make sure our client’s floral visions have remained intact even while having to make changes and substitutions to their original plans. It’s not always possible to get the exact blooms that were initially discussed, but our clients know we have their best interest at heart and will do everything we can to make sure the overall vision is achieved!
If you’d like to learn more about the various factors that affect the price of custom wedding flowers, check out these posts from our Florist FAQ series: How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost? Pt 1 and How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost? Pt 2.
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!
If you think Belli Fiori might be the perfect fit for your day, we’d love to set up a complementary consultation to discuss your wedding flower vision! Just fill out our inquiry form here; I’ll check our availability and get back to you as quickly as possible!
Chelsea & Justin’s Vendor Team:
Photography: White Klump Photography | Venue: Missouri Athletic Club | Planning: Grace Wilson | Hair & Makeup: Danielle Style | Band: Contemporary Productions | Cake: MAC Pastry Chef | Photobooth: Everyday Elegance
Post by Kimberly Wallner