Maximizing Your Wedding Flower Budget: Focusing on the Details That Matter Most

Making Room for Magic: Smart Budgeting Tips for Adding Show-Stopping Wedding Details

Let’s face it: every bride dreams of a wedding day filled with gorgeous, jaw-dropping details that wow everyone in the room. But if you’ve ever scrolled through Pinterest or Instagram, you know those dreamy ideas can sometimes come with an unexpected price tag. The good news? You’re not alone! Balancing those beautiful inspirations with a real-life wedding budget is something every couple navigates. And here at Belli Fiori, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Sandra Fulton, Lead Designer and local goddess

This blog post is brought to you by one of Belli Fiori’s lead designers, Sandra Fulton. Sandra is a passionate and experienced floral artist who loves collaborating with clients to bring their wedding visions to life. With a background in fashion marketing, business, and event design, Sandra pours her heart and soul into every wedding. She’s known for her meticulous attention to detail and her ability to create designs that feel both personal and extraordinary. Whether she’s sketching ideas, training her team, or crafting one-of-a-kind floral installations, Sandra’s creative energy and expertise shine through. She’s thrilled to share some tips to help you make the most of your wedding floral budget!

Finding That Sweet Spot Between Dreams and Budget

It’s totally normal to start out with big ideas and then realize your budget might need a little tweaking as you dive into the details. Planning a wedding – especially when it involves flowers, décor, and catering for 250 guests – can feel very overwhelming. Most people don’t regularly source and price out the different elements that make up a wedding design. That’s where our team comes in! Our team, equipped with decades of experience, understands how to optimize your floral investment. We’ll work with you to figure out where your dollars can have the biggest impact, so your wedding feels like a dream come true. Our goal is to seamlessly blend your vision and guest experience and make sure that your photos reflect every bit of that magic.

Focus on the Show-Stoppers

So where do we start planning when it comes to making a visual impact? The perfect place to start is by thinking about the various focal points that will inevitably happen during the day based upon your venue and the activities you have planned during your day like your ceremony, cake cutting, toasts, and dances. When planning your floral budget, it's wise to concentrate on the areas where everyone's attention (and cameras) will naturally gravitate.

Every couple has a different approach to their wedding day and that’s important when considering where you want to infuse your dollars. One of the first things you should consider is what photos you want to capture on your wedding day. This should be closely followed by the experience you want to achieve for your guests and what most excites you about your venue and ceremony space. All three of these considerations can help you determine where to infuse your dollars into key spots to add drama. Wedding day activities like your ceremony or toasts and dinning at your head table can represent 1/3 of your overall wedding photo gallery and you should plan on spending several hundred dollars to a couple of grand on these focal points to make a huge impression.

So lets get into it... All eyes will be on these focal points, making them the perfect places to make a statement.

Ceremony Floral Elements: This is where you’ll say “I do” and create some of the most meaningful memories of the day. Your ceremony is also your guests' very first wedding day experience. It’s where they get to witness your vows and see what makes your wedding day uniquely you. Paying attention to details like a grand entrance with flowers on your church doors or ceremony entrance creates a welcoming and stylish first impression. Adding flowers at the start of the aisle not only greets your guests in style but also enhances all of your processional and recessional photos. Additional touches like candle-lined aisles with floral accents or rose petals add a warm, romantic ambiance. And, of course, a breathtaking ceremony backdrop – whether it’s a floral arch, chuppah, or a cluster of tall arrangements – ensures every guest enjoys the beauty of the moment as you exchange your vows. The possibilities are endless when it comes to designing ceremony flowers so here’s a great place to see more examples of our ceremony structures and floral designs.

Pro Tip: Repurposing ceremony decor for your reception is a question we get often, and while it can be a great way to maximize your floral investment, it’s not always the right fit for every wedding. When it works, it can save on flower costs and create a cohesive design throughout your day. However, it’s important to consider the added labor involved, which can offset those savings. For example, if your ceremony and reception are in two different locations, large structures like floral arches or chuppahs are typically not practical to move due to their size, weight, and the time constraints of cocktail hour. In cases like these, the logistics of deconstructing and transporting such pieces simply don’t work. We’ll always discuss the possibilities with you and help determine whether repurposing makes sense for your specific venue and timeline.

Wedding Cake Table: The cake is a classic centerpiece of any reception, and trending for 2025 is the return of tall, multi-tiered wedding cakes and large dessert displays. Whether you’re a kid or just young at heart, every guest loves to find the wedding cake for a photo and admire its beauty, so give them something worth looking at. We love creating cake meadows with a full floral base, designing unique cake tables, or adorning cakes with cascading flowers. These touches make your cake table a true show-stopper that ties your entire reception together. See more examples of our wedding cake flowers here.

Head Table or Sweetheart Table: Your table is basically the star of the reception, so giving it a little extra love makes total sense. During the reception, a significant portion of the timeline takes place with guests focused on the head table. From welcome speeches and toasts to dinner, first dances, and parent dances, this table is front and center. It also means the head table will be featured in a majority of your reception photos, making it a natural focal point. Consider tall centerpieces, flowers cascading off the table, or repurposing your wedding arch (in the case of a room flip) as a stunning backdrop. These thoughtful touches can transform your head table into a true show-stopper.

Image by L Photography at The Missouri Athletic Club

Image by Kate Hargis Creative at Union Station

Go Big Where It Counts

One of Sandra’s personal mantras is: “More is more.” (You should see her over-the-top holiday decorating at her home…it’s ahh-mazing!) She’s all about those dramatic, show-stopping moments that make everyone stop and say “Wow.” When it comes to adding these bigger statements we often factor in unique architectural aspects of your venue or in the guest experiences that are important to you. If you’re into the idea of focusing your budget on a few incredible pieces, here are some ideas to consider:

A Grand Staircase: Many St. Louis venues feature grand staircases that provide an easy opportunity to wow like Union Station, The Dogwood, Missouri Athletic Club or the Majorette. Whether you use these staircases as part of your ceremony or just as a grand entrance for your guests into the reception, picture a staircase covered in cascading flowers, greenery or candle gardens. It’s the kind of entrance your guests will remember forever!

A Stunning Escort Card Display or Entryways: Everyone needs to find their seat, so why not make that moment unforgettable? An escort card display is one of the guests first cocktail hour experiences as they enter the cocktail hour space greeted by this display before heading off to the bar. This beautiful display doubles as decor for your cocktail hour (an often overlooked experience) and enhances your guests enjoyment. If you’re looking for more ideas, we have many examples covered in this blog post.

Dance Floor Accents: Let’s get this party started! Once the night’s formal events are completed, it’s time to hit the dance floor! This is where your guests will create their own fun memories dancing the night away with you! That means that this focal point. will really make a big splash. One of our favorite ways to add floral to your dance floor that also serves a great purpose are window boxes with flowers covering the band stage. Not only does this add color and interest to the dance floor, but it helps hide all the band speakers, wires, and gear that can start to look really cluttered. Many couples also include a lounge grouping near the dance floor for dancers to take a quick break and this is another opportunity to add flowers to accent tables here. Floral rings or hanging greenery also make a big impact, especially in tented receptions. The all white tent creates a blank canvas so going up with color and flowers softens the space and makes a major statement.

Image by Ashley Fisher Photography at Westwind Hills Country Club

Image by Abby Rose Photography at The Coronado

Venue Considerations

St. Louis is lucky to boast a wide array of unique wedding venues, from elegant ballrooms to historic landmarks, industrial-chic warehouses to lush botanical gardens. Each venue offers its own charm and distinct features that can be beautifully enhanced with floral accents. The venue you choose likely holds special meaning or reflects your personal style, making it an important consideration when deciding how to allocate your decor and floral budget. At Belli Fiori, we specialize in accentuating the standout features that drew you to your venue in the first place—whether it’s a grand staircase begging for a floral cascade, dramatic chandeliers that can come alive with hanging flowers or greenery, or a cozy fireplace that beckons with blooms with added greenery. Our team will collaborate with you to highlight the unique character of your venue, ensuring your wedding feels cohesive, personalized, and unforgettable.

The Belli Blog features many real wedding and venue features so you can get inspired by seeing other ways we have added flowers to various St. Louis venues.

**Lisa Molitor,** *Owner & Principal Designer and* **Sandra Fulton,** *Lead Designer*

A creative collaboration

At Belli Fiori, we’re all about collaborating with our couples to prioritize what matters most to you. It’s not about trying to do everything – it’s about focusing your budget on the elements that truly make your day uniquely you!

Whether it’s Sandra or Lisa, our designers will be with you every step of the way, working closely to bring your vision to life with thoughtful designs that showcase your personality and style. With their expertise and dedication, they’ll help you create a wedding that’s as memorable as it is beautiful.

Looking for more inspiration? Our blog and social media are filled with real wedding features, planning tips, and fresh ideas to spark your creativity and help you envision your perfect day.

Let’s Create Your Magical Day Together

Your wedding day is a celebration of your unique love story, and we’re here to help you make it everything you’ve dreamed of. With thoughtful planning, creative ideas, and a focus on the details that matter most, we’ll help you create a wedding that’s as beautiful as your love story.

Let's start planning!