San Diego Wedding Florists: Find Your Perfect Match

Venue. Planner. Florist. DJ. Photographer… There are a lot of vendors to cross off your wedding planning checklist. But how exactly do you search through all the San Diego wedding florists to find the one that reflects you? So many choices, and so many questions to ask, but first, let’s start at the beginning.

Pins, Boards & Bookmarks: Laying the Foundation

Crack open your ‘save for later’ computer folder that’s been collecting dust all these months, errr years. Don’t have anything saved? Not to worry, scroll through Pinterest and Instagram and see if anything catches your eye. Sometimes you’ll notice that you might not find anything when you begin your search. Don’t be discouraged. Come back a few days later; it’s more likely that the algorithm will notice you checking out more floral items and start to push suggestions to you. Once you’ve collected one or two dozen, look at each picture. Do you notice any similarities between them? Are your photos representing one or two specific color palettes, a flower(s) that you love, an arrangement style you like, or a cascading (enter your fav style here) wedding bouquet? Separate the photos by these commonalities.

Color

This… “stuff”? Oh, okay. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you.

– Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada)

Whenever I speak about color and design to a client, I am reminded of the iconic scene from The Devil Wears Prada where Miranda (Meryl Streep) delivers an incredible monologue about Andy’s (Anne Hathaway) “lumpy blue sweater”. Andy thinks that she is exempt from the fashion world because she doesn’t care about what she wears. But this is far from the case.

The fact is: whether it is fashion, flowers, interiors, architecture, or even landscape design – design affects everyone. Design and color go hand in hand in dictating what we are attracted to, which is no different in the wedding world.

Do you have an idea of what your color palette is? Look at your saved photos. Are the palettes all over the board? Bright, dark, light, and monotone? That’s okay. Pick the one that makes you feel the happiest, the one you look the best in, the one that signifies your other half, whatever that “this is it” color is for you. If you’re not partial to a particular combination, then sort your pictures by what you love the most, regardless of color. If you don’t feel like any of your pictures are earth-shattering, take the night off and come back to this exercise another day while saving pics. Eventually, there will be a picture or a couple that you keep revisiting.

Searching for the Holy Grail

I’m just going to say this now: a picture of your exact color palette, lighting, flowers, landscape, etc., probably doesn’t exist, so please stop looking once you’ve landed on a few great examples. A photo with a few of your favs – consider this good enough. This photo is not your Holy Grail; this is not your be-all and end-all. (Though I would argue that if you found the Holy Grail, that would be insane, and I would hope you would give a shout-out to Indiana Jones and me).

What you have collected here are your favorites, a curated sampling of what you love, and ideas to expand on with your vendor team. In the figurative sense of the word, these photos function as your “torch” that you hand off to your florist. Remember that when you show these to your florist, this is where they start their process. You’ve already done your work by researching and collecting your favorites. From here on out, you can take a back seat and enjoy the design ride.

San Diego Wedding Florists: Style

My number one piece of advice for couples to consider when choosing a San Diego wedding florist is this: select a florist that emulates your wedding style. Many clients send emails to florists that are not specific to their artistic niche. In fact, I’ve noticed more and more emails from potential customers that simply list dates and ask for pricing. Though we understand that the client is busy, this lack of information doesn’t really tell us anything about the couple looking at our services. We, as florists, want to connect with our Brides and Grooms so we can give you the best service. So the more information, the better! 

“Help Us Help You” – all San Diego Wedding Florists

Occasionally we receive an email with inspo pictures asking us for a style that we don’t specialize in, and have never published. Be mindful of your intended style when shopping for florists. If a florist doesn’t showcase a particular style, it might be because they don’t focus on it, enjoy it, or just haven’t had the right client thus far to experiment with the look.

To put it more plainly, would you hire a photographer that only shoots in black and white when you want color? Probably not.

Before sending a general email out to vendors asking for pricing and availability, consider if you’re a match stylistically. Are you getting married in a glam hotel ballroom but contact florists specializing in outdoor weddings with rustic decor? This might not be the best fit for either the client or the florist. If you’re unsure whether you’re a match, always contact the florist and show them what you think. This way, they’ll be able to immediately tell you if they’re a good match.

Sometimes, clients are completely lost and don’t know what they like. They’ll say that they like everything or whatever fits into their budget, but this isn’t the way to approach your hunt through San Diego wedding florists. In fact, if you have a strict budget for florals, be upfront when contacting us. Many of us have minimums and will be able to tell you immediately if we can help. 

If you’re truly impartial to style and/or just need to cross off “book a florist” on your list, we understand this too. Be honest in your introductory text/email/DM. Some of my best clients are the ones that don’t have a preference for anything at the beginning. 

 “I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That’s getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition.

George Banks – (Father of the Bride)

Pricing: I love Cheap Thrills.

There’s something about getting a deal, isn’t there? You stand a little taller, admire the extra cash in your checking account, and maybe brag to others about your clever thriftiness. We’ve all been there. A little celebration is in order when you win against “the system,” right? Your bravery in closing this financial transaction is a win for individuals everywhere. Congratulate me because I didn’t pay the price that everyone else pays. 

Yes, that’s all lovely but before you try to bargain your way through a wedding, keep this in mind: a wedding is an investment. Whether the wedding is a $200k or $20k affair, it doesn’t really matter. Everyone invests differently based on their inherent values. Some families love DIY regardless of the cost, while some couples opt to elope and not deal with the inevitable drama and escalating costs. Some families see a wedding as a time to showcase their wealth and connections. Others just try to get through it without refinancing their home.

Regardless of your investment or how you approach a wedding, you should be happy with the service/product you purchase. Be realistic. Ask each vendor if /what their minimum is. Even if we’re out of your price range, ask us a few questions anyways. We won’t bite! In fact, we’d prefer to pay it forward and suggest a florist that we love and does work within your parameters. Wouldn’t you rather point someone in the right direction with a few suggestions than have them hit up 57 businesses in a day and have nothing to show for it? No one likes wasting time (or money).

Stay tuned for the next part of this article that discusses the ins and outs of pricing to evaluate San Diego wedding florists and find the right fit. In the meantime, head over here to review some budgeting basics before our final installment about pricing.