Budgeting your wedding can be so overwhelming and scary. Trying to figure out how much to spend and in what areas is what most couples struggle with. I take a pragmatic approach when it comes to wedding budgets: spend more on the things you care about and less on the things you don’t. What is important is going to be different for each couple but no matter what your overall budget is it is integral to identify which parts of your wedding you are most passionate about.

For example, when my sister got married her and her husband were all about the party. They love to drink, let loose with their friends, and have crazy dance parties. We found them the most incredible bartending team who developed signature cocktails as well as signature dessert shooters and that open bar was stocked. On the other hand, they aren’t big foodies so we went for a down home BBQ buffet instead of a more expensive plated meal option. Having those likes and dislikes helps combat the pressure of wedding planning to spend on everything because Pinterest says you have to. 

This macro strategy for your entire wedding budget can be applied to each vendor as well. When you are thinking about your floral design, decide what part of the day you are most excited about. Do you love the stunning wedding ceremonies or are you all about the reception room reveal? Is it important to you and your partner’s family that every mom, dad, grandparent, and second uncle once removed has a boutonniere or corsage or do you just want personal flowers for the happy couple? When in doubt ask your florist what pieces will have the biggest impact on your wedding day and which can be forgotten. 

Another great strategy for maximizing your floral budget is limiting the number of flower varieties. I love those super detailed and ingredient heavy bouquets as much as the next person, probably more, but if the goal is maximizing your budget narrowing down to 1-3 flower varieties means your florist can buy in bulk and access even better savings. We recently designed a wedding entirely out of red roses, I’m talking 3000 stems of red roses. Per stem the cost went down almost 25% when we were buying in that much bulk and I’m not exaggerating when I say the visual impact of all those red roses was insane. 

If you are in love with the more complex floral designs that use 20 or more different varieties of flowers, my best advice is don’t micromanage. Your florist will know the most beautiful in season and shipped in flowers to achieve that look efficiently. Agree on a color palette and then trust your florist because if you are super particular about specific flowers and varieties you’ll watch your budget skyrocket. 

Instead of trying to spread your floral budget all over the wedding day, prioritize a few key elements and save on the rest. In the immortal words of Ron Swanson on Parks and Rec, “Never half ass two things. Whole ass one thing.” Wise, wise words