The 9 Most Common Wedding Flower Mistakes Couples Make

Out of all the decorative elements you use to design your wedding day, flowers are some of the most important ones. Whether it’s a ceremony arch engulfed in blooms or colorful assortments scattered across your reception tables, florals have the power to elevate any event and transform it into a lush fairytale garden. From classic roses to eye-catching orchids, your foliage will add color, texture, and vitality to your celebration.

However, the same works in reverse. If you end up choosing the wrong buds for your soirée, you can throw off the whole atmosphere and tone. That’s why it’s essential to steer clear of the typical pitfalls couples often fall victim to when selecting and arranging their floral elements. To avoid this trap, we turned to the experts and asked them to share the most common blunders. Ahead, nine mistakes couples usually make when planning their wedding flowers.

Ignoring What’s In Season

If a majority of the flowers you’ve chosen for your special day are being shipped in from out of town, you’ll rack up the price and increase your carbon footprint. To achieve a similar look for a fraction of the cost and a negligible impact on the environment, florist Ivie Joy suggests exploring seasonal blooms. “Trust your floral artist to present alternative florals with the same texture and profile that will still be cohesive with your aesthetic,” she says.

Blindly Following the Trends

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with incorporating trends into your wedding design. If it feels authentic to you, buzzy blooms can help enhance your event.  But, issues start to arise if you try to force a popular type of flower or style instead of honoring what actually captures your love story and aesthetic.

“Choosing the right florals for their colors and textures and how they will add to the creative vision rather than obsessing about a specific flower element just because it’s all over the internet will consume energy and budget,” Joy reveals. 

Relying on the Same Type of Flower

Since your ceremony and reception are two separate experiences, Jassi Lekach Antebi of J Group Events believes that decorating each festivity with different kinds of buds will help distinguish the events. From her experience, the planner and designer finds that couples will often incorporate the same type of flower across the day, which means they miss out on an opportunity to really get nuanced.

“This mistake can be made when a couple is thinking of telling a consistent story with their florals rather than celebrating the fact that the story of their wedding can have various chapters while still remaining cohesive,” Antebi notes. 

Using Too Many Different Flowers

Yes, varying your buds will help tell a more detailed story. But, it’s also possible to fall at the other end of the spectrum and go overboard. “Couples think that the more types of flowers they use, the better the visual presentation,” Joy observes. But, overloading your arrangements can actually weaken your vision and feel overwhelming.

Instead, she recommends combining a few types of flowers with other elevated decorations. “By keeping it simple, especially with budget constraints, the thoughtful types of featured flowers will yield a more substantial visual representation paired with different layers and heights of candles for a sophisticated result,” she says.

Having Unrealistic Expectations

With so many stunning floral options out there, it makes sense why you’d want to go all out. However, infiltrating your celebration with many elaborate displays isn’t always feasible, especially if your budget doesn’t allow for it. Instead of getting in over your head, lower your expectations and stick to one statement-making feature. “A single wow moment will create a dynamic impact that is more memorable than smaller installations,” Joy remarks.

Sticking to One Spot

Antebi also finds that couples tend to focus on decorating one area of their wedding with blooms, mainly their reception tables, rather than infusing the lush plants into every aspect of their event. “Florals can be gorgeous anywhere, including the entrance, bar, stations, ceiling, and lounges,” she shares. By integrating flowers throughout the wedding, your design will feel more consistent. Decking out your celebration in petals is especially important if you’re throwing a garden fête or warm-weather nuptials.

Focusing Too Much on Height

Don’t get us wrong: Having towering assortments of blooms placed at the center of your reception tables is a surefire way to bring the drama. What tends to happen though is that couples will concentrate so much on making an impact that their centerpieces end up blocking guests’ field of view. “Couples make that mistake when they’re only looking at the beauty of the centerpiece without considering function,” Antebi infers. The good news is you can still play up the height in a practical way. The solution? “Keep it below 10 inches or above 30 inches,” she advises. 

There is an exception to the rule: If you’re hosting an outdoor reception where wind and rain could knock down the arrangements, it’s best to choose low centerpieces to avoid potential injuries, Antebi notes. 

Disregarding the Venue

Flowers can definitely transform a space, but it’s also important to work with the venue you’re getting married at. “Complementing the existing architecture of the space by adding natural elements, whether it’s greenery or the right colors of florals for an immersive experience, is the key to achieving a timeless, refined look,” Joy shares.

Discarding Them Incorrectly

Dumping your blooms at the end of the night is not only a daunting task, it’s also harmful to the environment. Instead of filling waste bins, preserve your flowers, so you can display them in your home and view them as a constant reminder of your magical day.

Not interested in hanging up pressed petals? You can also share the love with others. “Consider hiring a team to repurpose the flowers and deliver them to local hospitals or elderly homes,” Antebi recommends. “The way a flower can light up someone’s face is amazing, and the fact that the couple can start their married life with an act of kindness is priceless.”