How Much of an Impact Do Wedding Florals Really Have?

Wedding florals aren’t just a nice detail—they’re one of the biggest players in your wedding design.
You can have a gorgeous venue, perfect lighting, and beautiful rentals, but if the flowers feel
off, the whole look can fall flat.

And it’s not about over-the-top arrangements. It’s about making intentional choices that
work with your venue, climate, and overall design. In destination weddings, this
gets even more important, because not every location has easy access to high-end wedding florals.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a serious impact.

Why Wedding Florals Matter

Wedding florals set the mood. They bring dimension to the space, tie together your color palette, and
show up in nearly every single photo. Your guests might not remember exactly which
charger you chose—but they’ll remember how the reception felt. And flowers play a huge
role in that.

They also help connect the different parts of your day: ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner,
dancing. It can be tied together beautifully through your floral design, even if each
space has a slightly different look.

Where to Start

Don’t feel like you need to know flower types or terminology. That’s what your
florist and planner are there for. Start by sharing the kind of feeling or atmosphere you
want—clean and minimal, rich and romantic, bright and festive. Once the vibe is clear,
everything else falls into place.

Here’s what I always suggest:

• Pick your focal point. Maybe it’s the ceremony arch, the dance floor install, or the dinner tables—pick one area to go big, and let everything else complement that.
• Think climate. Some flowers just won’t survive in the Cabo sun or Caribbean humidity.
• Use blooms that hold up well, or make smart swaps with similar texture or color.
• Don’t overcomplicate. A clean palette and intentional design always feel more elegant than something that’s trying to do too much.
• Lean on your planner. We’ll guide you on which spaces to make pop with florals and help bring it all together—florist, rental company, lighting team—so the entire space feels cohesive.
• Florals not your thing, or keeping a close eye on the budget? Go for simplicity. Elegant bud vases with lots of candlelight can feel elevated and intentional. Sometimes, you can skip flowers entirely on the tables and use only candles—that alone makes a statement. You can always do clean, simple florals or greenery at the ceremony, then focus your resources on styling the tables with warm, layered candlelight. When done correctly, it’s incredibly impactful.
• Repurpose your wedding ceremony florals. Use them for your bar, stage, or behind the sweetheart table to get more impact for your spend.
• Elegant vases matter. A thoughtfully chosen vessel can elevate even the simplest floral arrangement and bring cohesion to your table design.

Destination Truths: What You Can (and Can’t) Do

• Cartagena, Colombia, is one of the best cities for flowers. You can get incredibly fresh
  blooms—roses, orchids, tropicals—for very reasonable prices. Local vendors are
  talented, and you get a lot of look for your budget.
• Mexico City has Mercado de Jamaica, one of the world’s largest and most vibrant flower markets. If you’re getting married in CDMX, or even somewhere nearby like Valle de
  Bravo or San Miguel de Allende, you can bring in florals from the city and get much
  more value than you would in a remote beach town.
• Punta Mita is a great destination to bring florists to. It’s close enough to central Mexico
  that transporting flowers and design teams is logistically doable—and you get better
  talent and materials than relying on very limited local options.
• Italy is in a league of its own. Italian florists are artists. They understand how to design
  in a way that honors the landscape, the culture, and the architecture. From lush olive
  branches in Tuscany to romantic florals cascading over stone terraces in Ravello, the
  design just fits in Italy in a way that feels effortless but incredibly well thought-out.

Budgeting for Wedding Florals

Floral design is a major part of your overall budget—especially for a destination wedding.
For a wedding of 150 guests, for example, you can expect to spend $20,000 as a starting
point, and that number climbs quickly based on guest count, complexity, and location.

Prices vary depending on what’s available locally, what needs to be flown in, and the overall
production level. This is why working closely with your planner and florist is
essential—they’ll help you focus your budget on where it matters most.

Designing the Table | The Details Make the Difference

• Candlelight matters. Use tall cylinders with tapered or pillar candles, layered with
  votives for warmth and dimension.
• Glassware should feel special. Clean and elegant is always right, but if you want to take
  it a step further, bring in colored glass that reflects your floral tones—it’s subtle but
  impactful.
• Linens or wood? Fine linens elevate the look. A beautiful wood table can be just as
  elegant if styled right. Either way, the napkin matters—make sure it’s not an
  afterthought.
• Menus complete the look. A well-designed menu placed properly adds polish and
  personality to the setting.

Final Thoughts

There’s something undeniably joyful about wedding florals. Whether they’re big and dramatic or
clean and simple, they bring life to the table—literally. They help shape the mood, define the
setting, and give your guests something to remember.

Thoughtful floral design doesn’t mean doing more. It means doing it right—for your
location, your budget, and your style. And when you get it right, everything else just clicks.

With love and beauty in every bloom,