It's February and you all know what that means! Valentine's Day! I have never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. Probably too many years spent in retail floral! Working 24 hours straight, making bouquets of pink and red roses is enough to make anybody sour on the holiday.
Speaking of holidays, I thought I'd mention a few holidays to avoid, (from a floral stand point), when selecting a wedding date. Really, any big holiday that is typically associated with flowers should be avoided. Valentine's Day and Mothers Day are the two biggies that jump to my mind.
Both of these holidays are HUGE for florists and wholesalers. The whole supply and demand thing makes it difficult and expensive for a bride to get an entire wedding of the flowers she wants at a reasonable price.
In the weeks leading up to and following these holidays, cost of goods jump about 15% minimum for florists. Cost of goods on the day prior to the holiday and the day of can double! Just imagine paying twice as much for your wedding flowers! YIKES! Even 15% can wreck havoc on your budget!
If you plan on using a retail florist, (as opposed to someone like myself who specializes in weddings and parties), consider how busy they are during these holidays. Having your wedding at the same time as all of the hundreds of bouquets and deliveries that need to be made amps up their stress a lot! Trust me - I've been there!
Last but not least, consider again supply and demand. Many wholesalers and growers sell out of flowers: like roses on Valentine's Day. Florists usually order their flowers a year - yep - 1 YEAR prior to Valentine's Day because of the increased demand. The same is true for Mother's Day. Spring time flowers are in high demand and orders to growers and wholesalers are placed WELL in advance of the holiday. All this means limited availability and higher prices for brides.
If you are unable to avoid these dates, just be aware of the price increases and meet with your florist as soon as you can to get your order to the wholesaler with plenty of time to ensure you get the flowers you want.
Other holidays that you may want to be wary of, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Think of all those lovely centerpieces!
