How COVID-19 Is Affecting Supply Of Your Wedding Flowers

Images: Aleksandar Jason / Flowers: Floretta

We find ourselves in very uncertain times as the world battles COVID-19.  Plans and dreams for weddings (and businesses!) that have been years in the making, have been halted and the repercussions for the flower industry are rippling around the globe.

Florists are currently facing supply chain issues, resulting in shortages, which means we may be looking at an increase in the price of some flower varieties of between twenty and forty percent. This is due to the lack of international passenger flights. Freight planes are far more expensive, which significantly increases the price when they do arrive. We are being told that this could last as long as 12 months or more. Aussie farmers are also struggling with fulfilment and recently they’ve been impacted by both drought and fire. The increased demand and reduced supply has resulted in a need for Aussie farmers to also raise their prices.

The biggest trend we are currently seeing working with our clients is using loads of frilly large headed and open roses, layers of lush orchids and interesting and textured preserved, bleached or dried floral materials in delicate hues of creams, nudes, blush pinks and coffee tones paired with minimal foliage. Previously, these items were almost all imported and we had access to these materials all year round, regardless of the season. In the short term these materials will be in short supply and in the long term are looking to be both expensive and unreliable.

So, what can you do to ensure you have gorgeous flowers you’ll love on your special day and minimise budget blow out?

Choose a florist that creates designs you love:
Couples will need to place more trust in their florist, and be more flexible than usual in relation to availability. Florists are artists. We recommend you spend time looking at a florist’s portfolio and choose one with a design style that that suits your aesthetic. Instead of showing them other people’s work to copy, allow them the creative freedom to design you a unique floral masterpiece!

Understand you may have to be flexible with your vision:
Briefs may need to be altered and made more flexible or alternatively budgets may beed to increase. Instead of using all one flower variety, large headed imported roses (for example) may not be possible, so use a mix of seasonal flower varieties instead. If you’ve chosen your florist because you love their design aesthetic then trust that they will be creative and ensure you end up with a more unique and show-stopping result. There are many varieties of blooms out there and your florist is your own personal flower expert, let them guide you to find the perfect style.

Consider your colour palette:
Not only will this look much more timeless and elegant, but colours that occur naturally in nature are more abundant and therefore more affordable. Think whites, greens, pinks, reds, oranges and mauves. It’s much more likely there will be many different flower varieties available in these tones, so you and your florist will have more choice and can pick and choose from the best in season at the time.

And lastly:
Go easy on your florist, please. This is an extremely difficult and stressful time and it’s completely out of their control. All we actually want is to focus on what we do best and create gorgeous flower arrangements for your big day.