Finding Your Perfect Wedding Florist
Start looking for a wedding florist as soon as you set your wedding date. Good florists often get booked more than a year in advance. Visit florists’ stands at wedding fairs, look out for stylish displays that catch your eye and talk to the team that created them... it’s important that you choose a florist who you genuinely like and get on with from the outset!
Word of mouth is often the best way to find a good florist. Speak to your other wedding suppliers who may be able to recommend florists they have worked with in the past. If you’ve chosen a hotel or country pile to hold your nuptials you may be required to use its in-house florist or choose from a short-list of preferred suppliers. This can be a bonus as not only will they know the venue inside out, an in-house team may also be happy to incorporate the standard displays they create daily or weekly for the venue into your scheme, thus saving you money. If you are sourcing your own florist try to visit two or three before making your final decision. Ask to see their portfolio and testimonials from other weddings they have worked on.
When visiting a florist for a preliminary consultation, have a rough figure in mind of how much you’d like to spend, and take along tear sheets from magazines and fabric swatches from your and your bridesmaids’ dresses. Have in mind a colour scheme or theme and if there are particular flowers or colours that you really don’t like, make a note to mention it! Do however be prepared to be flexible with your ideas and your budget. Specific types of flowers may be out of season at the time of year you’re getting married, or the extravagant candelabra centrepieces you had your heart set on may be either far pricier than you imagined or simply not feasible as your venue won’t allow naked flames. A good florist will be able to suggest alternative flowers and arrangements which will work with your budget and look just as stunning. It is also helpful to take along a list of what you think you need for the bridal party, together with photos of your venue and prominent areas that you feel require dressing. This initial prep work will help the florist tune-in to your style and vision for your wedding day and will help them to give you a realistic cost estimate. As a guide, hand-tied bouquets cost from £45, while a time-consuming intricate wired shower bouquet will cost from £80 upwards. Buttonholes typically start from £5 each, corsages from £12 and table centres from £40 each. Once you have booked your chosen florist they should be happy to visit your venue before giving you a final, in-depth proposal and quote.
It’s important to keep your budget in check from the outset. If your final quote is higher than you imagined, don’t be afraid to ask your florist where they can cut-back. Using more foliage and fewer blooms in arrangements is one effective way of saving a few pounds without compromising the overall look. Make sure you’re aware of any additional costs, for example, delivery and vase collection may be included in the cost of the arrangements or it may be added separately. Ask when you need to confirm your final designs and how and when your florist will expect payment. Some will ask for a deposit of between 10% and 50% on booking with the final payment due a couple of weeks before the wedding date. Others will ask for the full payment in advance.
Roughly two weeks before your wedding, meet with your florist to discuss final details including extras such as thank-you bouquets you may have forgotten, plus what will be delivered, where and when. Schedule a convenient time for the bouquets to be delivered to you and the buttonholes delivered to the best-man. Remember to ask how you should look after your flowers. Corsages and buttonholes may need to be stored in the fridge, and bouquets may need to stand in water with the stems re-cut just before you leave for the ceremony. Finally don’t forget to dry the stems before leaving so as not to mark your dress!
Article by Floral Design Expert Gemma Beasley
Images Courtesy of In the Pink Flowers
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