Wedding Planning Advice – Finding A Florist
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Posted in Planning Advice , Wedding Flowers
Floral arrangements are a key element of any wedding. Whether you’re looking for grand, elaborate structures or simple posies, flowers provide beautiful focal points and contribute to the overall style and look of your special day. As part of our Wedding Planning Advice series, today we take a look at the things to think about when it comes to choosing your wedding flowers, and what to look for in a prospective florist.
Flowers are something that my brides consistently highlight as being one of the most important aspects of their wedding day – they’re looking for beautiful arrangements that both capture the look and feel of their celebration and provide the ‘wow’ factor. Floral arrangements are, however, also an area that brides often struggle with – they don’t know anything about flowers, they have no idea what will work with their wedding design, and they can’t envisage how it will look on the day. It is, therefore, important that when you come to find a florist for your wedding you hire someone who understands the overall look you are trying to achieve, is realistic with your budget and is someone you trust to do a great job on the day.
Set A Budget
One of the most common mistakes that couples make with their wedding flowers is getting ideas that are beyond their budget. Wedding magazines are packed full of stunning floral arrangements, but they often don’t say that some of these can cost hundreds of pounds each!
As with all areas of your wedding, it’s important to know how much you have available for your flowers (you can read my tips on budgeting for your wedding here ). Make your florist aware of your budget from the outset so that they can provide you with ideas that are realistically affordable. I normally suggest allocated 4-6% of your total wedding budget for your flowers, but you may wish to allocate more or less depending on how important they are to you.
Keep your budget in mind when thinking about ideas for your flowers. Obviously the more arrangements you have the greater the costs, but the type of flowers and arrangement designs that you choose will also have an impact on the quote. For example, a bouquet of orchids will probably cost 3 or 4 times more than a bouquet of mixed seasonal flowers, whilst oversized martini vases filled with large domes of flowers will probably cost twice as much as small, low vase arrangements. This doesn’t mean that you have to rule out more elaborate designs, but you may have to compromise on some things – for example, using more foliage to fill space in larger centrepiece arrangements.
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Think About Your Requirements
Before you start researching and meeting florists, it’s worth thinking about what you would like for your wedding flowers. You don’t have to know exactly what you want, but you will find an initial meeting with a florist easier and more productive if you have at least have a rough idea of the type of flowers and floral designs that you like, as well as the number of arrangements you are likely to need. Some of the arrangements you might like to think about include:
- Bouquets for you and the bridesmaids (alternatives to bouquets include wrist corsages and hair flowers)
- Buttonholes for the groom, best man, ushers and fathers
- Corsages for mums and grandmothers
- Chair ties or pew ends for the ceremony
- Pedestals and/or mantelpiece arrangements for the ceremony and reception
- Centrepieces for tables
- Cake flowers
- Thank you bouquets
Once you have a list, mark those arrangements that are essential – for example, bouquets, buttonholes and centrepieces. Other arrangements, like pedestals and mantelpiece decorations, are nice to have but will depend on your budget; these can be considered once you have sorted out the main designs.
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Find Out What You Like
Some brides know exactly what they want for their wedding flowers, but they are in a minority! Most brides feel overwhelmed with the amount of choice that is available and the fact that they can’t tell a rose from a lily. Don’t panic! Choosing your flowers should be a fun part of the planning process, and you should enjoy it rather than feel daunted.
Once you have an idea of the arrangements you need, look through bridal magazines or websites to pick out pictures of flowers that you like; also cut out pictures of designs that you don’t like. Take these along with you when you meet a prospective florist to help you to explain what you are looking for – it’s extremely helpful for the florist to see these, and will make the process of choosing flowers and designs much easier.
When looking at pictures of floral arrangements, remember that you probably aren’t going to find an exact copy of what you have in mind. Look at the colour and shape of individual flowers in an arrangement – it doesn’t matter if it’s in the most hideous bouquet you’ve ever seen! Similarly when looking for arrangement designs think about the overall shape and style rather than the flowers and colours used.
Not all flowers are available all year round, so try to keep a fairly open mind about what you would like until you have discussed your ideas with a florist. For example, Lily of the Valley is a beautifully delicate flower that many brides fall in love with, but it’s only available for about 3 weeks of the year! Check out the Flower Council for more information about seasonal availability of specific blooms. Similarly some flowers are particularly expensive, so may not be appropriate for your budget. It’s really good to have an idea of the type of flowers you like, but take on board suggestions by your florist for alternatives that may be more readily available and less expensive.
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Meeting a Prospective Florist
As with any supplier, it is important that you meet a prospective florist to assess whether they are suitable for your wedding. Use recommendations from family, friends and your venue to help you draw up a shortlist of people you would like to meet; wedding fairs, local wedding magazines and websites are also useful resources.
Aim to meet with 2 or 3 prospective florists in the first instance – any more than this and you’ll start to feel confused! Use the meeting as an opportunity to talk about your ideas. Take along your pictures of flowers and arrangement designs, as well as a photograph of your dress to will help with the design for your bouquet. If possible also take along a colour swatch of fabric or ribbon to better illustrate your colour scheme.
Your prospective florist should be able to demonstrate a good understanding of what you are looking for and be able to offer lots of ideas on arrangement designs, flowers and colours. Whilst you’re talking with them, ask yourself the following: Do they seem enthusiastic about your wedding? Are they forthcoming with advice and ideas? Are they suggesting designs that are within your budget, or do you feel pressured into spending more than you have allocated? Do they understand what you want, or are they talking you into something different? Remember that your florist will be offering professional advice, so do listen to their opinions and ideas as to what they think will work for your wedding.
Also use the meeting to find out more about the florist and their services. Take some time to view their portfolio to give you a better indication of their style of work, and ask to see previous client testimonials. If they have a shop look around at the flowers on display – are they nice and fresh, or do they look limp and sorry for themselves? Some questions you might also like to ask include:
- For how long have they been a professional florist and for how long have they worked on wedding arrangements?
- Do they have public liability insurance?
- Have they worked at your venue before?
- Do they provide glassware to hire, such as vases, mirrors or candelabras?
- Does the quoted price include delivery and set-up?
- Can they create a mock bouquet or centrepiece for you to see? Is this included in the quote, or is it available as an option at extra cost?
- How many weddings do they do one day? If they do multiple weddings, how much time will they allocate to set up your arrangements?
- Can they do multiple drop-offs at no extra cost? For example, buttonholes to groom’s house, bouquets to bride’s house, centrepieces to reception venue
Before making a final decision, make sure you are fully aware of what the quote includes (for example, VAT, delivery, glassware hire). When you are ready to confirm a booking, sign a contract and make a note of the date any deposit was paid. Also note down when the final payment is due, as well as the deadline for confirming your order.
Photo Credits:
Pink and peach rustic display:
Dandelion Ranch
Purple box centrepiece:
Lucy Holdsworth
Multicoloured bouquet and purple flowers:
Jessica Claire Photography
via Style Me Pretty
here
and
here
Peach centrepiece:
Style Me Pretty
Red table display:
Studio 28 Photography
via
JL Designs