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Congratulations! You're engaged!
Your wedding day should be a wonderful free flowing event in which you are the star of the show! Time will fly by so think carefully before committing yourself to doing this and that. Hair, make-up, photographers and the all important champagne with friends and family will see the morning disappear.
As most of the preparation of wedding bouquets and reception flowers are done on the morning of the wedding, you may want to consider employing a Florist. Creating church flowers and table displays will take many hours, often creating a great deal of stress for mothers, aunties and sisters on a day when everyone should be enjoying themselves.
You may decide it is important that the family plays a role or have a member of the family who is desperate to help. Look objectively at the situation and make a judgement call. Perhaps you will simply use a florist for the bridal bouquet and buttonholes. Many florists will be happy to provide the more complicated pieces such as bridal party flowers, pedestal and font arrangements and reception flowers leaving family members to install pew ends and other final touches.
How to choose the right florist for you!
You can of course employ a florist to install all the wedding flowers. Yet how do you go about choosing the right florist for you?
Many brides find a florist who operates from an established premises. This allows regular visits to view a wide variety of flowers that they have in their stand and of course a sense of permanence. This also gives you the opportunity to view their work on Saturday mornings before the flowers are delivered to brides and venues. Take the opportunity to see a florist in action and the quality of their work.
Ask friends for recommendations and think back to weddings you have attended. Why not ask the manager of the reception venue who they recommend. Don't forget the manager sees all the florists at work and will always want to recommend those that not only deliver the most beautiful flowers but who work well with clients and the venue itself.
Search the websites of prospective wedding florists where you are getting married. Do they look like the type of business you would like to employ?
Find a florist who shows passion, love and commitment for what they do. If your first impression is poor, don't stick around! Find someone who will deliver you a wonderful experience.
Don't hang around, book a florist now!
The best florists will always be booked up to a year ahead, especially around peak dates in summer such as long weekends. Good florists limit themselves to 2 - 3 weddings a weekend to ensure the quality of their work never suffers. Ask them about their policy on bookings. You don't want to be just one in a crowd! Plan ahead and get the florist you really want.
Are they experienced?
When compiling your checklist of questions to ask prospective florists, make sure you enquire about their experience, where they work regularly and who recommends them. You don't want to be their first wedding and if they don't do many weddings ask yourself why this might be. Look for a busy florist that is in demand. A sure sign that your florist provides wonderful flowers and great service is a busy wedding diary.
Ask about the venues they regularly install flowers in. Are these venues like the one you have chosen? Look for a florist who is used to delivering the style of flowers that is appropriate to your venue and the theme you have chosen.
Finally ask which venues recommend the florist. Top florists will be recommended by the most sought after venues such as Castles and stately homes. A wide range of venues that recommends your florist will also suggest they build long term relationships with venues based on many installations.
Avoid Pricelists
Look for a florist who offers consultations not price lists. Florists with pricelists are inclined to tell you what you can have for a certain price. Find a florist who listens to you, takes time to understand exactly what you want and then quotes for you.
Make sure your florist can work within your budget. Decide how much you can afford, then ask your florist for suggestions within this amount. The price of wedding flowers depends on type and availability and the size of the bouquets and decorations. If you are on a tight budget, use flowers that will be in season at the time of your wedding.
A skilled wedding florist is used to delivering wonderful flowers within a budget. Be strong and stick to your guns!
The consultation
The more you tell your florist about your wedding, the better. Take along pictures of your dress and those of your bridesmaids and a snapshot of your hairstyle if you're having a floral headdress. It's a good idea to take fabric swatches to ensure the colour scheme is understood by all parties involved. Collect pictures of flowers, bouquets and arrangement that you like. Even if you have never seen your dream bouquet, all these snapshots will help your florist develop a better picture of what you really want.
Enter your consultation with an open mind and trust the instincts of your florist. They work with flowers every day and ideally should have a real passion for design. Your florist should have a wealth of experience and be full of great ideas. Your florist should also be able to suggest ideas that will save money while delivering better results. Many photo-shoots of wedding flowers deliver amazing but very expensive ideas. Ask your florist how they can recreate these pictures within your budget.
Don't forget to discuss a contingency plan with your florist, in case the flowers you've chosen aren't available on the day. During the wedding season some flowers may become very expensive if demand is high while other flowers may just have a bad growing season. This doesn't happen very often but consider the possibility and plan for it!
Make sure you receive a complete quote
Once you have had your consultation, you should receive a written and formal quotation on headed paper. Make sure everything you wanted is included. Don't worry about including ideas and then removing them later. Look for the areas that are important to you and concentrate your budget on them. Consider the flowers that will be in the wedding pictures and thus last a lifetime. If you have run over budget let your florist know! A good florist will have ideas to reduce the overall cost while delivering you the flowers of your dreams.
When you accept your quote expect to pay a deposit. Ensure all delivery, labour and installation costs are included in the final price. You should expect to make the final payment one to two weeks before your wedding.
Be prepared and have a wonderful time!
Getting married is a wonderful experience and every day leading up to your big day should be treasured. Find professionals who will take the stress and worry out of the equation. So to recap and ensure you have everything you need to find the right florist for you, follow these simple points:
- decide exactly what role you want friends, family and your florist to play.
- find a florist with an established premises.
- ask friends and family for recommendations.
- ask the manager of the reception venue for recommendations.
- search websites of florists where you are getting married.
- look for a florist who shows passion, love and commitment for what they do.
- start looking for a florist about 12 months ahead of your wedding date.
- ask about their booking policy and how many weddings they take each weekend.
- ask about their experience.
- where do they work regularly.
- which venues recommend them.
- set a clear budget to work within.
- look for a consultation not a pricelist.
- receive a comprehensive quote detailing all costs.
The next step? Contact florists near your marriage venue and make an appointment to meet. For help in choosing a wedding bouquet click through to the article that helps you make the right decision.
Take me back to the Wedding Home Page
To request a CD-ROM showreel of our wedding work Contact Debbie, Liz and Iain at The Hibiscus Room, Hereford or call 01432 270 970
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