Preparing for a wedding consultation

How should I go about choosing my florist?

The most important thing to check is that your florist is qualified and insured. A good florist would have trained at a reputable Agricultural College to a minimum of Level 3 qualification. Also look for accreditation to the Good Florist Guide.  Your wedding flowers will be on display in your wedding pictures forever. It is essential that the florist creating your flowers knows what they are doing! You will also be working closely with your florist leading up to the big day, a good repore between you and the florist is essential.

How many florists should I speak to before making a decision?

Before seeing any florists try and do some research and come up with some ideas you like. It is always important to try and give the same brief to all the florists you have chosen to visit. This will allow you to make an accurate comparison. We would recommend you see no more than three florists to get comparisons. You could end up with too many choices which would be hard to compare.

Should I only see the florists in your venues wedding brochure?

Many florists have to pay to be published in a venues brochure. Feel free to see both florists who have paid to go into brochures and local florists who do not pay. It is essential that your florist is familiar with the venue. If they have not worked there before ensure you visit the venue with them.

What should I expect at a wedding consultation?

A good florist will give you at least an hour appointment in a dedicated consultation room, away from the shop. This will give you time to talk through your ideas and designs and give you chance to question the florist and get to know each other. Beware of florists who just offer you a stack of wedding books to browse through whilst they are making up flowers for other clients.

How many consultations can I expect to have?

You should be offered an hour complimentary appointment with a 30 minute follow up appointment to finalise your flowers.  Excessive appointment and site visits may be chargeable. It is always important to do some research before visiting a florist to understand the flowers you like and don’t like. This will help you use your consultation time more effectively.

Will my florist take on more than one wedding per day?

Most successful and creative florists do get booked up in advance. Beware the florist that says they only take on one wedding per day. This would indicate that they not very busy or running an extremely small business from home and cannot cope with more than one event. Ask the florist how they manage more than one event and if they will be given a dedicated event manager. Does the florist have more than one vehicle and are all their staff fully qualified?

What are the most important things to consider when choosing flowers?

The most important thing to consider is what you want your flowers to say about you. Are you looking for an elegant and minimalist look or something more relaxed and country? What is your venue like? What are you and the other members of the bridal party wearing? Do you want to allow the florist to choose your flowers on the day to make the most of your budget or do you want to be specific about your flower choices.

Where should you look for inspiration?

Your florist should have pictures on their website or a portfolio for you to review previous work they have completed. You can also look at Wedding Flowers Magazine and any bridal magazine for the latest floral trends. Look at friend’s wedding flowers for inspiration. Your wedding venue may also have pictures of previous weddings so you can see what worked well in the venue.

How can I make sure I get what I want from my florist?

Try to be clear as possible with what you like and don’t like. Be clear with your budget upfront and try and stick to it. If your florist knows your budget they should only put designs in front of you that fit within that budget. If you have no idea of budget ask what an average wedding flower bill has been for your venue in the past? Beware of florists who do not listen to your budget requirements. A good florist will be honest with you if your budget is not realistic for your dreams!

Are the best florists the ones who are very on-trend?

Each florist will have their own in-house style. A good florist should be able to create any kind of design from modern chic to vintage style. Make sure a florist listens to what you want.

Help I want tulips in August?

Whilst a great floral designer will try and create your perfect design but minded that she is not Mother Nature and some flowers are simply not available all year around. If your whole wedding is themed around a particular flower make sure you know when it is in season before you book your special day.

Mum has offered to do my flowers; wouldn’t it be cheaper to let her do it?

It can seem a good idea to give well-meaning relatives a task to do for your wedding day in order to be involved and save money. Many professional florists end up sweeping in the afternoon before your wedding in order to sort things out. Many wholesaler flower companies will not sell to anyone not in the trade and buying equipment and glassware can often be more expensive than hiring it from a florist. Often brides and their mums end up getting up at 4am the day before their wedding to trek to Covent Garden to buy their flowers.  An average wedding will take a professional florist a couple of days to prepare with all the right equipment and create your designs. You will be extremely busy the last few days before your wedding, if you add preparing your own flowers into that mix you could find yourself adding to your own stress.