Follow these 6 steps to find the florist of your dreams!
Your wedding flowers are at the heart of your celebration and, along with the dress and the food, will be one of the main things your guests will talk about and remember from your big day. Your flowers help to create and bring to life the overall vibe own your wedding- romantic, whimsical, modern, rustic, etc. Scrolling through floral inspiration photos can be a ton of fun, but not every bride is well-versed in floral lingo in order to turn photo dreams into reality. That's where your florist comes in. The right florist can help make wedding planning a breeze, and we're here to help you find your right fit!
Here are 6 steps to finding the perfect wedding florist.
Step 1: Establish your floral vision
Before you meet with any florists, you should have an idea of the kind of flowers and arrangements you are envisioning for your wedding. You'll want to create an inspiration board that showcases what you hope your wedding looking like. Most florists will ask you to share your Pinterest boards with them, so that's a great place to start.
Spoiler alert: It's VERY easy to go overboard when creating your own inspiration board. After all, you'll probably end up looking at so many different photos that you'll want to pin them all! If you find that your board ends up being all over the place, that's okay, you'll can always edit it to truly reflect your set vision before you share it with anyone. To create a clear and organized inspiration board, you'll want to keep in mind your venue, color palette, style, and wedding date (after all, some flowers are seasonal).
Please keep in mind though that your inspiration board truly is there for inspiration only. It's easy to want to replicate exactly what you see, but remember to be open-minded through the floral planning process and trust the experts!
Step 2: Determine your budget
Generally, flowers and decor should account for about 10 percent of your overall budget. However, if you're looking for grand floral installations or are dead-set on pricey flowers, plan to bump this number up. Additionally, some florists will offer other services along with the flowers that might cause you to adjust this number- like rentals or signage. Don't forget to think about extra charges that may occur, such as set-up, breakdown, taxes, and a tip.
Step 3: Shop for vendors
Luckily, there are a ton of resources available to help you shop around for potential vendors. Try browsing wedding websites with local vendor listings, pick up bridal magazines and check the index in the back, and notice who is tagged in photos that you see online that you like and fit your vision. Ask your married friends who they used as their florist and if they'd recommend them. Also check with your venue and any other vendors you've already secured and see who is on their preferred lists. If you can, you'll want to have an idea of your "short-list" of florists about nine to eleven months prior to your wedding.
Step 4: Schedule Interviews
You want to make sure that you trust whoever you're choosing to do the florals for your big day, so meeting with them in person and getting a feel for how you work together as a team is important. Show them your inspiration board, bring in photos of your dress and swatches of your bridesmaids dresses (if you can!), and talk through your wedding vision together. Gauge their understanding of what you're envisioning and what ideas they bring to the table to make it all come to life. Here are some questions to have on hand when meeting with florists:
Step 5: Consider the proposals
After you receive the proposals from the florists that you've met with, see which proposal fits your budget and your vision the best. Who is giving you the most bang for your buck? Which florist seemed to capture your vision the best? Does the proposal reflect what you spoke about during your appointment? If you need to, you can always set up a second meeting or a phone call to discuss what is on the proposal further and make any adjustments that you need. If you have any concerns or doubts, now is the time to get everything worked out.
Step 6: Choose the best fit
Hooray! Now it's time to pick a winner! Generally this should happen about four to six months before your wedding day. You've done all of the homework, so now it's time to choose your favorite and let your florist take the wheel!
Happy Planning!
Photos by (in order of appearance): Amy Maddox, Lindsay Grace, Admeyer Weddings, Jason Smelser, EL Photography
All florals were done by the Whimsical Events floral team