One of the first things you are likely to do is to book your chosen venue and get yourself a date! Once you have that everything else will start to fall into place. Many factors will apply when you are choosing your flowers.
Venue - Your venue can play a big part with your flower theme, A rustic barn for example tends to lend itself for more natural, wild looking bouquets whereas a venue with a more modern interior may not. But the choice is yours!
Dress - if you are a bride, you may or may not have chosen your dress before looking at flowers. The style of your dress can also play an important part of your bouquet style. If, for example, you have a fitted dress showing off your amazing figure or if you have a lot of detail at the front of your dress you don’t want to be hiding this with a huge bouquet!
Themed Wedding - you and your partner may have met through your favourite hobby or pastime so you may be looking to incorporate that into your wedding. Your flowers will play a big part of this and can be incorporated to fit your theme.
Colour Scheme - most couples have a colour scheme in mind by the time they look to source their flowers but bare in mind…bridesmaids don’t always agree and shades differ!
So, you have a date, a venue, maybe a theme and a colour scheme so let’s talk about the flower process.
Where do you start?
Look for ideas – social media, Pinterest, wedding magazines, friends and family’s weddings, Wedding Fairs
Budget – Keep it real! You may have seen your favourite celebrity have flowers and trees everywhere for their wedding but these cost, so be guided by your florist and your purse!
Are you looking for fresh flowers or silk/artificial? There are advantages and disadvantages to both but please don’t be fooled into thinking artificial are cheaper! Good quality silk / artificial flowers can easily cost the same if not more at times that fresh flowers – but you do get to keep them! If you’re unsure, then take a look at both to see what it on offer before making up your mind. (You can find many advantages of Silk Flowers on my website pages)
There will be differences in the way fresh florists work and between silk flower florists. The following describes my process.
Finding your florist
Social media, Wedding Fairs, Recommendations, Websites and Florist shops are the usual routes to finding your florist.
We are all surrounded by social media so search for wedding florists in your area. Join wedding Facebook groups - there will always be florists posts to see!
Wedding fairs are a great way to meet suppliers. Not only do you get to speak directly with them but you also get to see their products.
Has someone you know recently got married or have you recently gone to a wedding yourself? Were you impressed by their flowers? Recommendations are always a great place to start.
I suspect that pretty much every wedding florist will have a website so if get searching! You’ll find plenty of choice.
Bear in mind that many florists, including myself, work from home so there’s not always a ‘shop’ to visit.
Don’t forget however, that the most highly recommended florist or the one with the most followers or fantastic reviews might not be the one for you. It’s your day and I always say to any couple that come and see me that they have to choose the florist they prefer and feel most comfortable with, so look around, meet suppliers and get quotes!
So you’ve found your preferred florist(s) – what happens next?
Once you’ve selected a florist / florists then things start to get real! It’s time to contact them and talk flowers!
I, like many others, offer a free, no obligation consultation where we can sit down in comfort and discuss all your ideas and plans. I’ll talk about what you can expect from your consultation shortly.
A question I am often asked is ‘How far in advance do I need to order my flowers?’
My answer is that it’s never too early! Once you have a date and your venue booked then you can start looking for your flowers.
Ideally. I like a minimum of 3 months’ notice. That gives me chance to spend time with you making sure you have exactly what you’d like and gives me time to source, order and create your bespoke bouquets and arrangements. Most consultations take place many, many months and often years in advance!
The Consultation
The consultation is all about you and your wedding flowers. I offer a free, no obligation consultation during which time you can see the flowers I use, hold different shaped and sized bouquets to see which you prefer and match your colours. It also gives me chance to get to know you and to understand what you are looking for in your wedding flowers.
It doesn’t matter how much or how little you know about flowers or even what flowers you actually need! I can help you with all of that.
Some couples bring mood boards, some show me photos and pictures, others have no idea at all what they are looking for so wherever you fit on that scale rest assured, I will be able to help you!
A typical consultation usually takes around an hour, but I always leave plenty of time between appointments as the last thing I ever want to do is rush you. So, if it takes 2 hours then so be it.
Step by step we discuss all the flowers you require for your wedding day. I don’t have a minimum order so please don’t feel you can’t ask just because you’re not looking for a vast quantity of flowers!
One of the questions I do like to ask is whether you have a budget in mind for your flowers. Its not because I want to ensure I use every penny of it! Its because I want you to know what you can get for your money. Not everyone has an endless supply of cash (if only!) so I always try to work as much within your budget as possible. I am very honest about costs so sometimes I do offer alternative options if I feel they may fit better.
This time also gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you have and of course to decide whether you like what you see.
After the consultation
Following the consultation, I will provide a written quote based on our discussions which I usually e-mail within 24 hours.
If you are happy with the quote and would like to proceed in booking me to create your wedding flowers, I ask for a 20% non-refundable deposit to secure your booking.
Mock up Bouquet
As silk /artificial flowers can be bought, and bouquets created, well in advance of your big day I will always ask when you’d like to collect your flowers. This may be the day before your wedding or a few months before. Once I know this, I work to your timescales. A couple of months prior to the collection date I will order in your flowers and roughly put your bouquets and arrangements together. At that point I will ask if you’d like to come and see them to make sure everything is as you’d like and to finalise your order. There is still time at this point to make changes!
Payment & Collection
As soon as you’ve had the final viewing and are happy with everything, I finish putting all your flowers together ready for you to collect on the agreed date. Photos are available if you wish, and the final invoice will be sent. Payment in full is required before collection!
I do this helps to explain the flower ordering process but of course, if you have any questions please get in touch!
Thank you for your time
Sarah x