How to find a Wedding Florist

Congratulations!  You’ve just got engaged and you are about to embark on a very exciting journey. One of the most enjoyable parts of the wedding planning process will be choosing your wedding flowers.  Whether you want just a few wedding flowers, or if you want lots of freshly scented blooms in beautiful bespoke floral displays, choosing the right wedding florist will make the planning process easy and enjoyable, and, on your wedding day your flowers will be everything that you had dreamed of… and more!  Here are a few of my top tips to help you find the perfect wedding florist for your big day. 

• Do your research   Ideally you are looking for a florist that specializes in weddings.  Start you brainstorming, planning and searching process early so that your preferred florist has availability for your date.  Many of the more talented and popular wedding florists are booked up to a year in advance.   Due to the current pandemic situation bookings are now being taken for up to two years in advance. 
• Check out reviews and ask for recommendations   Look at websites and social media platforms for reviews and images of wedding florists’ work.  Word of Mouth recommendations are always a good way to find a reputable florist.  Ask family members, friends, and your venue manager if they recommend a florist.  Getting this information from people that you trust will make finding and booking a florist much easier and quicker.

• Find a florist whose style matches your own  Wedding flowers are one of the most important elements of your big day.  They set the tone for the day and offer you the chance to express your own personal style.  For instance, you might prefer tight, circular arrangements or you might like your flowers to look more natural with a garden gathered and slightly wild look.  Once you’ve an idea of your preferred style find a florist who specializes in that style.  It is also worth remembering that a florist that demonstrates lots of passion and enthusiasm for her/his work will be motivated to do the very best job that they can. 

• Ethical consideration  More and more couples these days are concerned about the environmental impact on our planet.  By choosing a florist/grower that uses sustainable and eco-friendly methods in their daily practice, you are not only getting fresh, seasonal and incredibly beautiful locally grown blooms for your big day, but you are also building a healthier future both for yourselves and for future generations.   
• Request quotes    The work that wedding florists do tends to vary a lot and can involve so much customization that many don’t offer flat rates.  If this is the case, either call or email the florist, tell them briefly what you’re looking for and ask for a price guideline.  After meeting with the florist for an in-depth consultation, you will then be offered a customised wedding flower proposal with a breakdown of all costs. 
• Visit the flower studio for a consultation   In addition to explaining your vision, bring along swatches of the bridesmaid dress fabric if available, images from magazines with bouquets and floral arrangements that you like or any other ideas that you may have.  You may also like to create a Pinterest board and share the URL with the florist in advance of your meeting.  Provide the florist with as much information as you can but also ask him/her some questions. 

Questions that you might consider asking include: 

• How many weddings have you done? 
• Have you worked at my venue before? 
• Can you work within my budget? 
• Are you flexible, can I make changes? 
• Based on my theme, venue, and colour scheme, what flowers do you recommend? 
• Do you charge a delivery, set-up or transfer fee?

• Confirm a booking  Once you have found a florist that you trust and feel comfortable to work with, read and sign their Terms & conditions and then pay a booking fee to confirm the booking.  You can now look forward to an easy and enjoyable planning process certain in the knowledge that your wedding flowers will be everything that you had dreamed of. 

At Meadowsweet Flowers we want our couples to have incredible wedding flowers as well as an overall excellent customer service experience, if you would like to work with us, please get in touch!

Fiona Liston