I have been told on more than one occasion that booking a wedding florist can be an overwhelming experience for many because they truly don't know a lot about flowers. Well I have news for you....that is okay! As a wedding florist, servicing couples in New England, I can tell you that you do not need to know everything about flowers to book your florist. I am going to break down for you what information you should know when going into your wedding florals consultation.
1. The Basics & Logistics
Your wedding florist will need to understand some basic information first to ensure that they are available for your wedding date and also within the location range for your wedding ceremony. Here are some of the basic pieces of information that I look for in wedding floral consultations:
Date of Wedding
Location of Wedding
Start time of Ceremony/Reception
Approximate number of guests
Number of people in wedding party
Any important logistics information that vendors should be aware of (ie. Is the wedding in Martha's Vineyard and you need to take a boat to get there?)
With this basic information, the wedding florist will be able to quickly understand their availability and the logistical information to ensure they are prepared for your wedding.
2. Your Color Palette & Inspiration Photos
Your wedding color palette is very important to me as a wedding florist because it ultimately tells the story of your wedding! There are a lot of opportunities for different types of flowers to be used in your wedding florals depending on what colors you would like to be seen. The human eye can see over 10 MILLION colors, so it is important for your florist to understand the particular shades of certain colors that you are drawn to.
As an example, the picture to the right is from a wedding I did florals for in New Hampshire for a mauve color story. Mauve can have an array of meaning in colors - it could mean dusty pink, magenta tones, light purple, burgundy or sandy tans. So as your wedding florist, I can let you know what color accents fit what you want to see, if you want more of a magenta tone vs a dusty pink tone and what flowers we can match with that to fit.
When it comes to your color story, I think a lot of what you are drawn to can come from a review of some inspiration photos that you can find on places like Pinterest and Instagram. I like to ask my couples what draws them to the pictures that inspire them. Is it a particular flower? A particular shade of one of the flowers? The style of the arrangement?
While you do not need to know exactly what draws you to the inspiration photo, it is helpful to know what about each picture you like. If you only like the texture of the arrangement and not the colors, that is beneficial information to tell your wedding florist!
3. What Kind of Floral Design Style do you Like
As a wedding florist, I know that there are a lot of different styles of designers out there, all of us servicing a different community and different individuals looking for wedding florists. Floral design is an art form, so with all art, each designer has a different kind of style and understanding what style you are drawn to is important to note when finding a florist.
It is important in reviewing the style you like to also look into the floral designer's work in which you are having a consolation in so you are familiar with what their designs look like. I would describe my style as whimsical and textured, where various types of textured elements are used in creating my designs, while also having an airy whimsical flow to them. I also love using various types of greenery, which allows for even more texture to come through.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are thinking about what style floral design you are drawn to:
Do I like the look of greenery and various different textures?
Do I like when there is more of an abundance of flowers vs accents of greenery included?
Do I like a monochromatic look or do I like different colors being added in?
Do I like a 'wildflower' or 'garden inspired' design, where there is movement and airyness to the designs? Or do I like something more structured and a bit more traditional in style?
I know that this can be intimidating knowing exactly what style you like but as we discussed in your color story, to me it is important to know what you like about the pictures that inspired you. Do you like one flower that stands out to you? Do you like the incorporation of tropical plants and greenery? Take some time to understand what you are drawn to in your inspiration photos.
4. Understand Your Priorities & Your Budget
As your wedding florist, we understand that your budget is not unlimited and there are certain thresholds that you are working to. As a wedding florist in New England, I am happy to work with my couples to meet their budget, while also making sure that their 'must-haves' are included.
So when it comes to making sure you are meeting your budget, it is important for you to review what your priorities are for wedding florals. Do you know that your wedding bouquet and the arbor are 'must-haves' for you and you are willing to put more money into those items to have them stand out? Are there other options that you can have for centerpieces if floral centerpieces don't fit within your budget?
I like to provide inquiring couples with a proposal that shows all of the 'wants' that you have for flowers, which will allow you to understand pricing but also make decisions on if it is the right fit for you based on the priorities you have. As a florist, when I understand the 'must-haves' for your wedding it helps me in making informed decisions to what areas we should focus on the most and where we can assist in making decisions to make sure you get exactly what you want for your wedding day while also staying within your budget.
5. Ask Questions and Don't be Afraid if You Don't Know Everything!
You do not need to know everything and we don't expect you to! I like to tell my clients that we can always finalize the little details when we get closer to their wedding - like the number of tables you will have, how many aisles their will be, etc - no need to stress about this!
And if you have questions, do not hesitate to ask them! A lot of floral designers have different ways that they manage their weddings and have different methods in how they price their products based on what works for their business (ie. Do they manage a store front? Do they have freelance support? What type of transportation are they using?) so there is no problem asking questions that are on your mind.
Some ideas of questions to ask your wedding florist:
Will the delivery and transportation costs be included in the proposal?
How often will you need to be communicating with your wedding florist and what method of communication is preferred? Will your florist be communicating with a wedding planner as well?
Will the florist need to do a venue site visit?
Are you interested in pre-wedding mockups for certain designs for your wedding?
What types of rentals do you have? Candles, arbors, vases?
We understand that there are so many decisions in your wedding planning process, so don't fear not knowing everything and never worry about asking too many questions!