Choosing your wedding flowers is one of the most exciting elements of your wedding planning, but if you don’t know much about flowers it can also be quite daunting. Your wedding flowers will form a major part of your decoration, so it’s crucial to pick a London wedding florist who clearly understands your vision and has a design style that you love too. To make sure you get the wedding flowers of your dreams – arrange a meeting with your potential wedding florist, ideally at your chosen venue and talk through all the following questions.
1. Is there a specific wedding flower style you prefer to work in?
Florists tend to have distinctive floral design styles, from rustic or romantic hand tied bouquets which can have a "garden gathered" natural and elegant feel using seasonal blooms. Compared to the more classic dome shaped bouquets and arrangements often made up of a single floral variety, usually a Rose. Make sure you see lots of examples of their work to ensure they are a good fit for you and that they can realise your vision and create your dream wedding flowers.
2. How do you like to work with your wedding clients?
Wedding florists like to work in different ways and one style may suit you better than another. Some florists may offer you a menu of arrangements to choose from and will like more freedom to handpick the freshest stems that they have in stock around the time of your wedding. While other florists may offer a more bespoke wedding flower service and will love input from their clients, they will design your flowers around the theme of your wedding, your personality or perhaps just a favourite flower. It’s really important to choose a London wedding florist whose creative process matches your needs.
3. Can you give me advice and guidance on which flowers will be in season around the date of my wedding?
A good florist should be able to give you excellent advice on the availability of flowers around your wedding date. For example, Peonies are only available during May and June and will be much more difficult and more expensive to get hold of outside this window. Seasonal wedding flowers are usually more reasonably priced and can help you save on your wedding flower budget!
4. Have you done weddings at our ceremony or reception venue before?
It is helpful, if they have worked at your London wedding venue before as they will have ideas about what sizes and styles work in the space, but it isn’t the be all and end all. If your wedding florist hasn’t worked in your venue before, ask if they'd be willing to work in a new venue and if they will liaise directly with them to make sure they understand the venue requirements. Many florists, relish the opportunity to work in new and exciting venues and will be only to keen to visit the venue and give you advice on what floral arrangements will work best for your wedding.
5. Do you provide any other accessories, like vases and urns? If you do, are they included in the price?
Some wedding florists are actually more like wedding designers and will be able to provide you with extras, like fabric draping, candles, tealights, lanterns, candelabras, urns and vases. It is really useful if they can provide these for you or that they are willing to help you source them, as dealing with one supplier can simplify the process and reduce stress – it’s likely that you’ll be able to save on delivery charges too. If you would actually like the help of a wedding planner - florists will often have a contact that they have worked with and can recommend.
6. Are you happy to work with my cake maker if I want to decorate my wedding cake with flowers?
It can be a lovely touch to have your wedding cake decorated with fresh seasonal flowers and the floral decor can all be tied in together. Ask your florist if they are happy to liaise directly with your cake maker so that your cake compliments the overall look of your wedding.
7. Where will my wedding flowers be delivered to and who will be setting them up?
Ask your London wedding florist if they are happy to deliver the Brides’ wedding flowers and the Grooms’ party flowers to different locations on the morning of your wedding. Ideally your florist alongside their team will set up the floral decorations at your chosen venue. Make sure that they are also happy to work in partnership with the venue to ensure that everything is set up well in advance of the arrival of your guests.
8. Are you willing to work within my budget and do you have an extra charge for the setup and breakdown of the floral decorations?
Most florists should be able to work to your budget, but some will have a minimum spend – so it’s important to start the budget conversation early, certainly at your initial meeting. Your wedding florist should be able to give you advice and guidance on how to maximise your floral spend and may suggest re-purposing arrangements from the ceremony to the guest tables, or using seasonal wedding flowers. There will usually be an additional charge for the set-up and break down, especially if they have to come back to the venue after midnight.
9. Will you be working on any other London weddings on my selected date?
It is important to know that you will get the attention you deserve on your wedding day. Many florists will only take on one wedding per day, but during the summer wedding season this may not be possible, so make sure you are happy that you have a dedicated person assigned to your wedding.
10. What happens to the flowers after the wedding?
Usually when your florist provides you with a quote the price includes not only the blooms but also the vases and urns you'll be hiring to display your wedding flowers. If you'd like to gift the arrangements to friends and family, then make sure you discuss the details with your florist. They can often work the additional cost of vases into your initial proposal. If you have a lot of flowers left over that you don’t want after the big day, some London wedding florists will also gift them to organisations such as www.floralangels.com who will restyle them into bouquets for those in need in the community.
If you would like to see if Clare is available for your wedding date and to book a free bespoke wedding consultation please do get in touch here
