Ideas on what to bring with you to your wedding flower consultation and a guide to the right questions to be asking your florist about the flowers for your special day.
Meeting couples for their initial consultation is one of my favourite things about my job. I'm always excited to get a feel for how you imagine the aesthetic of your special day. I wonder whether you will love bold structure and colours, whether you are looking for a soft, romantic vibe or if you have favourite flowers that you'd like to incorporate into the day.
It can all feel a little overwhelming in the beginning and hours can be lost scrolling through Pinterest without any set direction emerging, the good news is everything will feel clearer after your first meeting and you're bound to come away buzzing with excitement!
Here's some great ideas about what to bring along to your consultation
Colours - what colours are you feeling drawn to? In your head is fine but if you're struggling, paint colour booklets can be super useful. Examples of floral arrangements, images of your dresses or even better, swatches are great! Dress swatches are helpful for matching ribbons for bouquets too.
Numbers - a rough idea of table numbers and how many buttonholes, Bridesmaids' bouquets you might need are really helpful for helping to build your quote following our meeting. If you think you might like garlands then lengths of tables is useful too - but not to worry if you can't be that specific yet we can work with what you do know.
Style - Do you prefer large, asymmetrical bouquets? Something teardrop and trailing artfully or more of a posy style? This can be a great insight into just how wild or unstructured you'd like to take your floral design!
You - This might sound cliche but really the most important part of your consultation is you! Spend some time reflecting on who you are as a couple and what you want your wedding to say about you. A good florist will be guided by your personality, likes and dislikes and suggest how best to bring your ideas to life and add personal touches.
What to ask your wedding florist?
Have you got experience working at our venue?
It might be a first time for you both at this venue (how exciting) in which case arranging a trip to walk through and brainstorm together on site might be worthwhile. The likelihood is your florist may have worked at your venue before and be able to recommend about how to make the best of the space.
What flowers will be in season?
Finding out what flowers are available on your wedding date can be a useful tool in helping narrow down plans for your big day. Working with the season's colours and textures always creates a pleasing, coordinated scheme.
How will you finish the bouquets / buttonholes?
Chances are you'll be asked this one first! There are so many choices when it comes to finishes. To trail or not to trail? Hand dyed silk ribbon or velvet? So many exciting possibilities to discuss!
What time will you deliver the Bridal party flowers?
You probably already have that all important ceremony time, vital for getting set up times right but it's also an idea to liaise about what time the hairdresser and photographer might be arriving to get the best 'getting ready' shots with your flowers.
How can I maximize my budget?
There may opportunities to re-use ceremony flowers as part of the decor for your wedding breakfast or areas where flowers will have more impact than others. Your florist should be able to help you decide where to save and where is best to invest for maximum effect.
How can we be as environmentally friendly as possible?
What steps are your florist taking to limit the impact of weddings and events on the environment? Re-usable containers and wire structures make great alternatives to floral foam which takes years to biodegrade and can be damaging to the nature we love so much!
Top tip - Enjoy it! This is a fun process, all about you, one where we can help showcase your personality and have fun with flowers!