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You’ve planned and dreamed of your wedding day for years, and now it’s time to find the team of vendors to help you pull off your dream day. You’re envisioning that moment when you walk into the room, and the fragrance and softness of the flowers have transformed the atmosphere into a gentle and loving day. But how do you find a wedding florist that can bring the image in your mind to life? You want to look back on your wedding day as a celebration, not a stress-filled event, so you need to hire someone with enough expertise to bring it all together. When you hire a wedding florist, you are essentially trusting them to take your few pictures and descriptions and turn them into real life. They will be the ones ordering flowers, styling and arranging, and delivering the arrangements, so you need to know you picked the right person for the job.
Pictures can help you communicate what you want better than anything else.
Browse wedding magazines, social media, google images, Pinterest, and blogs, and save pictures that speak to you. Find pictures that best match your color palette, the style you love, the vibe you want, and even the size or shape of specific arrangements. Keep in mind that you don’t have to have all aspects in the same picture- it may not exist, and you’ll spend more time than you have trying to find the perfect images. It’s okay to have photos that are not even in your color palette for the style or shape you want. Just be sure to note why you like specific images you share with the wedding florist.
If you’ve already picked your venue and photographer, ask them who they have loved working with. Chances are they have worked with many different wedding florists and know which ones showed up late with wilting flowers and which ones wowed their customers. They will want to work with professional and reliable, so they will be extra motivated to send you in a good direction. It’s also a good idea to ask recently married friends for recommendations, especially if you remember and like what their wedding looked like.
Generally, a Google search will bring up florists with studios or brick-and-mortar shops. Some may be more traditional/old-school designers specializing in something other than weddings and events. Many wedding and event florists work out of their homes, and so may not appear on the first pages of a Google search.
Instagram and bridal websites or magazines are excellent places to find wedding and event floral designers. For example, if you live in Utah, search Instagram for ‘Utah wedding florist’ or look at Utah Valley Bride magazine’s list of preferred vendors. This will typically give you a list of florists that are up-to date-on trends and specialize in events.
Once you know who is out there, go through their website or social media portfolio and see if their style matches how you envision your wedding flowers and whether they seem like they have enough experience to pull off your event. Check their reviews to see what previous clients have said about working with them. This way, you can eliminate the ones that don’t match what you’re looking for.
Many wedding florists don’t post their prices online since so many variables determine the final quote, but if you send a quick email, they can send you a list of average pricing and whether they are available for your date. At this point, it’s time to be realistic about which florists will work within your budget. Knowing general pricing will also help you avoid sticker shock when it’s time for your consultation. You can go in prepared to know realistically if your vision works within your budget or if you need to make adjustments. This is also an excellent time to see their responsiveness. If they don’t get back to you for a week after you inquire, that may indicate their communication skills. With something as important as a wedding, having vendors who communicate quickly is essential to reduce anxiety. Keep in mind that if you reach out on the weekend, you will typically see slower response times than during the week since they are likely out setting up an event.
Now that you’ve narrowed it down to three or four options, it’s time to hop on a call.
A consultation’s purpose is usually to get you a specific quote for your wedding, so you’ll want to be prepared to talk numbers. See my guide to preparing for a consultation here. A consultation’s second purpose is to ask your questions and see if their personality is a good fit. Pay attention to if they can listen to your preferences and make suggestions in line with your vision. Get a feel for if they are able to work on a wedding of your same scale and style. Remember that you want a team of vendors you are comfortable with. At the end of a consultation, you should feel excited to work with someone and confident they can pull off what you’re looking for.
You want to book someone you have good chemistry with, who you feel understands your vision, listens to you, fits well with your budget, is experienced enough to create what you’re looking for, and, most importantly, is as excited to work with you as you are with them. You should feel confident in their ability to provide your wedding flowers stress-free.
Lastly, after your wedding, be sure to write them a review of your experience for future couples looking!
Let us guide you to a flawless celebration adorned with captivating flowers. Book your free consultation today and step into a world where your wedding dreams bloom into reality.
Bronte
Bronte is a seasoned floral designer with over 13 years of experience and a degree in horticulture and floral design. She has been featured in prestigious bridal magazines and has worked with hundreds of couples. Bronte is dedicated to simplifying the wedding process for her clients and promoting the use of locally sourced flowers, combining her passion for blooms with sustainability efforts in the industry.
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