Working with a wedding florist.

Everything you need to know about finding a flower expert you love.

Chances are that if you’re reading this right now, you’re in the process of planning your (or a) wedding! We are so glad that you found us here! The process of planning wedding flowers can seem overwhelming at first. At Foliage, we like to think of each new wedding as a new chapter in our journey as a business, and a new chance to get to know you and tell your story through flowers.

So…what does that mean? Let’s dive in!

Getting Expert Advice + Help

When you’re planning a wedding or special event, there are lots of details to manage. While lots of people are choosing DIY these days, there is a lot to be said for reaching out to experts for their assistance in making your event shine!

Choosing to hire a wedding florist to help flower your special day is one way to take a lot of to-do’s off of your list. Here are some of the things you won’t have to worry about on the week of your wedding when you choose not to DIY your wedding flowers:

• maintaining flower freshness from when you first purchase them until your wedding day.

• learning to make small floral items such as boutonnieres, flower crowns and corsages that are often a lot more difficult to master than they may seem on youtube tutorials

• choosing the best types of flowers for your event that will last throughout your event and look stunning the entire time

• making your wedding bouquet on the night before your wedding, and double checking it all on the morning of the big day to make sure your own bouquet and all the florals still look amazing

• the list goes on.

My point is, there are a lot of options for DIY moments in your wedding. But choosing to DIY your flowers is going to mean lots of hands-on, dedicated time the week, night before and day of your wedding in order to make those florals happen. I’d recommend choosing to DIY another area of your wedding, and leave the floral arrangements to the experts.

Budget is your decision.

So, once you’ve decided to hire a florist, you’ll need to decide on your budget. One of the first things most clients would like to know is how much it will cost to work with us. This all depends on the amount of flowers (and the size) that you’ll use during the ceremony and how you’d like to use flowers at your reception.

Lots of blogs out there recommend 10-15% of your overall budget go to florals. However, it’s quite variable depending on your own personal preferences. Consider your location, the season and the other types of decor being used at your ceremony. Once you and your partner have decided on what portion of your wedding budget you’ll be investing in your florals, it’s time to contact wedding florists!

At Foliage, it’s much easier for us to give good guidance when we know your budget, your priorities & how you’ve envisioned florals playing a part in your day.

Our process here at Foliage!

When you first contact us, our journey with you begins. We start by

• first, checking our availability on your wedding date

• then, looking over your venue choice as well as any wedding inspiration images you may have sent to us (pinterest boards, style guides, etc)

• After this, we send over our Welcome Pack. This includes details on popular wedding flowers, ideas on wedding planning and more.

The most important part of the Welcome Pack is our Wedding Flower Design Questionnaire. This Q&A has all loads of info that will help us to build a picture in our minds of what you’re envisioning for your big day. Once you send back in your Q&A, we begin to form a budget recommendation for your project, as well as initial thoughts on designs, etc.

• After we receive your Q&A we reach out to schedule a consult with you, so we can go over our recommendations for your special day. This will be short, 15-30 minute consult where we get a chance to meet and chat about your vision for the day.

• Finally, we’ll send over our initial guide quote for your event.

After this, we typically wait to hear from you on your thoughts/questions regarding our initial guide quote. Working with a florist on a wedding is a big choice, and we know you’ve likely contacted several.

How to hire a florist you love

There is more to the wedding flower process than a quote.

Remember, there is more to working with a vendor than simply the lowest price. We recommend choosing the florist whose work you love, whose personality you connect with and who you feel can confidently create a floral story for your wedding.

Your journey to find a florist for your wedding ends when you contact the florist you’ve chosen to let them know that you’ve decided to book them as the floral designer for your wedding (or event). Simply call or email them and let them know that you’ve chosen them for your event.

You can say something like “Hi! We’ve decided to use you for our event. How can we secure our dates with you?” This indicates to your florist that you’ve made your decision and are ready to move forward with them in an official capacity.

While not required, it’s never bad manners (and always good karma) to reach out to any wedding vendors that you’ve decided not to use to let them know that you’ve chosen to go with someone else. That way they can move forward with other clients easily!

You can say something like “Hi! Thanks so much for taking time to chat with us and give us a quote. We’ve decided to work with another vendor for our event. We wish you and your business all the best!” Such a great way to close a communication loop with someone on a positive note, even if you’ve chosen to go another route!

Any questions? Ask in the comments below!

xx
Meg