How to Choose your Wedding Florist

For many brides, flowers are a huge part of their wedding day.  The bridal bouquets and buttonholes will appear in almost every photo of the bridal party and the reception decor will be appreciated throughout the whole day.  So, will flowers be a big focal point of your day, and if so how do you choose the right florist?  

A lot of brides see going for DIY flowers as a way to save some £’s and it is, BUT, it also comes with a lot of hard work and stress.  Not only will your florist source, condition and transform the flowers into wonderful designs, you are also paying for their expertise.  This includes knowing what flowers will look best together, what flowers are in season and hopefully they have styled your venue before so have experience of what works there.  If you are set on being a part of the floral design it is best to take on a small project that can be prepared a day or two before the wedding so when it comes to the morning of the wedding you can kick back with a glass of bubbly and not worry about what needs to be made or set up.

With so much emphasis on social media these days it should be no problem to find a florist with loads of uploaded images of their previous work.  This is just as good as any recommendation or testimonial as you can clearly see for yourself their work, their style and hopefully there will be photos of how they have styled your venue.

Local florists are also a good shout as again they should have previous experience and knowledge of your venue and they can recommend what will work well.

​Recommendations from friends and family are good too. If you were hiring a plumber you are more likely to go with someone that a friend or family member has passed on to you so why not do the same for your wedding florist.

Over the last 5 or so years there has been a huge increase of “wedding florists” as opposed to the more traditional Flower Shops.  I’m not saying don’t go to a flower shop as most of the florists will be more than qualified to meet your needs, however if you choose specifically a “wedding florist” their focus is 100% on you and your wedding and don’t have the many distractions that come from running a busy flower shop.

Once you have found a florist you like the look of the next step is to get a quote.  You can either set up a meeting with them or simply send an email.  Requesting a price list is useful as there may be items on there that you wouldn’t have considered.  The more information you can provide the florist the more accurate quote you will receive. 

Once you have received your quote you may still be none the wiser of if it is actually reasonable or not as you have no idea what flowers cost!  As a rough guide Bride’s Magazine stated that the average wedding flowers cost £638.  If you feel the quote is way too expensive for what you are asking for simply get a quote from another florist to compare.  Unfortunately too many wedding suppliers add some extra zeros on as soon as you utter the word ‘wedding’.  If however you feel the quote seems too low for everything you are asking, for request images of previous work that is similar to what you want so you can see if they are extravagant enough for your requirements. 

​Another approach is to provide a florist a list of what you require and your budget and wait to see what they can provide you.

The most important thing when choosing your wedding florist is that you get someone you have a good relationship with, that you have trust in their abilities and they can really understand your vision and bring it to life.

To request a price list or receive a quote for your dream wedding flowers email info@dingwall-florist.co.uk