How to Plan Your Wedding Flowers, Part 2: Finding Your Florist

Planning your wedding flowers begins with figuring out your style and what you like. Once you've got that down, it's time to see what your local floral designers can offer you! 

Image by Brittany Mahood Photography, designed by Stone House Creative for Host Winnipeg

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A FLORAL DESIGNER

So, what should you be looking for in your floral designer? How many should you meet with? How do you compare them to decide who to meet with?

Start by a simple google search, "Winnipeg Wedding Florist" and open up a few websites. Click to their portfolio or their wedding tab to see what they offer. Visit their social media channels or their blog to see their most recent work. Do they have any current testimonials on their site, or have any of your friends used them? This initial search will help you create a shortlist of a handful of local floral designers who you're interested in learning more about.

Next, consider what's really important to you. Is great customer service something that's going to help you streamline your wedding planning process? Are you all about a specific design style? Is it important to you that the florist has worked in your venue or with your wedding planner? Compare your needs to what these websites are telling you. No recent blog posts? Scratch it off the list. Does their online portfolio look like it hasn't been updated in a couple of years? I'd be worried. How do they interact with their clients on social media, and how frequently are they posting quality work? Does it seem like they share your aesthetic? 

Hopefully, now you'll have found 1-3 florists you're interested in inquiring with. 

Keep in mind the most important thing: you need to have a great connection with your floral designer (click for more on that).
You will be trusting a huge part of your wedding day (and your hard-earned money!) to this person, and they need to do a good job for you.

what to include when you're inquiring with a floral designer

Whether you're sending an email, a message through a contact form, or leaving a voice message, there are some very important details to include when putting together your inquiry. 
-Your wedding date (obviously)
-Your ceremony and reception venues
-Your estimated floral budget
-A few extra details that will help determine if the florist can accommodate your needs:
how large is the bridal party? are you requiring floral decor? what is your personal style?

All of this info will help the floral designer(s) you're inquiring with to know whether or not they can take your wedding, in which case, it will be time to set up a consultation.

WHEN TO BOOK YOUR FLORIST

Winnipeg is an interesting market, where wedding vendors are booked up fairly far in advance. We're 6 weeks into 2016, and I'm already meeting with couples for their 2017 weddings, and many photographers and venues are booking heavily into 2017. So, when it comes to inquiring and booking your floral designer, be sure to give it enough time.

I'd recommend inquiring 8-16 months in advance. I know, that seems a little crazy. But, it's important to connect really well with vendors who bring your aesthetic vision to life, and therefore, it's important that you book those vendors early before someone else does.

Part 3 is coming next week, and we'll be talking about the actual consultation itself - how to prepare, what to expect, and so on!
Want to book a consultation with me? Click below!