How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Florist

Finding your perfect wedding florist and choosing your wedding flowers is one of the most important aesthetic decisions you’ll make about your wedding day. The best wedding florists can create a narrative thread that runs from bouquet to buttonhole, from aisle to table, and will work with you to bring your dream wedding flowers to life. But how on earth are you supposed to make any decisions when the internet is brimming over with beautiful flowers?! Well, we’re here to help simplify the process with this guide on how to choose the perfect wedding florist!

When should you book your wedding florist?

Like many wedding vendors, professional florists book up well in advance, so we’d suggest beginning your search nice and early - ideally a year or more before your big day. Essentially, once you’ve settled on a wedding date and your wedding venue is locked in, it’s time to start looking at booking some wedding suppliers, and your wedding florist should be one of your top priorities.

How to choose a wedding florist

It goes without saying that, first and foremost, your florist’s portfolio needs to match your creative vision for your wedding flowers, but choosing the right wedding florist for your big day is about so much more than creative compatibility. Here are a few things to consider before you start looking for your perfect florist.

Decide what style of wedding flowers you want

Before you go scrolling through Pinterest, it’s a good idea to get clear on whether you want to stick with local and seasonal flowers, or are happy with imported blooms. Seasonal wedding flowers are a growing trend, especially as they come with a lower carbon footprint and much better environmental credentials than their imported counterparts. That said, depending on the time of year you’re getting married, the palette and variety of local and seasonal wedding blooms might be a bit more limited, which is why it’s a good idea to make this decision right at the start.

Create your floral design mood board

Once you’ve decided between imported or seasonal wedding flowers, it’s time to get clear on what style of floristry you like - maybe you're all about the structured centrepieces and neatly arranged bridesmaid bouquets, or maybe boho wildflowers are more your vibe, whatever you decide, make sure it sits well alongside your general wedding theme, and then get pinning! A good mood board is a must when finding your florist.

It’s important to get clear on your needs before making any enquiries. If you’re dreaming of flower arches or abundant displays of fresh flowers, then you’ll ideally need a florist who has experience in event styling or large-scale installations. On the other hand, if you just need buttonholes and bouquets, a regular florist will be just fine - you just need to have a good think about the vibe of your wedding day, look for similar weddings for inspiration and consider where exactly you envision having flowers on your big day.

What to budget for wedding flowers

When it comes to budgeting for your wedding flowers, your overall wedding budget will dictate how much you have to play with to some degree. A good rule of thumb is that you can expect to spend 10% of your overall budget on flowers and wedding decor, but this can vary depending on where you’re getting married and the style of your wedding.

If your budget is tight, then depending on your wedding style, you might choose to do some of your flower arrangements yourself to save money - DIY table centrepieces are often the place that couples cut corners, using herbs, wildflowers or potted plants rather than structured floral arrangements.

Finding the perfect florist

There are so many ways to find the right florist for you, but Instagram is the obvious place to start. If searching for wedding flowers feels a bit overwhelming, then going through other vendors can be a great way to find an experienced florist - check out local photographers and wedding venues to see which floral designers they’ve been tagging in their posts, and you’re sure to strike gold.

Once you’ve got a shortlist of florists, check for reviews and testimonials, and then it’s time to send some enquiries! Share those Pinterest boards, and ask if they’ve got anything similar in their portfolio or whether they think it’s something they could achieve. Ask to see a good selection of relevant real-life work from them - don’t be taken in by beautiful imagery from styled shoots; you want to see how well they work at real weddings. Pay attention to their signature style across all of the weddings in their portfolio rather than just focusing on that one wedding you like, it might be that it’s actually the photography or the style of the couple that you’re being drawn in by! If you don’t feel lit up by the majority of their weddings, then they might not be the right florist for you.

Book an initial consultation

An in-person meeting is, by far and away, the best way to work out whether you're on the same page as your potential florist. This is an excellent opportunity to review the florist's previous work together, ask tthrough your overall aesthetic, and chat about any specific requests you might have.

During your meeting, it's a good idea to check whether your florist has a team that they work with, whether it will be them personally who attends your wedding, and whether they handle the clear up the morning after and always check if there are any hidden costs involved!

No matter the size or style of your wedding, planning your wedding flowers and finding your florist should be one of the more pleasurable wedding planning activities. Now that you've read our guide on how to find the perfect wedding florist we hope you feel confident in taking the next steps! All that remains is for you to immerse yourself in a world of beautiful flowers and get shortlisting.