Wedding Florist Tips | Pennsylvania Wedding Florist

So you’re engaged (or you may be soon) and thinking about inquiring with a wedding florist-yay! Maybe you’re feeling unsure about when you should reach out to a florist and what you need to know before inquiring. This is the blog post for you! I hope this blog post helps you feel more confident hitting “inquire” on a florist’s page!

What to know about flower names/preferences before inquiring

Often when I get on a consult we get into talking about flower preferences and the couple sheepishly admit to me that they don’t know many flower names/know much about flowers. Guess what? That is TOTALLY okay-that’s why you’re talking to an expert in flowers! Personally, the more open you are to different flower, texture, and greenery types the easier my job is! The flower market changes week to week soI love having the creative freedom to choose the very best that is in season the week of your wedding! If you do have specific flower likes/dislikes that is definitely fine too, I will take those into account when ordering flowers!

*Jieru Photography, Philander Chase Knox Estate*

What to know about your floral budget before inquiring

Ultimately it depends on the florist how specific you need to know your budget before reaching out, but yes it’s most helpful to have a ballpark budget figure before inquiring! Most florists do have a starting minimum that you have to agree to when officially booking and they may perhaps include on their website an average total that couples spend on flowers for their wedding. It’s great for all involved if you can discuss and agree on a general budget you want to spend on florals with whoever is involved in that decision making process before reaching out to florists-this will save you and the florist a lot of time! With floral design each wedding is so custom that having a general budget number will help us to create a design plan that maximizes your unique budget.

*Vendor Credit: Elm and Vine Photography, The Hamilton Manor*

What to know about what floral decor you want for the wedding before inquiring

Depending on the florist’s process and how important having an exact proposal upfront is to you they may ask for specifics upfront to get you a full inquiry or they may give you an average pricing guide upfront and not need the specifics from you until later. For example:. How many bridesmaid bouquets do you need, how many boutonnieres are you thinking, what kind of centerpieces do you like, what kind of ceremony decor are you interested in.

It’s great to start thinking of those numbers/general design ideas before you get on a call, but that’s not typically something you have to have set in stone 100% when you book a florist. You should seek out a florist that you feel comfortable and excited about hearing their ideas for your wedding and how you can maximize your budget to create your vision. Most florists LOVE hearing that you want to hear THEIR ideas and are thrilled when you are willing to give some creative freedom when it comes to the designs of the pieces. A great florist can maximize your budget and what types of designs may fit reasonably within that budget, depending on what is most important to you ex. If you have a $4000 budget and want an over the top arbor design your florist may suggest doing some super simple centerpieces to offset that cost to remain in your budget or vice versa.

All this to say, it’s a good idea to generally know what you want-but generally you don’t need to know the specifics 100% upfront unless you have a super tight/restrictive budget that you are looking for exact pricing on.

Vendor Credit: *Jasmine Yab Photo, Glamaross, Londontown Weddings*

What to find out about the florist before inquiring

First of all you should go through their portfolio (whether that be on their Instagram, Zola, their website, etc.) to see if they have a design style that aligns with yours. For example, if they say they specialize in elegant designs and ONLY post photos of crisp flowers in perfectly rounded balls in mansions, they probably wouldn’t be the best fit to execute your pampas-filled campground wedding. This is not to say you need to see your exact inspiration photos in their portfolio but it’s important for you to like and get excited by the majority of their portfolio.
Read the reviews to read the experiences other couples have had with this florist. Seeing phrases like “they exceeded my expectations,” “beyond my wildest dreams”, “so happy with how the flowers turned out” ex. Are all great things to see! Also pay attention to how the florist made the couple throughout the entirety of the planning process, seeing things like “they provided timely responses”, “they made me feel like a friend”, “easy to work with” ex. Are all great things to see. I personally make a point to send out review links to all of my couples to share their experiences with my services as I want inquiring couples to get a feel for what it is like to be a couple of mine and what they should expect from the end result!

Vendor Credit: Kylee B Photography, Taryn Blake Events, Stone Mill Inn

What to know about your venue’s policies before inquiring

Before inquiring with a florist be sure to read over your venue contract as it regards what your florist is allowed to do and what is required from the florist for your venue. This will save you and your florist a lot of headaches that could occur down the line! This information will help to guide some of your initial conversations with your potential florist.

Oftentimes florists are required by the venue to send a copy of their insurance (COI) in advance of the wedding (this should be no problem for legitimate florists, but good to double check),, some venues may have a list of florists you HAVE to choose from, some venues require the couple to receive approval from the venue for that particular florist to be onsite, or require a florist to do a walkthrough of the venue before the wedding (I’ve personally dealt with 3 out of 4 of these situations with couples). These are all very important policies to understand before inquiring and make your potential florist aware of before booking.

Dreaming of a ceiling installation? Imagining rose petals lining the aisles? Etc. Etc. Each venue has different policies of what is and isn’t allowed to be done. For example, don’t inquire about a ceiling installation with a florist if it says in the contract that they don’t allow ceiling installations. Or, if your venue doesn’t allow faux rose petals be sure to ask for a quote for fresh rose petals down the aisle. Being aware of what you are and aren’t allowed to do will help the florist create the best and most accurate proposal for you.

Pay attention in your contract to when it says vendors/your florist is allowed to arrive onsite. For example, there are some venues that I’ve worked at that only allow 2 hours total of vendor onsite set-up (!) and I’ve had to charge a higher labor fee since I needed to hire another assistant on that day to get everything done in time. It’s best to inform the florist of this when inquiring so they can give you the most accurate quote upfront on labor charges. The same goes for the amount of time that is allowed for teardown!

If the venue has a day of coordinator that they provide or if you’ve hired an outside coordinator/planner be sure to find out in advance what they are and aren’t able to do in terms of set-up, post ceremony repurposing, and end of the night teardown. Knowing this information will allow the florist to know which labor charges to add to your proposal.

*Vendor Credit: Amy Lynn Photography, Cork Factory*

Other things to keep in mind before inquiring:

Florists require a deposit (the amount varies) and a signed contract (if they are a legit florist) to officially book you as a client and reserve your date. Some florists book multiple weddings a weekend, some only book one a weekend so it’s best to inquire when you are ready to make a decision and deposit so you don’t lose out on the florist. I am always confused if I get on a call with a couple who says they aren’t looking to make a decision for a few months..most likely their date may be gone by then!

Most floral companies are owned by small business owners! We get excited when a new inquiry comes through and will do our best to communicate as quickly and kindly as possible. Please give us the same respect in your communication and let us know if you’ve decided to go in another direction rather than dropping communication altogether (aka please don’t ghost us after inquiring).

If you aren’t sure where to start with looking for a florist the best place to start is by asking for referrals from vendors you’ve already hired that you already trust!

Last thing I will mention: if you can help it..only inquire with a couple of florists (a lot of my couples personally say I was the only florist or one of a couple they reached out to) and you’ll save yourself a lot of emails in your inbox and a lot of confusion. You can find out A LOT about the florist through their social media, review, and website so take some time doing the research before hitting the inquire button. It helps both of us!

Do you have any other questions about what you need to know before inquiring with a florist? Let me know!