When it comes to wedding decorations, what’s more iconic than flowers? If you ask me, nothing really beats the moment when the florist comes to deliver the flowers to the wedding party and the bride sees her bouquet for the first time. They are an accessory in all of your photos, as well as the focal point of every table that your guests will sit at for at least an hour of your wedding. It’s important you choose the right florist so you get exactly the look your want (also at the price that you want!).

Florists are artists. It might seem easy to throw some flowers together right before your wedding, but they need to be made last minute and require tons of time, research, and vision. Florists have dedicated suppliers for their stems and teams that work together to make it look effortless. Creativity and organization are important when planning flowers for a wedding, so make sure you trust your florist on these points! A great way to make sure your florist understands your vision is to ask for a design board. This should include the flowers they plan to use, images of inspiration (can be provided by you!), and a breakdown of each floral item needed.

Each florist will have their own style, so find some that make arrangements the way you envision your wedding to look and start by asking them these questions!

How to Find Your Perfect Wedding Florist

1. How long have you been in business? Have you done many weddings? You will want your florist to have some experience, especially with weddings. Knowing where to source flowers, how to deal with last minute emergencies, and how to transport flowers effectively is key!
2. How would you describe your design style? Can I see photographs or live examples of your work? The biggest thing you will do when looking for a florist is find someone with a style you like. Are you looking for something natural and bohemian or sleek and polished? Look through examples of their work and find someone who makes arrangements you love – it’s as simple as that!
3. What flowers would you suggest for my time of year? How can I achieve the look of my inspiration photos with my budget? Your inspiration photos may include some of the priciest flowers in existence or flowers that are out of season for your wedding. Ask your florist for suggestions for similar looks or alternative flowers at a better price that are available.
4. Do you stick to exactly the flowers discussed or take some creative liberty depending on what is available? Flowers are a tricky business since they depend on weather. If the year was particularly dry, hot, wet, or cold, you may not be able to get the exact flowers you had planned on. Find out the availability of the flowers you love and what types of alternatives there will be. You may also discuss basic flowers and you might want to let your florist add some fun varietals if they are available at your price point! Make sure to let your florist know if there are any allergies or flowers/plants that you hate so they know not to include them.
5. What sort of vases will you provide? Don’t forget about vases – they are half of the look your arrangements in some cases! Think about the vibe you want to give off and match the vases to this. Vintage, rustic, modern…You may also be able to source your own vases and have your florist use them. Just make sure to ask about sizes.
6. How will you tie of the bouquets? Some people love the hand tied look with the stems exposed, and others love a sleek, ribbon wrapped handle. Just make sure you know what you are getting so you aren’t surprised by a look you aren’t fond of.
7. How do the cake flowers work? Would you apply these to the cake? If you plan to add flowers to your cake, make sure to find out if the cake maker or florist will be placing them! Some designers are very picky about this.
8. How far in advance do you make the bouquets and arrangements? How are they stored? Flowers look their best when they are as fresh as possible. Your florist shouldn’t be assembling anything over a week in advance. Make sure they are a professional with a professional flower refrigerator, as they have a moderate temperature in comparison to a cold home fridge.
9. Will you be setting up or will an assistant be setting up? How long will you need for setup? Setup time is important to understand. If your venue will only allow you to access the space for 2 hours before the wedding, make sure your custom flower installation doesn’t take 4 hours to set up!
10. Have you done weddings at my venue before? Would you be willing to do a site visit before if not? If a florist hasn’t been to your venue before the wedding, they may not understand the needs the space takes. If it is very tall, you don’t want tiny centerpieces that disappear. If there is going to be a lot of sun, they will need to make sure your flowers are sufficiently watered and sturdy enough to hold up to the weather.
11. How many weddings are you doing on the same day as mine?  If you plan to use a florist who will have multiple weddings, know that they will probably have a lot of staff helping and the person you speak with may not be the person who actually puts together your bouquets. Make sure they are realistic with how many weddings they can take on since most of your flowers will need to be put together last minute. 
12. How will delivery work? Will you deliver the boutonnieres and bouquets, as well as reception and ceremony flowers to each separate location? You have to think logistics when it comes to flowers. The bridal party members will all need their flowers before the wedding starts, and most likely this will be in different locations. Flowers also need to be set up at the ceremony and reception spaces before the events begin.
13. Will you be breaking down the event? Does anything need to be returned to you? Some florists include the price of the vases and other required accessories, and others will come to retrieve them. Find out if you will be required to return these items in the case that they are on loan to you.
14. Do you do anything other than floral? Event design? Rentals? Do you have any contacts that you could work with to get rentals? You may be looking for additional items to decorate your venue such as candlesticks, chairs, decor, etc. If you can also get these from your florist you can avoid working with another vendor which just adds more complications to the day. If they don’t, they might have good recommendations!
15. Review the budget. Do you have any suggestions on maximizing the budget? Any florist should be able to work with any budget. Whether they suggest ways to cut costs on the flower types, quantity of flowers, or ways to use flowers in multiple ways, they can make it work. Bouquets can be reused as centerpieces. Alter decorations can be reused as decorations on the bar. A few fancy flowers can be used in the bride’s bouquet while the bridesmaids can have something simpler to get the same effect. If they don’t offer any ways to work with your budget, look elsewhere. Also make sure delivery and set up are included in your final cost.
16. Does my quote include everything I need for my wedding? There are so many floral pieces that you can include for a wedding! Bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, cocktail table decor, alter pieces, cake flowers, archways, and more. Think about everything you want and prioritize based on your budget. Most venue coordinators suggest spending money on the tables and bouquets since these will be prominent in photos and your guests will be looking at them the longest.

All of the photos used in this post were sourced from Pinterest! (A great source for wedding flower inspiration.)