Preparing for your first florist meeting can be daunting. With so many options out there, where do you begin? We asked Bloomerent florists in our community to share some of their tips in order to make sure your first meeting is a breeze.
1. Research your Florist
When you’re first connected to a florist, we suggest heading straight to Google to start your research. Check out their website, click through their Instagram and finally, read some reviews to make sure they come highly recommended by past customers. Bonus: if you’re meeting with a Bloomerent florist, we already did all of the above work for you.
“When searching for the perfect florist for your wedding day, I highly suggest a phone call first. Ask about their experience and request referrals or ask them to direct you to a website where you can read recent reviews. Also, request to see their portfolio online or have them send photos of their work via email or Dropbox!
— Sarah Parlos, owner of One Fine Day
Before investing your time and theirs in a meeting, you want to make sure that you like their work and think they can accurately capture your vision.
2. Know your Budget & Location
Having an idea of what you want to spend on your wedding flowers and where you want to get married is important. Every florist we spoke to mentioned that walking in with a floral budget will ensure that everyone is on the same page and the quote you receive will be fair. Typically, flowers account for 10–15% of your overall budget. Creating beautiful centerpieces starts with sourcing flowers (whether they’re locally sourced or flown across the ocean), long hours spent creating the arrangements and then additional labor to deliver and set them up, among other things.
“Ask how pricing works. I’m one of the few florists that will break out labor from the materials cost and show the amount of hours it takes to create the wedding flowers. When brides can see the math, the total cost can make more sense to them. If you see a bouquet for $250 because the florist is factoring in the labor with a higher markup, it can seem like a rip off. But it takes an hour to create the bouquet, on top of sourcing the flowers, prepping them, etc.
— Carly Cylinder, owner of Flour LA, NYC and Dallas
Where you get married can also drastically impact your bottom line. If you’re getting married in Manhattan versus upstate New York, the prices of flowers will vary. Delivery cost can also add up. If you’re looking to keep the cost of your flowers down, consider booking a florist that is local to your venue. Finally, depending on your venue, you may have to use their preferred florist. It’s best to ask the venue about this requirement before signing a venue or florist contract so there are no surprises later.
3. Spend Time on Pinterest
We’re aware that not everyone spends as much time on Pinterest as we do, but before your first meeting with a florist you should have a few ideas about what kind of flowers you want, from type of flowers to color scheme and beyond. Do you want tall centerpieces or low? How about a mix of both? This goes back to budget as certain flowers are only available during specific months and are more expensive when they’re not in season. If budget is a big concern, ask your florist what’s in season or local in your wedding month.
“Ask where they source their flowers. Do you aim to source seasonally? If you florist is shipping flowers from Holland even though they are blooming locally, not only are the costs of shipping wasteful and higher, but the carbon footprint is unnecessarily large. Sourcing locally and seasonally is best for budget and environmental practices.
— Lindsey Neff, owner of Larkspur Botanicals
4. Number and Placement of Flowers
We’re back to the B word: budget. It’s so important to have a ballpark budget for all things wedding so that you’re making the most of your meetings. Talk to your venue about what your ceremony and reception will look like so that you have an idea of where you want flowers to be placed throughout your wedding. Do you want centerpieces on the cocktail hour tables? Do you want a huppah or canopy for the ceremony?
“It’s nice to ask about ‘special people’ involved in your big day and if you want them to have a mini boutonniere, carry a single stem, wear a flower cuff or bracelet, tuck a bloom in their hair, etc. Some folks may not be featured prominently in your bridal party or announced in the reception but it’s a nice way to recognize them.
— Carly Ragosta, owner of BloomBar
5. Are You Sharing Your Flowers?
Whether you’re on a budget or able to splurge, sharing your flowers saves you money and reduces floral waste — all without sacrificing quality. If you’re working with a Bloomerent florist, you always have the option to share your flowers at any point before your big day (we do urge you to decide sooner than later, however, so we can find you a match). If you’re the first event, “Event A”, you pick your centerpieces with your florist and they will pick up your shared centerpieces after your event to refresh overnight. As the second event, “Event B”, you will opt into another events centerpieces and work with the same florist for all additional floral needs. Both events save money for going green!
“Lastly, asking what details should be ready for the first meeting is a great question! Especially if you haven’t met with any other florists yet and don’t know what to expect. It’ll help everything go as smoothly as possible for both the florist and customer
— Rachel Gordon, owner of Taproot Flowers
Have a question? Want to connect with a florist? Email us, head to our site or let us know below!
*All florists featured in this blog are Bloomerent florists
