Choosing a Florist (2024)

Contact yourflorist once you’ve selected the date, time and place for your wedding and reception. If you aren’t familiar with the florists in your area, ask for recommendations from other brides, reception halls or churches. If possible, set up an appointment with the lead designer who will be in charge of filling the order for your wedding flowers.

Look through bridal books and floral guides. Sketch ideas, cut out pictures or take photographs of flowers you like and share them with your florist. Seeing your ideas and personal style will help your florist translate your concepts and special requests into workable floral designs and arrangements that are just right for you.

It will be helpful if you know the colors and style of the gowns you and your bridesmaids will be wearing. Bring pictures of your gown and the bridesmaids dresses, along with swatches of fabric if you have them available.

During your initial consultation with your florist, discuss specific design ideas that fit both your personal style and budget. Make arrangements for yourflorist to visit both the ceremony and reception sites.

The following are suggested questions to ask when consulting with a weddingflorist:

  • What are the current bridal styles and how do you see them being used in my wedding?
  • What are some of the new and exciting flower varieties and are they available in the colors I have selected for my wedding?
  • What flowers will be in season at the time of my wedding?
  • What flowers are available that will be used to fill my order based upon my budget and color preferences?
  • Do you have pictures of arrangements from other weddings you’ve done at my wedding ceremony/reception site? What size, shape and colors work best at my ceremony/reception site?
  • Will there be sufficient staff to design the arrangements for my wedding and have them delivered on time?
  • How will the flowers be handled, delivered and set-up, taking into consideration the weather constraints for my wedding?
  • Do you preserve bouquets after the wedding?
  • Is there an additional charge for delivery, set-up and servicing my wedding? How are these charges determined?
  • Do you offer rental items (vases, urns, etc.) or do we need to rent them from another company?
  • Are there any extra fees (delivery, set-up, sales tax, etc.)?

To find a weddingflorist, visit SAF’s National Florist Directory at www.nationalfloristdirectory.com.

Choosing a Florist (2024)

FAQs

How do you know if a florist is good? ›

Top Quality Product: The finest florists in the field carry quality product, provide floral food with each purchase and offer instructions for proper care to ensure maximum enjoyment. Professional Affiliation: Florists who belong to professional groups are committed to being the best in their field.

What 2 qualities are needed to be a florist? ›

However, if you plan to enter the job market, most employers usually require at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, like a GED, but creativity, hard work and passion are the most important skills.

What are three of the main things that a florist needs to find out from a bride during the initial consultation? ›

Here are some questions a florist should ask a bride.
  • When and where should the wedding be held? ...
  • What types and colors of flowers should you use? ...
  • How big and tall are you guests? ...
  • How many are coming and where will the flowers come from?
May 19, 2019

Is it cheaper to buy flowers from a florist? ›

Flowers are often a loss leader for grocery stores. That means that they take a loss on flowers to drive you into the store by advertising cheap prices. A florist is typically more expensive, and the reason is that they are a professional and your flower arrangement will be carefully created by them.

Is it better to order from a local florist? ›

The top reasons to order from a local florist instead of online from websites like FTD and Telefora are: When you use a local florist, you are dealing with the actual people that will design the flower arrangement you purchase.

Do supermarkets receive the same quality of flowers as a florist? ›

Flowers have different grades and generally grocery stores do not stock or use the highest-grade flowers, while florists normally do.

What personality type is a florist? ›

The top personality traits of florists are openness and social responsibility. Florists score highly on openness, which means they are usually curious, imaginative, and value variety.

What are 5 floral supplies a florist would need? ›

Florist tools

Scissors, floral knives, and shears are like the holy trinity of floral equipment for cutting flower stems and trimming fresh flowers down to size. But wait, there's more! You'll also need gloves, wire, tape, and flower foam to give your arrangements the structural support to place your flowers firmly.

What is the difference between a florist and a floral designer? ›

While florists typically arrange flowers in retail shops and sell to individuals, and floral designers arrange flowers for weddings and other special events, developing design skills is essential for both careers. If you have a passion for flowers and an eye for design, you are already on your way to success!

What to say to a florist? ›

Let your florist know if you prefer a mixed flower arrangement or an arrangement made up of just one type of flower. Provide your florist with the necessary basic information – the name, full address and phone number of the recipient, the delivery date, your card message and payment information.

What questions should a florist ask a customer? ›

Do you have any favourite flowers, or flowers you'd like to be used? Do you have colours you would like to be used throughout the wedding flowers? Do you have a budget for your wedding flowers? Where are you staying before departing for your wedding?

Why is a florist so expensive? ›

Overhead Costs: Like any business, florists incur overhead expenses such as rent, utilities, staff wages, and equipment maintenance. These costs are factored into the pricing of floral arrangements to ensure the sustainability of the business.

Why do people buy flowers from a grocery store instead of a florist? ›

Some grocery stores can offer customers lower costing bouquets because they buy many bulk flowers at once. They are also able to reduce labor costs by using unprocessed flowers to create simple designs that customers choose themselves from an open display area in the store.

What is the etiquette for buying flowers? ›

Give the Correct Number of Flowers: Also consider the number of flowers you give, as what is appropriate varies from place-to-place. In the U.S. a dozen flowers is appropriate and customary. In Europe and elsewhere even numbers are considered inappropriate. Almost everywhere, the number 13 is considered unlucky.

What makes a great florist? ›

The ability to use colours and shapes creatively. An interest in buying and selling. Number skills. The stamina to work in a shop all day, sometimes lifting and carrying vases full of flowers.

How can you tell if flowers are fake? ›

REAL AND FAKE FLOWERS
  1. A real flowers blooms and also dries. ...
  2. A real flower is affected by its surrounding /environment but fake flowers are not affected. ...
  3. A real flower spreads its fragrance for free but fake does not have any natural fragrance at all, it just looks beautiful from outside.
Aug 18, 2017

What is the difference between a wholesale florist and a retail florist? ›

Basic Structure of the Floral Industry

Here, distributors are in direct contact with growers for prospective buyers of flowers. Wholesalers purchase flowers in large quantities from these distributors. Next, retailers purchase flowers in small quantities from a wholesaler or sometimes directly from a distributor.

How do you know if flowers are good to buy? ›

Check the flower petals

Check if there are any brown or black spots because these are tell-tale signs that the blossoms aren't fresh and they're cut the wrong way. Also, check the petals for any discolouration, wilting, or transparency because all of these are signs that the blooms are past their peak freshness.

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