Wedding Blog

One of the things I’ve been working on is researching florists for the wedding. I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to flowers, so I’ve been slowly learning and researching more. Yesterday I was reading Weddingbee PRO and came across this great post by Nancy from Nancy Liu Chin Designs. She broke down all the different components of flowers that you need and how to best research what you’re looking for. She also talks about how to approach florists.

Here’s a blurb from the post:

A floral arrangement is a hand crafted, custom product and it varies in price. The components in pricing wedding flowers are:

• Creativity
• Quantity and quality
• Seasonality of flowers
• Color of the flowers
• Holidays - supply of certain flowers during peak holidays increase
• Fixed costs of a business
• Labor and design costs
• Delivery and setup
• Materials
• Props, rentals, containers, supplies
• Customer service
• Exclusivity of a designer
• Travel costs

This was exactly what I needed, since I’ve been researching florists recommended by Courtney and other sources all week.

I wanted to know more, so I commented on her post with this:

“Thanks for sharing all this information. I’m currently researching florists and have no idea where to start when I contact them. Would it be a good idea to send an email and answer some of those questions when I initially contact the florist?”

Sure enough, I checked my email later in the day, and Nancy had emailed me back! How amazing is that? I was so surprised and grateful! Here is what she said:

IMO, I think that all brides should do some research. Go to the websites that I recommended. Look at the flowers. Flip through magazines. Get some idea of what you are looking at.
Then, search the florists in your area. Look for the details. Pinpoint 3 to 5 florists that you want to meet with. I personally think that meeting with more than 3 is just too many. When I got married, I saw 4 people, and that was confusing enough. I might have contacted 5, but I only made an appointment to see 4 of them. And frankly, I could have only seen 3!

Afterward, call or email them and ask some general questions… first:

1) Are they available?
2) Is anyone else looking at the date? If you don’t ask, you might miss out on someone really great.
3) Make a floral consultation. And don’t miss it. Be courteous.
4) Bring information to your meeting
5) Look at their work not to see if you find something you want, but for their capabilities
6) If you like them, ask for a written proposal.
7) Ask them how long the proposal will take.

Finally, if you really really like a florist, try to build a great relationship from the beginning. Don’t try to “nickel and dime” them. Because just as you have a choice in selecting a floral designer or florist, they have the right to work with whom they want. It’s one of the hardest lessons in life, but one I learned early. Be kind. Be nice. Be direct. If you cannot afford the florist that you want, be honest with them and tell them where you need to be. Make them try to find a creative solution, but don’t do it in a way that they think you are negotiating with them.
Also, try not to pick the florist that you want b/c of price unless they meet your criteria… I have had many friends who selected their florists b/c of price, not because of their creativity. It took more energy to explain what they wanted in the end. Ultimately, they might have gotten the flowers at a great price, but the look was just not right.

Thanks Nancy!!

All photos from Ritzy Bee Blog

Looks like I have some work to do, right? I’m definitely using Nancy’s tips and I will keep you updated with how it goes. I just thought I’d share the useful information and show you just how awesome the wedding blog community can be when you ask a question.

Have you found your florist? What was helpful in your search?