The Top 7 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Florist
Meet Carly Messmer! Carly is a wedding florist in Cincinnati, Ohio. We sat down with Carly to find out what questions you should ask your wedding florist as you begin planning your wedding flowers.
Here’s a little bit about what Carly does: At Carly Messmer Floral Design we strive to create the most beautiful and personal florals for your wedding. We help translate our client’s vision to reality through a thoughtful and deliberate floral design approach.
Here’s what Carly had to say about what you should ask your wedding florist!
For most of my brides and grooms, it’s their first time planning a wedding – which means the wedding floral design process can feel like this unknown world of secrets. I promise, it’s not that complicated!
Don’t worry! You don’t need to know anything about flowers to pick your bouquet! Your floral designer is there to help you along the way so you can understand why they recommend a certain flower or why an arrangement is priced the way it is. Communication is so important throughout the entire wedding process, so it’s important that both you and your designer ask a lot of questions so that style, budget, priorities and vision all line up on both sides.
To get you started on the process, here are seven important helpful questions to ask when booking your floral designer.
What is the wedding flower design process like?
Everyone has a different process before and after booking. Your florist should outline and create expectations for communication, design plans, and payment scheduling so that you have a clear understanding of the entire floral design process from inquiry all the way to your wedding day.
Can you work with my budget? Do you have a minimum?
Money can sometimes be a touchy subject when planning a wedding, but it’s important to be upfront about your budget so a designer can make their best recommendations based on your priorities and flexibilities. It’s also helpful to know whether the florist has minimum-spend requirements.
What flowers are in season during my wedding?
I love talking about local and seasonal flowers almost as much as I love designing with them. I believe that designing with seasonal flowers creates a more natural and thoughtful design to organically fit the environment of the wedding.
Have you worked at my venue before? If not, are you able to schedule a walkthrough of the venue?
Walkthroughs are a great way to envision a space before the big day. While we know that you’ll have guest tables and maybe a head table, a walkthrough can present opportunities to discuss unique floral moments – like an airy greenery staircase or a floral mantel.
Are there any extra charges for delivery, set up, flip and tear down?
Pricing structures may vary, but you’ll typically see separate line items for delivery, set up, flip, tear down and tax. It’s definitely helpful to know how these fees affect your floral budget.
How far in advance do I need to book my florist?
Typically, I recommend brides and grooms to start looking for their floral designer once they’ve set a date and booked a venue. Most of my weddings are booked 8-15 months ahead of time. However, with so many postponed and rescheduled weddings due to COVID-19, more and more 2020 weddings are moving to 2021. Prime 2021 dates are going fast, so if there’s someone you really want to work with – book them stat!
There are so many more important questions to ask your floral designer (how many weddings do you book in a weekend, do you have a studio, what other rentals can you provide, when are final payments due, how long do you need to set up, how would you describe your design style, etc., etc., etc.), which makes it super important to schedule a consultation and discuss these details. Knowing these answers can help you feel secure and comfortable with your wedding florist, and really all of your wedding vendors.
Happy planning!
