Questions about Florists

larzhope

Hi all,

I'm starting to do research on florists.  The sticky note at the top of the board has been great to figure out the "who"  but I'm wondering what to expect when meeting with the florist.

what kinds of questions should I ask?  Did your florist show you flowers? 

We don't really have a floral budget because I really have no idea what something I want will cost.  I'm pretty open and impressionable at this point (but certainly don't want to spend a fortune!)

Aside from bouquets, bouts, corsages and centerpieces, what other floral arrangements did you use? 

anything else you think I should be aware of?

emarston1

I was in your shoes about a month ago, I had no idea what kinds of questions to ask!  But to be honest, the florist asks most of the question to get an idea of what your wedding will be like (colors, formality, etc.)  I would bring pictures of bouquets/arrangements that you like, my florist asked for a picture of my dress, etc.

Besides the items that you mentioned, you'll want to think about if you'll have any flowers at the ceremony (altar, pews, aisle, etc.)

mybestfriendsfuturemrs

I had inspiration pics with me to show my florist so he could get a good idea of what I liked.  As PP mentioned, think of all the places you might like flowers.....altar, pews, cake table, bathroom, guest book table, etc etc.

I think I also found a list of questions online to ask that I altered to meet my specific needs. An imprtant question that you might want to ask is if there are travel fees and if they have worked with your particular ceremony and reception venues.  If so, that may give you an advantage on them already knowing the decor and what would look good.

Good luck!

Gwenwhyfare

Everything PP mentioned. I know nothing about what flowers cost or really anything about them (except that I like flowers). We are using Roses and Hydrangeas in everything (bouquets, corsages, bouts, alter arrangements and centerpieces).

When I met with her, she brought photos of arrangements she's done before and I also brought photos of things I liked. I based my budget on what I had available (around $700) after paying for everything else for the wedding. Hope that helps!

japow1984

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_questions-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:42ae27da-a03b-4442-9e09-d60ae3f2370dPost:6666915e-b6c8-4d54-aa53-0fab9035da92">Questions about Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi all, I'm starting to do research on florists.  The sticky note at the top of the board has been great to figure out the "who"  but I'm wondering what to expect when meeting with the florist. what kinds of questions should I ask?  Did your florist show you flowers?  We don't really have a floral budget because I really have no idea what something I want will cost.  I'm pretty open and impressionable at this point (but certainly don't want to spend a fortune!) <strong>Aside from bouquets, bouts, corsages and centerpieces, what other floral arrangements did you use?</strong>  anything else you think I should be aware of?
Posted by larzhope[/QUOTE]


I kept forgetting to ask about a toss and anniversary dance bouquet (If that's something you want.) Also, any flowers you might need for the ceremony/church. Altar, pew...etc.  

kristinandbill

Like PP, I recommend taking as many inspiration pics as possible.  If you’ve picked out your dress and BM dresses, take those.  If you have a pic of your venue and of the altar at the church, that might be helpful as well to see what's available there.  I asked the florists that I talked to for an estimate that included EVERYTHING that I thought I wanted and then I cut back until we reached a budget that I was comfortable with.  For example, I ended up not getting arrangements for the pews, altar, or cake table so that I could spend more money on the other arrangements and still stick to a budget number that I could handle. 

In my experience the florist will walk you through everything you could possibly need and you just let them know if you want that or not.

Also like PP mentioned, one thing that I forgot about and regretted, was not having anything for the winner of the anniversary dance.  And just FYI, we had two winners - they tied. 

Once you talk to a couple of florists you'll have a better idea of what you can afford and what you want. 

Oh, one more thing....greenery is less expensive than flowers.  So you can have fuller arrangements for less money if you’re open to more greenery. 

cmkuno

Ok, here's my advise. 

1) Have a budget in mind.  If you don't, my fear is you'll be over charged.  I low-balled my budget to begin with and ended up spending quite a bit more after I found out what things cost.  But I think going in with a low # let the florists know that cost was an issue to me.  Plus it was nice to see what they could come up with within my budget so I knew what my options were! 

2) Meet with more than one florist.  Even if you love the first person you meet with, get at least 3 quotes.  You might be surprised!  And it gives you some bargaining power if need be.  

3) At the first meeting, I wouldn't worry about knowing everything.  Most (good) florists have some kind of a work sheet they use to determine what you need.  I would take time to look through inspiration pictures to get an idea of what you like so you can present that to your florist.  But my florist came up with a lot of great ideas on her own, so I would just let them do their job! 

4) I would highly recommend finding a florist who will do a centerpiece mock up for you.  My florist did for no additional charge (I used The Parsonage in Clarkston).  And when I wasn't crazy about the first design, she ordered a couple more flowers for me to see.  I cannot tell you how great it was to get to see what my flowers would look like before I committed to them!  If you're anything like me, you'll likely find it difficult to visualize what "3 stems of flower A, 4 stems of flower B" will look like altogether.  I ended up changing my design quite a bit based on what I saw.