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When do I....

alhaley88alhaley88 member
First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
in Flowers
When do I start scheduling appointments with florists? I'm just under a year out, and I don't have a preferred florist that I want to speak with. But I just want to make sure I'm allowing enough time while still giving my options. So what kind of time frame should I be looking at starting the consultations?

Thanks!!!
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Re: When do I....

  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    It really depends on the florist.  I know the one I worked for didn't want to really sit down with a bride until they were at least 6 months out.  She wanted to make sure that the majority of the details (date, place, colors, budget, etc) had been nailed down so that there wasn't a lot of back and forth and changes and such.

    So I would just call up some florists that you would like to speak with and see what they say.  But really you have plenty of time so even if you have to wait a few months you will be fine.

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  • alhaley88alhaley88 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    Thanks! The checklist on here says Due by December. Part of my concern is also that we are doing a Sunday wedding over labor day weekend....not sure if that would make a difference? I figured we would start our search in February or March....
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  • Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    alhaley88 said:
    Thanks! The checklist on here says Due by December. Part of my concern is also that we are doing a Sunday wedding over labor day weekend....not sure if that would make a difference? I figured we would start our search in February or March....
    You could always call up some florists that you may want to talk to and ask them about your wedding date to see if it would be an issue.

    But even if the florist isn't open, say on that Sunday, they will most likely still deliver wedding flowers.

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  • MobKazMobKaz member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    alhaley88 said:
    When do I start scheduling appointments with florists? I'm just under a year out, and I don't have a preferred florist that I want to speak with. But I just want to make sure I'm allowing enough time while still giving my options. So what kind of time frame should I be looking at starting the consultations?

    Thanks!!!
    The answer to your question will be dependent on the florist you select.  You might first want to find out which florists are willing/able to work on a holiday weekend.  You may need to lock a florist in sooner than later, but not have a need to discuss particulars until 6 to 9 months out from your wedding date.  The florist my daughter chose would only work one wedding per weekend.

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  • MesmrEweMesmrEwe member
    First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper

    You could begin your "what do you get for the money" research with a few florists you're interested in using now.  That's how I limited quite a few out.  I found that while their "case arrangements" were beautiful and reasonable, their pricing for orders was outrageous and unreasonable.  The small amount of money I spent on some random arrangements (same price and parameters) probably saved me thousands in the end. 

    I wouldn't get too concerned about the timeline and book vendors when you're ready.  Florists typically work with a quick turnaround but if you're wanting very specific blooms you need to book earlier than later.  If you're just doing "red rose bouquets" then you could go in a couple weeks before and be fine.  But really, start by just doing some foot research and ask what they need/like to have when it comes to all things wedding flowers...


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  • thefanciestbecklerthefanciestbeckler member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    Oh gosh, I didn't even meet with my florist until 2 months before the wedding. I know nothing about flowers, so I honestly didn't even think about it until then. I've found that the Knot's checklist is helpful as a reminder to do things, but that it isn't necessary to do everything by the time they have set or in the order that they suggest. Hell, according to their timeline my 9 month engagement wasn't long enough to plan everything!

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  • labrolabro member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    MobKaz said:
    alhaley88 said:
    When do I start scheduling appointments with florists? I'm just under a year out, and I don't have a preferred florist that I want to speak with. But I just want to make sure I'm allowing enough time while still giving my options. So what kind of time frame should I be looking at starting the consultations?

    Thanks!!!
    The answer to your question will be dependent on the florist you select.  You might first want to find out which florists are willing/able to work on a holiday weekend.  You may need to lock a florist in sooner than later, but not have a need to discuss particulars until 6 to 9 months out from your wedding date.  The florist my daughter chose would only work one wedding per weekend.

    My florist was the same. One wedding per weekend. So while we didn't have serious discussions until....starting around 5 months out, she was booked basically from the beginning (at about 10 months out). I think who and how you book will also depend on what you want - just a single bouquet, basic bouquets for everyone, the whole shebang, etc.



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  • SoldiersMomSoldiersMom member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    I'm just over a year out and I started meeting with florists in August. I know nothing about flowers and didn't have a particular florist in mind either. I met with three total. It is really important for us to stick to our budget and I had no idea what floral arrangements would even start at, so I figured I would start early so I could get a better idea of what effect a florist would have on my budget. It doesn't hurt to start sooner rather than later, especially if you are budget conscience. One thing I did notice is that each florist I met with honored their quotes for different time period. One quote expired in two week, one in a month and the third honored the quote as long as you held on to the hard copy. So if you do plan on doing meetings now and booking later, be sure to ask.
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  • erinlin25erinlin25 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    it can vary depending on where/when you are getting married.  I met a few at a bridal faire about 5 months prior to my wedding.  Called the one I liked best to save my date.  Met with her personally 2 months before the wedding to hash out the details.
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  • MaggieF1990MaggieF1990 member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    I'm getting married in May and we called a florist about a month ago to sit down and talk. We actually called our local Whole Foods, as my friend did all her bouquets there and said they did a great job for much cheaper than a "real" florist. It was nice to sit down and talk with her, but she told us to call her back in January to nail down the details. We have colors chosen, but not much else, so it was hard to tell her what exactly we wanted. I'd say call to make sure they're available for your date but you probably won't have to pick and choose anything until later down the road.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Hi,
     I was nervous about that too. I am also getting married next September and knowing it's a busy month I made an appointment with my Florist next month. He said he usually books up quickly for Sept. Good luck!
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  • MegElisabeth0313MegElisabeth0313 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I'm getting married in July, and we just booked our florist. We had a couple that we talked to that were so happy we called so early, and a couple that asked us to call back after the new year. So I think it totally depends on the florist, but in my opinion it's better to try early than be too late!
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  • SpaceToaster0906SpaceToaster0906 member
    First Comment
    I just got married the Sunday of Labor Day weekend a few weeks ago, and there was no issue with timing for any of the florists I talked to.  I made a final decision on the florist in January-ish (based on pictures online of their previous weddings and on price), but didn't really talk about details until about 3 months out and then about a week before to finalize everything.  If you at least nail down the florist you want to go with, you'll have plenty of time to figure out details like the type of flowers, colors, etc.  
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