A handful of tips to get you going in the right direction.

Timing
Begin thinking about your wedding flowers early on in the planning process. This will ensure you have time to enjoy planning your wedding flowers. The earlier you can choose your wedding florist, the sooner you can start to get excited about how beautiful your day will be.

Budget
Allowing 10% of your wedding budget is an ideal guidance to the final costs of your flowers.

Experience
Your florist will play a very special role on your wedding day. Experience and knowledge in wedding floral design plays a large part in the final outcome on the day. Flowers feature in all photographs and add ambience and beauty the venue, therefore the importance of choosing the right florist and being confident that they can execute your dream perfectly cannot be overstated. Your florist should also be familiar with your venue, be able to show you photo's of work they have already done there, and be able to give you tips and tricks on how to get the most from your budget in that given space.

During the Consultation
Ask as many questions as possible. Take your time and rember that it is not unusual for a second consultation to be required if you’re not completely sure about anything. The more time you can give your florist to understand of your dreams and desires and wishes, the more they should be able to fulfil your dreams.
 
It will help the florist if you can take photo’s of inspiration, invitation samples and samples of your fabrics to the consultation. This will help your florist understand your style and give the best advice on the colour and varieties that are available for your wedding date.

The Quotation
Every item on your quote should have a detailed written description, including variety and colour of the blooms. The quotation forms the basis of the contract you sign with your florist so they are accountable to deliver as promised.

On the Day
Your florist should be able to deliver your bridal flowers to your preferred location. To minimise risk, your ceremony and reception flowers should always be reprepared off site and the set up team should be resourced adequately so nothing is rushed.

A Final Note
And finally, once all of the rational boxes are ticked, go with your heart and always choose a florist that you connect with and feel confident in. When a florist can truly understand your wishes and style, anything is possible.