Wedding Flowers Planning and Preparation

12 Months before the Wedding
When choosing the flowers for your big day, enquire with a selection of florists at least 12 months in advance of the wedding day. All good florists book up quickly. You may get lucky and there is a cancellation - not so lucky for someone else though! Ask friends what florist they used for their wedding. Personal recommendations are usually the best indicator of how good a florists work will be.

Ask for a one to one consultation. Expect the appointment to last about one hour; much shorter and the florist is not giving you a thorough service.

If possible take a photograph of the wedding dress along with you, or at the very least have a detailed description of the dress. The florist needs to know where any special detail is on the dress so as not to cover it with flowers.

Try and take swatches of attendant’s fabric with you. Your flowers should complement the outfits, not match.

Let the florist know what budget you have in mind so they can work to it.

Together with your florist you will work out the design and quantity of wedding flowers you desire.

After your initial consultation a quotation and a booking form should be sent out to you.

6 Months before the Wedding
Have another bridal consultation. You will need to take a sample of fabric for your dress and the bridesmaid’s dresses. This allows the florist to work out what flowers and in what combination best suit your unique wedding outfits.

Any decent florist will show you samples of all the flowers in your bouquet so you will know what to expect in the finished article.

The bridesmaid’s bouquets tend to be half the size of the brides or of a complementary design. At the moment (summer 2006), wrist designs are very popular.

The boutonniere for the groom is usually designed with a selection of flowers used in the bridal flowers.

The best man and the bride and grooms fathers tend to have a smaller version of the grooms boutonniere.

For the mothers, suggest the flowers are attached with a magnet. This will avoid getting pin marks in their outfits.

Most florists hire out vases for the table centre wedding flowers. An alternative would be to buy the ones you prefer (Ikea and Tesco seem to be popular shops for wedding vases!).

3 Weeks before the Wedding
Confirm the date and time of the wedding with your florist. Ensure that gift bouquets are ordered for the mothers. Your florist should provide two deliveries - one for the bride and one for the groom.

The Wedding Day
If your florist does not suggest it, ask for advice on how best to hold your flowers in order for them to look their best in the wedding photographs.

If you have a tied bouquet, let the hotel to place it in a vase for you.

Enjoy your special day!

Sasha Fenby is NDSF qualified head florist at Forget Me Not florists. Sasha regularly demonstrates her art throughout the UK and has taught floristry since 1999. You can send flowers via Sasha to the UK and worldwide by visiting her website http://www.WeLoveFlowers.co.uk.

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