When should you book in your wedding florist and what’s the process?

I’m a firm believer in booking things in as soon as your date is set and you’ve booked in your venue.  This helps with both budgeting so you know what you need and when, as well as relieving some stress that everything is sorted and you can relax and enjoy your engagement stage.

As with anything, once that vendor is booked, that date is gone (unless of course they have a huge team and take on multiple weddings).  I personally, don’t take on more than one wedding a day (unless one was just an elopement bouquet).

If there’s a particular florist you absolutely must have, lock them in!  Once you’ve decided on your date and locked in your venue, reach out to that florist and check their availability. 

Generally, most florists get booked anywhere from 8 – 18 months out from wedding date.  Some florists only open their books for a year in advance, some more and some less.

Wedding flowers usually need to be ordered from the supplier at least 4 weeks in advance so the more notice the better.

Some things to look for when choosing your florist and working out what matters to you.

Do you like the look of their work, should be available on either Instagram or their website (not all florists have a website and that’s ok).

Does their style vibe with what you are wanting?

Does price matter?  Do they have a minimum spend?

How’s their communication when enquiring?  Nothing gets to me more than poor communication or taking ages to reply.

Can they offer delivery / setup and removal if needed?

Do they travel?

Are the legit?  Do they have an ABN and are insured (most venues will require a copy of their public liability insurance).

Is sustainability important to you?  Do they work with only local flowers instead of imports, not use floral foam etc.

Can they offer a contract or services agreement, this protects both you and the florist in case of cancellation / postponement etc.

Don’t be afraid to go with a newbie, often they have spent time freelancing with another florist (and you won’t see those images on their gallery), but check that they are qualified and can deliver what you need.

What’s the process for booking a florist?

I can only speak for myself, but my process is as follows:

Either request a pricing guide via email or jump straight in to fill in my online form, note the more details the better in order to quote accurately.  And definitely send inspo pictures as helps me to see what style you like, colour etc.

If I need anymore info I’ll drop you an email, otherwise I’ll get straight to work on your quote if your date is available, if not you’ll receive and email stating I’m booked.

If you’re not entirely sure what reception florals you need but know you want the bouquets done, you can always just book in initially for those then we can work through pricing on the other items and add these in as needed.

I’ll do you up a quote which is valid for 14 days and email this through to you.  On the quote will be your inspiration, quote, the process and next steps, including payment breakdown for booking fee and instalments.

If you wish to book, reply via email accepting the quote and then I will prepare and invoice and services agreement.  Booking fee of 30% (which comes off your total) is due within 3 days to secure the date, note date is not secured until this has been received.

If you decide not to proceed with me, or any other florist, it’s nice just to drop them an email advising you’ve gone with another florist so they can move on and release the date.  If I’ve not heard back after quote expiry, I’ll drop you an email and if don’t hear back withing 24 hours after that it’s removed from my list.

Once you’re booking fee comes in, I can confirm that your wedding date is booked, and you can sit back and relax.  I’ll be in touch closer to the time to work out all the finer details, bouquet details, ribbon detail etc..  We can do this via email, over the phone or have an online meeting.

But during this time you can email me at any time with any questions you have or new inspo pictures that you come across or to add new things in. 

For me that’s when all the behind-the-scenes stuff happens, I research through flower and colour availability, costs things up, work out what I need to order and when and put this all in my calendar.  There’s actually a lot of behind-the-scenes admin work that goes into wedding florals, it’s not just all about making the arrangements.

Then before you know it, you’re special day is here and I’d love nothing more than to be a part of it.

Leanne xx