When to book your wedding florist

Wedding planning is a process. I’m all for throwing out the rule book for weddings when it comes to traditions, and ‘must haves’ ... but when it comes to wedding planning there is a certain tried and tested order for booking your suppliers. Read on to see where 'book your florist' fits best.

For those of us who have been planning our weddings since we were at primary school, it’s likely you already have a few suppliers in mind for your big day. And If you’re anything like me, as soon as you have your venue booked you are itching to secure your other favourite suppliers. As a wedding florist and a bride to be - I’ve found that the best time to begin speaking to potential florists is when you have:

• Confirmed your date(s)
• Confirmed your venue(s) - ideally which spaces you will be using too
• Agreed how many bestmen / groomsmen / bridesmaids / flower girls / page boys you're going to have
• Have a rough idea of what colours and styles you like

No florist expects you to be an expert on floral designs or be able to name all the flowers. You don’t have to have everything fully decided but it's really useful to have a bit of inspiration so that your florist can help guide you to designs that will suit your wedding style and your venue.

A photo or two of the arrangements that you like is usually enough to work out the type of flowers to include, and which design styles you like. This, paired with a good look at your venue and consideration of what flowers are in season…. and together we’ll already be 99% there.

Typically, if I was pushed for an answer, I would recommend making sure you have your florist booked and the deposit paid before the one-year-to-go mark.

Even the simplest weddings take multiple days to create .. sourcing, conditioning and then creating the arrangements are rarely quick tasks. Then packaging up and delivering too. Most florists will have a maximum number of weddings they can book per month to ensure they have time to give each the attention it deserves. So, booking your florist in plenty of time gives you the best chance to secure your first-choice florist and allows them to ensure they are well-prepared to create for your wedding day.