How I Prepare My Clients For A Floral Consultation

Flowers and décor are an important part of a wedding and as a wedding planner, it is one of the many items I help my clients with.

Before we go and visit a florist for a consultation, I like to prepare my clients. The first thing I do to help my clients is discuss their overall vision for their wedding and together we go over pictures for inspiration. We discuss overall style and “feel” of the wedding, what they like or dislike and how high in priority is the décor for them.

I help my client define their style and translate their vison into the right terminology. For example, do they prefer a traditional style – more tailored, rounded shapes of bouquets or centerpieces, no greenery, very classic with more focus on the blooms? Are they drawn more towards a modern style– clean and simple with focus on the greenery, more movement in the design and an organic look?

The next step is to look at their budget and how much they can or are willing to spend on the overall décor, which includes not only flowers, but also other elements, such as linen, chargers, lighting and furniture rentals, it all adds up quickly. Flowers hanging from the ceiling look spectacular but are very costly due to the large amounts of floral required and many hours of labor… so having realistic expectations is important. Guiding my clients and educating them on the costs, prioritizing what is necessary and what is within budget is a valuable experience I provide my clients. 

The next step is visiting the florist, go over all the specifics and receive the initial consultation. Together with the florist I help my clients come up with ideas of how to save on the overall floral expense. For example, choosing fillers that will contribute to a fuller look of the design but with less expensive flowers etc. One example are large Lillies or Peonies, they are beautiful but are expensive floral compared to roses or many other blooms. Garden roses are glamorous but do not last as long as regular roses and are typically triple the cost.

We also look at how we can REPURPOSE, using décor for the ceremony and moving it later to the reception, or having the bouquets placed on some of the guest tables surrounded by lots of candles.
At this point the florist will prepare a proposal for my clients and once it’s all agreed they will sign the contract and we will continue developing their vision and tweak the proposal as needed.

One important step I like to suggest to my clients is having the florist prepare a prototype, about 6-8 weeks before the wedding. I like to arrange it, when it is possible, at the time they are having a tasting at the venue or caterer. We can setup a table with the selected linen and have the centerpiece placed on that table. At that point the clients can analyze the prototype and make changes in colors and style. I find this step very helpful to many of my clients, especially when floral and décor are top priority for them. It makes them feel more confident about the end result.

Let Weddings and Events by Ruth help you create the wedding of your dreams!