Check List For Your Wedding Flower Consultation

At White Iris Designs, we love weddings. Thus, today I am going to give you a list of a few things to include in you preparations to hire a florist for your special day. These are a few things that I tell all of my bride's to bring with them to their wedding consultation.

1. Schedule a consultation...this way the florist will have uninterrupted time just for you. (I charge for my consultations...then when the wedding is booked with me I deduct it from the total cost of the wedding flowers. That way if she chooses not to use me then I have not spent that time & given all of my ideas for free!)

2. Bring a photo of your bridal gown. (This helps to determine the style of the wedding.)

3. Bring a photo of the bridesmaid's dresses (Again the style is very important)

4. Bring swatches of fabric in the colors of dresses & accent colors. (If you cannot keep the swatches, I suggest that you take them to a Home Depot, Menards, etc. & find paint chip samples that match them. They are free, small & will fit in your purse easily for you to have on hand at all times.)

5. Bring photos of style of tuxes

6. Bring photos of styles of bouquets, boutioneeres, corsages, centerpieces, etc. that you love (This is helpful in choosing the style of arrangements)

7. Bring in photos of kinds of flowers you love (Again helpful to know what you love...also a lot of people know what kinds of flowers appeal to them but do not know the names of the flowers. I can help you identify them.)

8. Bring a photo of the site of the ceremony, number of pews, alter, entrance, front entrance, candelabras, length of aisle, etc. (This is very helpful when trying to determine where & what types of arrangements are needed.)

9. Photos of the reception site
(Again for the same reason as for the church. You will need to know the number of tables, style of table, how they will be arranged, & location of cake table)

10. Make a list of everyone you will want flowers for (Bridal party, special family members, vocalists, instrument players, registers, servers, etc. This helps speed up the consultation, remember you might be paying for it)

11. Bring any special containers, etc you will want to be used (It is very fashionable for brides & grooms to personalize their ceremonies, so many are using family heirloom vases etc.)

12. Bring a photo of you wedding cake. (If you decide you would like flowers on it, being able to see a photo is very helpful.)

I suggest that you start a folder file to compile all of the information that you need. Start tearing out pictures from magazines, print them off the computer, etc. Carry this with you to all of your appointments regarding your wedding. Also invest in a small note pad to write down things that you may need to check up on at a later time. In all of the excitement, you can easily forget things that were discussed.
It is never too early to start preparing. The sooner all of the details are taken care of the more you will be able to relax & enjoy this very special time in your life.
If you have any questions about things that I did not cover here, please leave them in the comment box or email me at whiteirisdesigns@hotmail.com