The journey to a beautiful wedding begins with the choice of a florist dedicated to bringing your vision to life. However, a wedding florist is not just a vendor who shows up at the event to arrange the flowers but rather an artist who contributes to the overall aesthetic of your celebration. And is someone who has been working tirelessly for months behind the scenes on your 'flowers'. Read on to find out more about the process.
Let me take you through the creative and planing process
The perfect floral arrangements are planned long before the special day. Before the initial consultation, you will receive a questionnaire to help me collect the basic but important details. You may have an idea of the colours and themes you want, how would you like your day to feel. And we have to align that with the flowers that are in season or available and make the right choices for your style. After the initial chat, if we both feel we could be a good match and when I am sure, I fully understand your vision and the venue's space, I dive into planning your wedding flowers. I will then work on a detailed design proposal, this is more than just a quote. Hours of time go into this - there is so much to consider, your vision, the venue, the season, the overall desired aesthetics and so on... but it's the creative part of the planning and my favourite!
Once the design is agreed, the planning then moves onto organising all sundries, making sure we have the right vessels in stock or we need to source them , dealing with my suppliers, booking in freelancers and subcontractors ( for example we may need hi rise platforms or additional vehicles/ drivers etc). We arrange site visits. Heaps of administrative work and perpetual planning goes in to it. Creating schedules for the set up, timelines - this is very much the project planning stages, making sure everything and everyone comes together on the day! I provide a bespoke service tailored to each client, handling everything from the initial concept to the final installation, including design services like candles, vases, linen suggestions.
Behind the scenes, with the wedding florist
There are typical tasks that are part of every wedding no matter how distinct the clients' requirements are. This is the true BTS work you may not know is happening and so here is a short list if you are curious about the invisible part of my work:
With a keen eye for quality, I order your blooms about a week before your wedding, this is quite a specific process on a website that essentially an auction. I want to secure the best that the season has to offer. I shop around as not everyone will have what I need or want! We have to time the delivery just so, that the flowers reach their peak just in time for your special day. This is different for many varieties - experience is key here. Many florist will also make multiple trips to flower markets and flower farms - these are all super early trips, markets open at 2am!
Conditioning - this is a huge part of any flower work. Once the flowers get to my studio, every stem needs to be carefully handled, leaves striped, stems re-cut. Flowers are then placed in clean deep water and need to sit resting for 24hrs. This is a very lengthly process but so important without this, the flowers will wilt, won't last and perform very well. There will be thousands of stems for each wedding that will be handled by myself and my team.
Planning and administration are crucial parts of the process, by now I have spent hours coordinating with other suppliers, booking sundries, ordering flowers, and dealing with freelancers. Booking a florist who caters to such details will save you a lot of mundane tasks to deal with.
One week before the event, the final work begins in my studio. I attentively clean and prepare vessels, condition flowers, and make arrangements with my team - early starts and long days - we get fuelled by coffee and cake.
On the wedding day, I spend several hours on site creating ceremony florals, sometimes these are multiple days, depending on the installations that may need to be created in the days before your wedding. These are the 20,000 step plus days - comfy shoes are essential!
And after the event, the wedding florist's work is not done. Decommission and clearance take a whole day, plus an extra day in the studio to sort, clean and store away to prepare for the next wedding.
I hope this has been a helpful window into the works of a wedding florist. There is so much more to the job than just the flowers themselves. When you ask a wedding florist to create a design for your wedding flowers do consider the amount of time they will spend on this and perhaps only approach those who's style & personality you truly like those who are real contenders in your mind. That way you will get the best out of everyone.
About My Services - As an experienced event florist seasoned in wedding planning, I orchestrate a symphony of blooms for your special day. From the initial consultation to the final touches, I ensure every detail is carefully crafted to bring your wedding ideas to life. I create personalised arrangements, from bouquets and boutonnieres to table centrepieces, with attention to detail and finesse. With a contingency plan in place, I work with grace under pressure to create a beautiful, stress-free experience for the couple. I am based in West Sussex but we work all over the UK covering counties such as Hampshire, Cotswolds, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Berkshire, Dorset and London.
Read more of my blogs to find out more helpful tips about the work of the wedding florist and wedding planning. Get in touch if your wedding day is approaching.
