* All the floral designs featured in this post were created by Limewood Flowers with love.
Flowers are a huge part of weddings around the world and across almost every culture. You have endless options—from the type of flowers to the colours and even the style of arrangements. So, how do you make sure they’re just right for your wedding day?
Here’s a little secret that will save you time, stress and maybe even some money.
The secret is not to focus on choosing your wedding flowers. Yes, that’s right. Instead, choose your wedding florist. A florist whose work makes you gasp, where you look through their entire website and love every single image. On that note, have you seen my gallery yet?
Here’s how to find and pick your dream wedding florist—straight from a wedding florist…
It's just flowers, how important can they be?
This is something we wedding florists hear a lot. Yet, you’d be amazed at how many couples have said to me on the day that it was the flowers that made it. The flowers are what made it feel like a wedding.
Same door, different flowers – which do you prefer?
I’ve had couples tell me they wish they had spent more, because they didn’t realise how much of an impact the flowers would have in creating that special feeling. The dads brought to tears as I’m setting up the ceremony arrangements, knowing that in just an hour, they are walking their daughter down that aisle. Or mums running outside, in the middle of hair and makeup, to take photos because they cannot believe the difference the flowers make.
The feeling the flowers create is everything, and it’s why I love this job so, so much.
If you’re still not convinced, you will be on your day—once you’ve found your perfect florist.
In the meantime, here are my top five tips for choosing your wedding florist.
Top five tips for picking your wedding florist
- Pick a florist you like – This goes for all of your wedding suppliers to be honest
- You are style twins – Not literally, of course (grubby hands and leaves in your hair is a very niche look— that’s me, not you). I mean wedding style—what’s your vision, and does their work match it?
- In budget – This should be an obvious one
- Communication – Do you have all the information you need to make your decision? Did the florist really listen to your ideas?
- Experience – If your heart is set on a floral cloud, does your florist know how to create one?
Shall we get into it a little more?
1. Pick a florist you like
When you imagine your wedding day, you probably think of that wonderful person you are marrying, your family by your side, and celebrating into the evening with all your friends.
Did you imagine all your suppliers too? The staff serving your dinner, the hair and makeup professionals making you feel glam, your florist? We’ll all be there on your wedding day, and maybe a couple of days beforehand to set everything up. To make sure you feel as relaxed and happy as possible, only choose suppliers who you can imagine talking to and possibly hugging on your day.
Find out more about me and the Limewood Flowers approach
2. You are style twins
If you’re dreaming of a day filled with sparkles and bling, make sure the florists you speak to showcase that kind of work on their website and social media. Sure, I can do that kind of work, but it doesn’t light me on fire as much as romantic, country garden florals—lots of colour, texture, and trails of foliage. Would I pick natural, botanical styling over a sparkly wedding if I had the choice of two weddings on the same day? Yes, of course.
Your florist should be just as excited about your day as you are. It’s important to choose your wedding florist based on their style and trust them to deliver something incredible for you.
3. Budget
Just as you’ll pay more for a pair of Jimmy Choos than a pair from Primark – every florist is different and charges differently.
If you appreciate the difference between the Jimmy Choos and the pair from Primark, then you must also understand the price difference. If shoes are shoes to you, then of course pick the cheaper pair.
When talking to florists, be sure to ask for guide prices and, importantly, whether they have a minimum spend. I have a blog on what is included in your wedding flowers to help explain this in more detail.
Some florists specialise in larger, more complex weddings, and because of the time and resources these take to design and deliver, they have a minimum spend. For some of the UK’s top florists, this minimum spend can be £20k. Again, every florist is different. It’s worth checking before you set your heart on a florist that’s out of your budget.
Minimum spends can also vary by season. During peak summer months, my minimum spend is much higher as there are so many more weddings, and only so many flowers my team and I can deliver each week.
4. Communication
At Limewood Flowers, I don’t want you to pay your booking fee until you’re completely happy with your floral proposal. It’s important to me that you feel confident your flowers are perfect for your wedding. I encourage you to ask questions, and there are no silly questions here. This is my job, not yours—how could you possibly know all the details of how it works?
You don’t need to know the name of every flower or what flowers are in season. Let your florist help guide you so you can feel confident in your choices.
If you’re not getting all the information you need or the florist you are talking to isn’t open about their process, then maybe they’re just not the right fit for you.
5. Experience
This is right at the bottom of my list. You may be thinking it should be at the top and it is a tricky area. It all comes back to communication and trust.
If you ask me to create a floral design I’ve never done before, you can bet that in the lead-up to your day, I am doing everything to become experienced. I’ll practice the design, speak with florist friends for their experience, and stay in close contact with your venue to ensure every detail is perfect.
By the time your day comes around, I will have the experience and I will ensure it is everything you want it to be.
That’s the Limewood Flowers approach, but every florist works differently.
If you are not confident in your florist’s experience, talk to them about how they will learn before your day and if they have contingencies in place. Do you trust them to deliver?
That said, you may also think a florist does not have the experience because you cannot see the arrangement of your dreams on their portfolio. This can actually be a good thing! It enables your florist to engage with their creativity and build a truly unique design for you
Just because it hasn’t been done before does not mean we don’t know how to build it. So many approaches and techniques are transferable between designs.
Secondly, your florist may have plenty of experience that is not shown on their portfolio.
I’ve gained so much knowledge working for other florists, as well as meeting some fabulous people. There are many designs I’ve been part of that are rightly not on my portfolio. The only way you will know this is to ask me – which is why it all comes back to communication.
Flowers or a florist?
The right florist will bring your floral vision to life, including those flowers that are most special to you—and even those you’ve never heard of.
Now that you know how to pick your florist, the next step is asking the right questions to ensure they’re the one for you. Once you’ve shortlisted your favourite florists, it’s time to dig a little deeper to make sure you’re making the right choice.
