How To Find A Florist With A Flourish For Your Wedding Day
I’ve known her for years, even before she had the Disney dream wedding and changed her name, but a few years ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with Amanda Veronee, one of the best wedding floral designers in the United States.
Her business is even BETTER now than back then. (New interview to come. Trust me.)
Seriously, check out her website (amandaveronee.com).
See, what did we tell you?
But the great thing about Veronee is that she is able to give good advice whether or not she’s in your purview as a potential wedding florist.
Florists are, shamefully, often the neglected part of wedding preparations. Veronee herself says that brides often tell her to “just do whatever,” and it’s hard for her to get pumped about such clients.
But other than the blushing bride herself, no part of the wedding is as crucial to the eye candy element of any wedding. Eye candy is important, because no matter what, we’re always lookin’ at stuff.
So you want to take it seriously, not as an afterthought. Here’s how, according to Veronee.
1 || LET THE FLORIST GET TO KNOW YOU
You would think floral design would just be a matter of picking out what flowers you like for your bouquet and table centerpieces, and that’d be that.
You’d be wrong.
Florists like Veronee have an extensive background not just in flowers but in art, and know how to match your personality to great selections. They can personify you in their suggestions and floral choices.
“I love it when brides bring me just anything that show me their personality. Any visuals that help me understand what’s going on in their head,” says Veronee.
If you’re skeptical, talk to the florist you’ve chosen, and see what they suggest after they get to know you. You’ll be surprised.
2 || BE READY FOR THE PROCESS
For Veronee, that means “I sit down with them and show them individual pictures of the flowers and of the colors and basically get their approval of that particular flower before I even order it.”
You will have a lot of individual choices to make when putting together a bouquet and a flower arrangement.
Know that these small, individual choices won’t represent the big picture – you are picking out the trees, but it’s up to the florist to put together the forest, and to help you understand it before you see it for yourself as best as he or she can.
3 || KNOW THAT FLORISTS ARE NOT GODS
Specifically, remember that flowers are seasonal. It’s much harder to get peonies for fall weddings than spring weddings. In fact, it might not be possible regardless of how much you’re willing to pay. This is just one example.
They also can’t cheaply arrange samples for you, because that’s still labor and time, and for the most part, florists need to order flowers in bulk, which further complicates the possibility of samples.
A good florist will accommodate your wishes and not thrust upon you any sort of flower you don’t want (fire them if they insist). But the more limitations and I-don’t-want-thats you put on your florist, the harder it is for them to work their magic.
4 || LOOK CLOSELY AT THE FLORIST’S PREVIOUS WORK, AND TRUST YOUR GUT.
If you have any sort of vision for the flowers at your wedding, there’s a florist out there who can do it – and there’s also florists who can’t.
According to Veronee, there are no shortage of cookie-cutter florists who like to stay in their comfort zone and do the same thing over and over again, with only small variations.
That should not be the florist for you.
You want to pull the trigger on a florist, says Veronee, only “if they understand your vision. If they can execute your vision – if they’ve done similar things.” In other words, don’t be afraid to walk away from the wrong florist. Nothin’ personal.
Got all that? Good, now you’re ready to hire a florist! Oh, and one more thing – as pretty as roses are, most of them aren’t edible.
If you want more tips on how to make your wedding something the guests will talk about for years, sign up for your FREE copy of 3 Things You’re DJ won’t tell you about how to take your wedding from average to Legendary!
Then, make sure you come back here and…
Schedule your Legendary Wedding Consultation.
