Finally, it’s time to take care of the design of your wedding!
It’s time to contact a floral-designer … or florist … (Scopri qui la differenza), in short, the one who will take care of the floral arrangement of your wedding!
How to ask for a quote without wasting time? Both tour time and that of the florist.
Step 1: collect all the informations
Groom’s Name & Bride’s Name: ……………
Date: ……………
Number of guests: ……………
Place and time of the ceremony: ……………
Place of reception: ……………
Wedding planner: ……………
Other vendors involved: ……………
Budget for floral arrangements: ……………
CHURCH CEREMONY:
Church rules for flower arrangements on:
– Exterior / entrance portal
– Aisle
– Altar
– High altar
– On the sides of the bride and groom
– Sittings of the bride and groom
– Carpet
– Rice / Petals for good luck throwing
CEREMONY IN OTHER PLACES:
– Backdrop: flower arch or other kind of backdrop
– Decoration of the lane
– Rice / Petals for good luck throwing
RECEIPT:
– Explain how the wedding takes place: everything in the same area or are there any travel plans?
– Buffet decorations?
– Specify if round tables or rectangular tables (with dimensions of the tables)
– Find out if flowers are needed for the wedding cake and who takes care of the decoration (florist, catering, wedding planner?)
– Can the decorations of the aperitif or the ceremony be reused for other moments such as the cake cutting?
WEDDING BOUQUET:
Find a photo of the wedding dress
Step 2: Collect Inspirational Photos!
You can collect photos everywhere, but I sugggest you to use PINTEREST and create one or more boards dedicated to your wedding.
In this way you will have a collection of inspiring photos and you can also divide them by categories: ceremony, centerpiece, bouquet, color palette …
OPTIONAL STEP:
Put together a mood board! Collect the photos that are most consistent with your wedding idea. They don’t necessarily have to talk about flowers but evoke the wedding style you have in mind. The mood board will be your map: it will guide you in making coherent choices and will also guide all the suppliers involved to work in line with the theme of your wedding.
Then, if you don’t have particular ideas about flowers, the florist could be inspired by your mood-board.
On my Pinterest account you can find some ideas that could be a starting point for your mood-board.
Step 3: Find a professional
Look for a wedding floral designer.
You can rely on:
– word of mouth
– searching online: you can search with keywords like these: FLOWERS-WEDDING-APULIA / FLORAL-DESIGNER-BARI / FLORIST-WEDDING-MATERA / FLORAL-DESIGNER-CASTELLO-MARCHIONE.
On-line you will find everything you need to identify who is the florist in line with your STYLE.
Step 4: Ask for a quote
The florist is a craftsman. Approaching him / her in the right way is the first step in creating empathy and receiving great service!
First contact: is it better to send an email or make a phone call?
Everyone has his own approach, this is very personal! On a practical level, an email is undoubtedly more convenient… we can leave personal knowledge to a later stage. But there are also florists who think differently.
What should the email contain?
All the information you collected in steps 1 and 2:
– Copy and paste the list of step 2 into the email and write your preferences next to each item. Delete items that are not useful.
– Attach inspirational photos or a mood-board.
– Optional: talk about you. Attach a photo of the couple and explain why you have chosen those places for the wedding.
SOME BON-TON ADVICES:
Let the florist know that you respect his work and that you appreciate his style.
Offer him an appointment by phone or in person only if you really intend to proceed with him.
Not asking the same quote AT THE SAME TIME from different florists! Thi is a lack of respect for an artisan work, which cannot be compared only on price. Rather, approach with your first choice and, in case the quote is too high for your budget, talk to him and ask what can be done to fit your budget. You will probably have to give up on something or change some choices.
In case with this florist it really doesn’t work, only then proceed to contact another one.
When you decide to discard a florist you’ve been in touch, let him know! Maybe explain to him the reasons that led you to prefer another supplier, and thank him for the time he has dedicated to you.
