Everyone approaches planning their wedding in a different pattern. Some couples leave all of their wedding planning to their trusted planner. Planning your wedding doesn’t need to be a daunting task.

Let’s go through a few topics relating to planning, booking, pricing, and when to book.

Planning

Consider listing out the vendors you want to book. Here’s a starting list:

Vendors:

• Venue

• Photographer/ videographer

• Planner

• Caterer

• Florist

• DJ/ Music

Decide which season, setting, and atmosphere you’d like to be the background for your event. This will help you narrow down the vendors you are going to inquire with. It’s good to browse prices in your area, and set some expectations for yourself with different types of vendors. It helps to write-up a quick break-down of all of the vendors you will need, and a budget for each category.

Extra tips for choosing your vendors~

• Some venues offer inclusive services and different packages- so a lot of couples start planning there.

• Choose photographers/ videographers based on whose editing & style you want to see your photos in.

• Prices vary based on both packages and often artistic vision/plan.

• Prices will include hours unseen planning, preparing, and cleaning, and many other labor hours for all employees your vendor will need to help carry out their jobs. Be mindful of this when you are telling yourself “this cost is for one day”. Many hands go in to preparing for large events.

Booking a Florist

Before you contact florists in your area, brainstorm a bit about what you want.

You can find florists on many wedding planning websites, Google, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and many other platforms. Simply googling “Seattle Florist” may bring you thousands of links- and there are so many amazing local florists to choose from, and most of them wont be on page one of Google or Yelp. Some venues and planners have preferred vendor lists, and some vendors will require you to choose from this list. If its not mandatory, feel free to look around and see whose work you like.

A great way to find vendors is to see who has been tagged in/have tagged your venue, or other venues you look at. Ask your friends who they have used, and who else they considered. If the florist you want isn’t available for your date, you can even ask them for recommendations!

Here are some things you can expect your wedding florist to ask you:

• What colors do you want?

• Do you have a budget in mind?

• Do you want a bridal bouquet?

• How many people are in your wedding party? Do you want them to all have personal flowers?

• Do you have a particular floral style you like?

• Do you have any flowers that you love? Any flowers that you hate?

• Do you want centerpieces on your reception tables? How many tables do you think you might have?

• Do you want ceremony decor (Arbor, aisle flowers, chair markers, rose petals, etc.)

• Do you have a flower girl?

• Do you want to give the parents any personal flowers?

• Do you want cake flowers?

• Will you want anything on the cocktail tables or other tables?

• Are there any other arrangements you want?

I welcome my clients to send me Pinterest boards, mood boards, screenshots, any inspiration they can find. Feel free to ask a million questions, be picky, and be specific. I can’t speak for all florists, but I love when someone else has a vision.

Some retail flower shops service weddings. Besides retail flower shops, you can also find dozens of event florists and wedding florists working out of private studios. This is what we do at Bloom Brats Botanical! We have a private studio- no sales floor. We spend all of our time planning, designing, and prepping event arrangements and installations. Think of wedding florists as a “specialty” wedding shop!

The main difference between these types of florists is simply their focus and business models. Don’t be fearful to use either one- just check out their portfolio and see if you like their work.

Many florists offer rentals of equipment and containers. If you have specific items you want, and are not willing to purchase them, check with your florist (sometimes other vendors offer rentals as well) and see what items they have.

Pricing

I like to be as transparent as possible with pricing, so people know what to expect. You can find my current price list on my inquiry page. My prices are fairly standard in comparison to other Seattle Florists. What really sets prices apart between florists is the vision they are bringing to the table. Each florist will have a different design, which includes different stem counts of different products. Messing with our floral recipes can quickly change prices- however most of us stick to the same “floral math” for calculating our prices based on these recipes.

If you like a florists vision, and you like their previous work- that is how you decide who to book with.

Most florists are willing to tweak your recipe, or be mindful of your budget. Being transparent with your budget will help your florist give you accurate expectations for what they can do for that cost! Many florists have a minimum for weddings and floral arrangements.

There are lots of hidden work hours in preparing for a wedding. There is a misconception that because something is tagged as a “wedding” that it will be more expensive- but that is not the case. We price our events as fairly as possible for the amount of work that is required for your event to be completed to your expectations. Being a florist is a labor intensive job!

When to book

We have already talked about the things you will need to consider before booking your florist- but how far in advance should you do it?

It is always best to book as early as possible. Once booking season starts, dates can fill up quickly. I personally prefer to book 6-months to 1 year out, however I have taken bookings 1.5 years in advance. Some florists have open books, where they book clients year-round, and some have windows where their bookings are open. We currently have our books open year round, but we book most of our clients for the coming year in the winter season. Check your florists FAQ page, or send them an email and ask.

It is easiest for us to produce an accurate estimate once you have your venue booked, and have a decent of idea of your expected guest count. It is possible to give an estimate without these questions answered. It is also possible to book a florist before you have anything planned at all! The answer to almost all of these questions can be found on the FAQ page of the florists you are looking to inquire with. If not- send a quick email. Most of the event florists I know are a 1-2 person team, so it is always easy to speak with us!

I may as well mention- there are no stupid questions. We know you are not wedding florists, and most people only work with florists a few times in their lives- so we don’t expect you to know anything about flowers.

Search high and low for your wedding vendors- they will set the mood of your whole day!