There are many little details that go into planning a wedding. One little detail that stands out is your flowers. Actually, flowers play a huge role in your wedding since they help convey your theme and style. This is why meeting with your florist is a must. Why? Your florist must understand exactly what you are wanting so they can achieve your vision. That is why we've reached out to florist to see what's important to bring to a meeting with them and these are the responses we received.

1. What should brides bring to a consultation with a wedding florist?

Anette from FloraWorx in Charles City, VA: Pictures

Jan from New Look Floral Design in Rochester, MN: Color swatches, pictures, budget amounts & corsage/bouti numbers

Donna from Beautiful Flowers and Balloons and DScott Concierge & Events in Beaufort, SC: Enthusiasm, pictures of their ideas, swatches of their colors and the proposed budget along with a description of their dream wedding.

2. How far in advance should brides book their wedding florist?

Anette: 3-6 mos

Jan: 3-6 months

Donna: As soon as they start planning and have ideas of what they've budgeted for flowers.

3. What are the top questions a bride should ask when contacting potential wedding florists?

Anette:

• Are you familiar with my venue? Do you book more than one wedding per date? Me: "no"
• Will you delivery flowers on my wedding day? Me: "Yes! I deliver to you personally and set up/ place all arrangements "
• How much of a deposit do you require? Me: $300.
• After I sign the contract can I still make changes should my wedding plans evolve? Me: "yes! I just ask that any drastic changes be made 30 days prior to your wedding. This gives me time to rethink your designs . "

Jan:

• Is my wedding date available? Yes/No
• Is my budget amount reasonable? Yes/No
• Who will be designing my flowers? I will with help from staff
• Do you have suggestions for my theme/flowers? Yes/No

Donna:

• Have you done wedding designs for any weddings within the last six months? Ans: Yes, we've done several. Some larger and contemporary with lots of color and some small and intimate with singular color like creame and whites.
• Do you offer package deals that bundle everything including wedding party flowers and some extras like church flowers and arch decorations? Ans: That's our specialty: "Bundling beauty and a budget." Not only do we offer the complete wedding and more flowers that include everyone and everything, but we create custom bundles with a creative edge like balloon bouquets and centerpieces that combine both flowers and balloons with an aire of taste and elegance. Not your kiddie faire.
• Can you create floral designs and decor with a theme in mind? Ans: Yes we've done just that: We had one couple who wanted a Pepsi wedding reception decor with the Pepsi bottle and cans incorporated into the flower designs. We put on our creative hats and it was a real hit.
• How do you work with destination brides? Ans: Very well, many travel to the Coastal Carolina and Georgia areas to wed because of the area's scenic beauty. We are very astute at working with couples as far away as New York, Indiana and Ohio to name a few. We use the electronic tools of today and stay on task through text, e-mail, cell phone and we are soon to add, skype.
• Do you provide flowers designs in silk as well as fresh cut? Ans: Yes we do arrangements in silk, fresh cut and sometimes a combination of the two.
• What kind of deposit do you require and what does it cover? Ans: We require a Good Faith deposit of 10% which reserves your date of service and covers our consult and conferring time. It is part of the payment not an extra cost.
• Do you have a cancellation policy? Yes we do a very fair one and it is provided at contracting.

These questions and answers are really helpful when you are planning to meet with your wedding florist. Also, thank you to FloraWorx, New Look Floral Design and Beautiful Flowers and Balloons for helping us out!