You must know when to book florist for wedding the soonest and latest. Perhaps you want to secure the wedding vendor early on, or you’re cramming the wedding planning in a very few months.
This guide will also educate you to know what to expect when booking a wedding florist to ensure that you can communicate all your floral needs well with this vendor. But first, do you already know who pays for wedding flowers?
When Should You Book The Wedding Florist?
Earliest date to book the florist: one year before the wedding
One of the most common tips from seasoned wedding planners is to start planning your wedding a year before the wedding day itself. This timeframe is also applicable when finding a florist for the wedding, especially if you want unique flowers or the wedding day is during peak wedding season.
The earliest you can book a wedding florist is one year before the wedding. This will ensure that you’ll have the flowers you want, even if they’re not in season during the wedding.
Some flowers might need to be transported from a significant distance to your location, so booking the florist in advance allows the vendor to plan the timeline to get your desired flowers. Another advantage of hiring a wedding florist this early is you can secure your budget for the flowers and not accidentally have them taken by other wedding needs.
The most ideal florist consultation time: five to seven months before the wedding
If you didn’t hire a wedding planner and create the timeline for hiring each wedding vendor, the sweet spot or best time to book the wedding florist is seven months before the wedding. However, if you still didn’t have the deposit budget or want to prioritize other wedding elements, you can also book the floral vendor five months before the wedding.
Most brides dedicate five to seven months before the wedding as the time to plan and secure the decorating needs, including floral arrangements. The advantage of picking this time is that you don’t need to feel pressured to provide the floral budget immediately.
But more so, you’re still several months away from the wedding, so compromising with the flowers you want is still unlikely. If you feel that the flowers you wish to are not that hard to source or your wedding is not during peak season, then this is the best time to book a florist for a wedding.
Shortest date to get wedding flowers: two to three weeks before the wedding
Some small weddings, such as intimate weddings or rushed weddings like an elopement, won’t need a year-long timeline for planning. On the other hand, you might’ve also impulsively decided to get married, so you don’t have enough time to secure wedding vendors as soon as you might’ve wanted.
Therefore, booking a wedding florist three weeks or a month before the wedding day is possible. But, of course, expect that not all florists will be available or willing to provide flowers, especially if your arrangements are quite time-consuming or challenging to achieve.
Still, some wedding florists think it’s possible to accept requests this late, especially if the floral needs are basic and few. Our tip is to manage your expectations or consider doing the other flower arrangements yourself.
For example, here is an easy tutorial on how to make wedding corsages.
How Does A Wedding Florist Booking Process Work?
Step 1. Consultation
You will find at least two of the best wedding florists in your area and schedule a meeting with them. This will help you get to know each other, and the vendor will also have an idea of your vision for the flowers at the wedding.
You can combine ideas with the wedding florist to achieve the floral style to want for the wedding. Bring inspiration from other weddings to make it easier to show what you want instead of just talking about it.
You can even make a Pinterest board or a literal vision board with the flowers and color palette you want.
Step 2. Suggestion
Of course, you probably have no idea of what flowers would be in the season for your wedding. You may also want flowers in specific colors, which is impossible.
More so, not all flowers are suitable for various wedding conditions. For example, you may want a type of bouquet that won’t last well in your outdoor wedding.
The florist will suggest alternatives or other solutions to get your vision for the wedding flowers still.
Step 3. Budget and contract
The wedding florist will provide your needs according to the budget you have in mind. If you need to be strict with wedding expenses, don’t feel the need to go over what you can pay for.
There might be an instance where the florist will refuse to work with a couple because of their limited budget. However, don’t feel discouraged and instead move on to another vendor who can work with your budget.
Don’t forget to check the contract and clarify any questions with the payments. It might also help you know how much to tip a wedding florist.
Conclusion
Was this timeline helpful? You just learned when to book florist for wedding, where the ideal time is seven months before the wedding.
However, the earliest you can hire a florist can be one year before the wedding. On the contrary, those running out of time can book a vendor in under a month before the wedding, depending on how easy their floral needs are.