Written with love, by Felicia Zammit-McMann
Of all the appointments I had with vendors during my wedding-planning process, one of the ones I was most excited about was my wedding florist. There’s something about flowers that just puts a smile on my face. I love everything about them: their color, their scent, their shape. It doesn’t matter what kind of flower, I love them all! Even in the dead of winter, I love buying bouquets of flowers at the grocery store, when everything else around you is dead and snow-covered, because of the joy they bring. They are so vibrant and full of life - they just make me happy.
For me, choosing a florist was easy because I had known and worked with this particular vendor many times before, and knew their quality and reputation was stellar. I wanted, however, to explore my options before committing. So at the countless bridal shows I went to, I had a chance to speak to several other florists. I kid you not, this is what I saw and was told…
One vendor had displays of centerpieces with roses spray-painted in glitter and others dyed in shades of colors never before seen in nature, like neon blue and green. Another vendor told me I couldn’t book an appointment with her because Mercury and Venus were doing something funky – what exactly, I don’t remember because I just tuned her out after that – and it was creating chaos for her both personally and professionally. I also spoke to a few that wanted to charge me for a consultation. After that, I knew right away to go with my first choice.
Thankfully, it all worked out, but for those of you starting to look at florists or debating on what type of flowers to choose, here are my top ten tips I learned that might help you with this process:
1) Walk away from consultation fees.
In my opinion, if a florist charges a consultation fee, walk away. You shouldn’t have to pay to speak with someone. Granted, your appointment can take a while, by the time you discuss color, budget, etc., but I feel like florists (or any vendor really) who charges you for a visit, may be trying to take advantage of your “bride-to-be” status. That should be a red flag to just walk away.
2) Experience is key.