Just Engaged? Congratulations! Now, Where Do You Begin With Your Wedding Flowers? And Booking Your wedding Florist.
You've said yes, the celebrations have begun, and suddenly everyone wants to know when, where and what your wedding is going to look like!
Firstly, congratulations!
Getting engaged is such an exciting time, and before you get swept up in all the planning, take a little time to enjoy it.
Once the celebrations have settled, the ideas start flowing. You might already have a Pinterest board full of beautiful weddings, a favourite colour scheme or a particular flower you've always dreamed of carrying down the aisle.
Or perhaps you haven't got a clue where to begin.
And that's absolutely fine too.
One of the things I love most about being a wedding florist is helping couples take those first ideas, however small or jumbled they might be, and turn them into something that feels completely right for them.
So, where should you start?
1. Before Booking Your Wedding Florist, First Start With How You Want Your Wedding to Feel
Before you start choosing individual flowers, think about the atmosphere you'd like to create.
Are you imagining a relaxed countryside wedding with flowers that look as though they've grown naturally around you? Perhaps something classic and elegant, with beautiful roses and soft candlelight? Or maybe you love colour and want your flowers to make a real statement.
There are no right or wrong answers.
I often encourage couples to think about how they'd like their guests to feel when they walk into their ceremony or reception.
It's amazing how much this can tell us about the style of flowers that will work for your wedding.
You don't need to know the names of flowers or understand floral design. That's my job!
2. Finding Inspiration Without Getting Overwhelmed
Pinterest, Instagram and wedding magazines are wonderful places to find inspiration. But they can also leave you with hundreds of images and no idea how to bring them together.
My advice? Save anything that catches your eye initially, then go back through your collection and look for similarities.
If you can make 2 boards one for the colours you are drawn to and on for the styles you like, it can help your florist understand your visions a little easier.
You might notice that you're repeatedly drawn to a particular colour, shape or style of arrangement.
And don't limit yourself to pictures of flowers.
A beautiful piece of fabric, the colours in a painting, a favourite garden or even the interior of your wedding venue can be a wonderful starting point.
One thing I always say to my couples is that inspiration doesn't have to mean imitation.
A photograph can help us understand what you love, but your wedding flowers should be designed for you, your venue and your celebration, rather than simply recreating somebody else's wedding.
That's where the really exciting part begins.
3. Let Your Venue Help Guide Your Flowers
Your venue plays a much bigger part in your floral choices than you might initially think.
A beautiful country house with high ceilings and grand staircases offers very different opportunities from a contemporary barn or an intimate restaurant.
The size of the rooms, natural light, architecture and even the furniture all influence how I approach a floral design.
For example, a large arrangement that looks incredible in a spacious entrance hall might feel completely out of place in a smaller room.
Equally, a delicate arrangement can get rather lost in a grand setting.
It's all about finding the right balance.
You don't need to have every detail of your venue styling decided before contacting your florist. In fact, I much prefer being involved while those ideas are still developing, as I can help you explore what will work best.
4. Have an Idea of Your Flower Budget
Now, let's talk about something that can sometimes feel a little awkward — money.
Wedding flowers can vary enormously in price, depending on the flowers chosen, the size and complexity of the arrangements, the amount of preparation involved and the installation required on the day.
A bridal bouquet and a few table arrangements are very different from dressing a church, creating a large floral arch and filling a marquee with flowers.
Also its worth remembering you are not just paying for flowers, you will be paying for time, expertise, repurposing, sundries, hire equipment, overheads, travel and possibly additional staffing.
Having an idea of what you'd feel comfortable investing in your flowers is incredibly helpful.
It doesn't have to be an exact figure, and it certainly doesn't mean you need to know what everything costs.
That's what your florist is there to explain.
I always encourage couples to be open about their budget because it allows us to discuss what's achievable and where their money will make the biggest difference.
Sometimes one beautiful statement arrangement can have far more impact than lots of smaller designs dotted around a venue.
And sometimes it's those carefully considered little details that bring everything together.
The important thing is finding the right approach for you.
5. When Should You Contact Your Wedding Florist?
This is probably one of the questions I'm asked most often.
My advice is to start looking for your florist once you've confirmed your wedding date and venue.
For larger weddings, particularly those with more elaborate floral installations, contacting your florist around 12–18 months before your wedding is a sensible starting point.
Popular dates can be booked considerably further ahead, so there's no harm in getting in touch earlier.
For smaller weddings, shorter timescales can often work too, depending on availability and what you're hoping to create.
And here's something important: you don't need to have everything worked out before that first conversation.
You don't need to know which roses you prefer, sometimes it's more helpful to know what you don't like. and a rough idea of the number of tables and whether you want tall or low centrepieces.
Those are all things we can talk through together.
In fact, involving your florist early can help avoid making decisions about tables, ceremony layouts or decorations that might not work as well as you'd hoped.
6. What Happens When You First Contact Me?
I know contacting wedding suppliers can sometimes feel a little daunting, particularly when you're still working out what you want.
So I like to keep things friendly and straightforward.
Once you've enquired and we've confirmed that your date is available, we'll arrange a time to have a proper chat.
I want to hear about your wedding, your venue, your ideas and, most importantly, what matters to you.
You can show me your inspiration pictures, ask questions and talk through the possibilities.
From there, I'll put together a detailed, itemised proposal with different options where appropriate, allowing you to see how your flowers could come together and make decisions that suit your priorities and budget.
And the conversation doesn't stop once you've booked.
I stay in touch with my couples throughout their planning, helping them develop their ideas and make any changes as their wedding takes shape.
Because planning your flowers should be one of the enjoyable parts of organising your wedding.
7. A Few Things to Remember
If you've only just started planning, please don't feel that you need to make every decision straightaway. if you want more time just let your florist know. if you decided to book a different florist, please pop the other people you enquired with a message to say you have sorted our wedding flowers.
Your ideas will probably change along the way, and that's perfectly normal.
You might fall in love with a completely different colour palette, discover a flower you'd never heard of or decide that you'd rather invest in one spectacular installation than lots of smaller arrangements.
Give yourself room to explore those possibilities. I advise you speak with a maximum of 3 suppliers per specific area. i.e. 3 photographers, 3 florist, 3 stationary, otherwise you will be totally overwhelmed with Suppliers contacting you.
After more than 40 years working with flowers, I can safely say that some of the loveliest weddings I've created have started with nothing more than a conversation and a handful of ideas.
Ready to Start Talking Flowers?
If you're newly engaged and wondering where to begin with your wedding flowers, I'd love to hear about your plans.
Whether you have a clear vision or you're starting with a completely blank page, we can talk through your ideas and explore what's possible for your venue and your budget.
You bring the ideas, questions and inspiration. I'll bring the floral knowledge, experience and a few creative suggestions of my own.
Julia x
Julia Moore Floral Designs
Creating bespoke wedding flowers across Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon and beyond.
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