Peonies or garden roses? Roses or ranunculus? The choices are endless when it comes to your wedding flowers, so it’s important to pick the right wedding florist that can bring your wedding vision to life. To make sure you get the wedding flowers of your dreams, talk with your potential florist and go over these essential questions listed below. We went ahead and answered from our standpoint here at Pollen and Pastry, but be sure to ask this of any florists.
Photo by Taken by Sarah
Photo by Pam Cooley Photography
The Wedding Date:
1. Is my wedding date available?
We’ll answer that for you right away when you fill out the consultation form! If we’re not available, we’ll get back to you right away and refer you to some other awesome local vendors who may be available. Once we email your proposal, we’ll also hold your wedding date for 7 days so you don’t have to rush to make a decision.
2. How many other weddings or events will you schedule on the same day?
For us, it depends on the location and size of the events. We limit the number we take in a weekend based on how big our team is. Some of our weddings take considerable time to install!
3. Have you done events at my ceremony and reception location(s) before? If not, are you familiar with the sites?
We love to chat about how best to utilize your venue space and if we haven’t worked there before, we’ll look at venue photos or schedule a walk through if needed.
Floral Budget:
4. Do you require a minimum floral budget?
Most florists will have this on their website for you to check out before inquiring. We have a minimum of $2500 for full service delivery and installation, but we can easily do a smaller wedding order that you could pick up from our Bloomington studio.
5. Can you work with my budget?
Absolutely. Like above, an order of any size can be picked up from our studio.
Background Check:
6. How long have you been in business and how many weddings have you done?
I (Candice) have been in business for 10 years now. Since starting this side hustle during grad school at the U of I, we’ve done hundred and hundreds of weddings! I need to take the time to look back at the calendar and actually add it up!
7. Do you have a portfolio of weddings you've recently done that I can browse?
Absolutely. This blog is a great place to see full weddings, or our Instagram is always the most up to date on our current work.
Floral Design:
8. How would you describe your design style? (e.g. traditional, modern, rustic, organic)
We describe our style as garden style design. We love to use interesting locally grown flowers and different textures that you wouldn’t necessarily see in every design.
9. Which flowers would you recommend based on the time of year/season, color palette, and budget?
This is a great question to ask and we’ll always have a few suggestions of flowers that we will recommend.
10. If I give you a picture of a bouquet and/or centerpiece that I like, can you recreate it?
We will use it as an inspiration photo, absolutely. We’ll never try to exactly copy a photo because design is an art form and every single designer designs differently. We also may not have the exact same product available depending on the season. We’ll do our absolute best to bring your vision to life!
11. What other décor elements can you provide (candelabras, vases, chuppah, votives, mirrors, etc.)? Are these rental items? How will these items affect the overall cost?
We offer many of these items as rentals and you can see most of our inventory listed on our Rentals page. Those items will be either added to the cost of the item on the proposal, like in the case of centerpieces, or will be listed as a separate line item on the proposal.
12. Can you create sample arrangements before I sign the contract? If so, is there an additional fee for this?
We only create sample arrangements for the couples who have already booked with us and we do charge the cost of the item in order to make up the sample.
13. Will you work with my cake designer if I decide to add flowers to my wedding cake? If so, is there an additional setup fee for this?
Luckily, many times we’re also your cake designer if you book us for dessert services as well! If you’re going through another dessert vendor, we can certainly work with your cake designer on adding the flowers. We’re happy to add them ourselves, or leave it to the cake designer to add them on. There is an additional charge for providing the cake flowers.
14. Can you assist me in the preservation of my bouquet after the wedding? If not, can you recommend someone?
We don’t offer that service because we don’t have the appropriate equipment, but we’re happy to share a few options:
Payment & Logistics:
15. Do you charge a delivery fee?
We do and most all florists will. Our delivery/setup/rental pickup fee is charged as a percentage of your final total. Usually 15-20%. This ensures that we can bring along enough of our team to meet the requirements of your wedding setup.
16. Do you have an extra charge for the setup and breakdown of the floral décor?
For us, that is included in that 15-20%. We’ll come back at the end of the night to gather any of our rental items. We prefer to leave the flowers for you the share and enjoy after the day.
17. What time will you arrive to deliver personal flowers and set up the ceremony and reception arrangements?
At whatever time works best for you! Usually once you’ve had a chance to sit down with your photographer and work through the timeline of the day, then we can chat about what time you first need your personal flowers for photos and then what time we need to have everything all done and ready at the venue site.
18. Is there an extra fee if I need you to stay throughout the ceremony to move arrangements to the reception site?
Yes, if there is any need for our team to remain on staff for an extended period of time we will ask for additional payment for that. We have to ensure our team is covered!
19. How far in advance do I need to secure your services?
Honestly, the earlier the better! We know you want to lock in the venue, the photographer and some other important vendors first, but don’t leave the florist too far down the list. While some of us can take multiple weddings on a date, some don’t and popular wedding dates (aka the fall season for sure) can book up very quickly.
20. How much is the deposit and when is it due? When is the final payment due?
We ask for a 25% retainer payment to get booked and on our calendar. The final payment due is the remaining 75% which is due three weeks before the wedding.
I hope you found that helpful in preparing for meeting with your wedding florist! If you’re interested in a free consultation with us, you can fill out our contact form to get started!