In our previous blog series, we shared details of securing your Wedding Planner, Wedding Venue, and Photographer. Now that you have taken those initial steps, it is time to continue advancing the most important aspects of wedding planning: building your wedding pro dream team! Having a top-tier team of wedding professionals will bring your vision to life with precision, and in glorious ways you would have never imagined.

So, who should be on your wedding professionals dream team? We are going to walk you through this 6-part blog series.

My advice is to “start” with our suggested (5) essential wedding pros to book “first” as your starting lineup; each bringing their own specialized skills, specifically tasked to ensure your day runs smoothly.  It takes an entire creative team to create your dream wedding that ranges from 10-20 wedding businesses working in unison; these are our suggested wedding pros to hire first! PART 4 in our wedding pro discussion, THE FLORAL DESIGNER.

#4 THE FLORAL DESIGNER

When it comes to flowers, Floral Designers make all things with petals possible! Flowers play an integral role in creating an abundance of ambiance for your ceremony and reception – and will be found in every aspect of your imagery. An exquisite floral design will be the jewel in the crown of your decor, leaving guests in awe of the unforgettable wow factor.

To create the unique style for your wedding day, first, you need to decide if you are looking to hire a Florist or a Floral Designer:

  • A Florist:  typically, more traditional in style, with a scope limited to floral arrangements. 
  • A Floral Designer: tends to be an all-inclusive design firm that has an extensive scope of work, to include: their endless creativity in floral design, having the ability to custom build anything that you desire, and housing an inventory of rental event furnishings. 

When engaging either of these two creative professionals, have a vision of what you want your day to look like, from color scheme to must-have flowers to be incorporated in the design.

This is an excellent opportunity to bring your Pinterest Board to showcase at a meeting. In addition, inform them of the venue you chose and why; this helps to provide a visual insight into your day.  Based on your desires, they will be able to outline a myriad of design choices, with options for alternative flower choices based on season – all within your estimated budget.

A Florist or Floral Designer is usually contracted within 9 or 6 months prior to your event date. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A FLORAL DESIGNER:

  • Experience: How many years have they been in the business?
  • Validation: Is their company a legally registered business; certificate of State registration and Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service?
  • Reputation: Read customer reviews and checked references. A great resource for reviews, WeddingWire, the Knot, other event professionals.
  • Supplemental Decor: What other décor items can they provide, i.e.., eccentric vases, backdrops, lighting, furniture, etc.?  What items are you able to rent?
  • Floral Demo: Will they provide an actual representation of the table centerpiece for your wedding prior to the wedding date? Is there a cost or minimum contract value to receive a floral demo?
  • Body of Work: Are you able to view photos of their work?  Does their body of work reflect your style?
  • Familiarity: Have they worked at your venue before?
  • Time: How much time will they need for setup and breakdown?
  • Season: Ask about what flowers are in season during your wedding.
  • Sourcing:  Where are they sourcing their floral inventory?  A professional floral designer works directly with a floral wholesaler and not the local grocery or big box superstore.
  • Alternatives:  Are they able to educate you about flowers and provide you with alternatives in florals to help achieve your desired design.
  • Budget:  Are they able to work within your desired budget.
  • Insurance:  Does your floral designer/florist have liability insurance? All wedding professionals you hire should have business liability insurance.
  • Delivery:  Are they able to deliver your personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres) earlier in the day for pre-wedding photographs?

Above all else, when choosing your wedding pro dream team, make sound, informed decisions. With the above list, ensure they are all licensed professionals, have liability insurance, are willing to be interviewed face-to-face, and have stellar reviews or referrals.

My recommended resources to locate your wedding professional team include:

…  just to name a few.

And, as always, the best part is you do not have to go about the process of hiring a dream team of wedding professionals alone. Perfect Planning Events is willing to serve as the star player on your team! It would be my honor to walk alongside you during your planning process; guiding you every step of the way along the journey that leads to the aisle.

(photos are Real Weddings by Perfect Planning Events | Photography Credit (in order shown) – Bonnie Sen Photography; Joshua Dwain Photography; Ana Isabel Photography)