Are you planning your own wedding? Overwhelmed with choices for wedding florists? Here are some practical tips and advice to make sure you get the perfect wedding.

• The first and most important factor to consider is Budget!! How much money are you willing to spend on flowers for your wedding? Your choice of florist will largely depend on this aspect. There are good quality florists that are willing to negotiate prices to fit in with any budget. Make sure to ask around for recommendations, your friends, acquaintances, etc.
• Another important factor to consider is your timeframe. How much time do you have to “shop around” for a florist? If possible start looking around for a florist well in advance (i.e. at least six months). Florists, especially wedding florists, can be fully booked for months.
• Some facts to keep in mind when considering both a florist and flowers:
  
  

  * Your wedding theme, venue and time –
  
  Theme and colour - what is the chosen colour of your wedding? Is it a rare colour? Then it will most likely be difficult to find suitable flowers.
  Venue - where is your chosen wedding venue? Is it nearby? If not you will need to find out from the florist if they will deliver the flowers for you and what the cost of delivery will be.
  Time of day - at what time will your wedding be held? Is it a morning, afternoon or evening wedding? The choice of flowers could be affected by this as some flowers are more suitable for certain times of the day.
  
  * Availability of your chosen flowers, the time of year will greatly affect the availability of certain flowers. You can do a search online for flower availability throughout the year.

* Will the florist be able to accommodate your budget? Also make sure that all of the bouquets, including the bridesmaids and the brides are included in the price.

* Will the florist be able to deliver flowers according to your wedding theme, and location?

* Is the florist available on your chosen wedding date?

* Does the florist have an emergency procedure, should something happen? For example: Very hot weather has wilted some of the flowers, what can be done to save the situation?

* How much is the deposit, and when is payment due?

* Can she/he give you some references of satisfied customers?

* How long has the florist been in business?

• Just an interesting idea to keep in mind – what will you do with the flowers after the wedding? Are you going to give it away to some special people, like the parents of the bride and groom, the grandparents etc. Another choice is to donate it to a church to use for their next service.
• Remember! Trust your instincts! If you do not feel comfortable with a florist, keep looking, you will find the perfect person for the job!