Journal / Guidance
How to choose your wedding flowers.
Notes from the studio on where to begin, what to ask, and why the season matters more than any inspiration folder.
Begin with the place, not the flowers
The setting decides more than any other choice. A panelled room, a white marquee, a register office and a garden in June all ask for different things. Walk the space, note where people will gather and where the light falls, and let the flowers answer that rather than a saved image from another season and another country.
Let the season lead
Flowers grown for the week you marry are better, last longer and cost less than the same variety flown in out of season. Spring gives you blossom, ranunculus, tulips and bluebell light; high summer gives garden roses, sweet peas, delphinium and cosmos; autumn brings dahlias, seedheads and grasses; winter brings anemones, hellebores, foliage and candlelight. Tell your florist the feeling you want — soft and faded, white and green, bright and loose — rather than a fixed list of varieties.
Decide where flowers will be seen most
Guests see the ceremony for half an hour and the tables for several hours. Photographs are dominated by what you carry. Those three places — what you hold, the moment you marry, and the table you eat at — are where flowers earn their keep. Spend there first, and be honest about the parts of the day nobody looks at.
Talk about budget early and plainly
A good florist will tell you what is achievable at your figure rather than quietly trimming quality to reach it. Share the number at the first conversation, along with the guest count and table layout, and ask what would change if you moved it up or down. Every proposal we send is quoted individually for the season and the setting.
Ask the practical questions
Who installs, and when can they access the venue? Is there a second setting to move flowers to after the ceremony? Are the mechanics foam-free? Where do the flowers come from? What happens to them afterwards — taken home by guests, returned, or composted? The answers tell you a great deal about how the day will actually run.
Trust the person you choose
Bring two or three images at most, describe the feeling of the day, and then leave room for the flowers to be chosen at their best in the week of your wedding. The most beautiful weddings we design are always the ones with a clear direction and a little freedom inside it.