Picking the
Florist
How to make sure your flower pro selection is a blooming
success
If you worried about whether the corsage you bought for
Mother's Day would arrive safely or not, you can imagine the
anxiety connected with ordering everything from the ushers'
boutonnieres to the flowers decorating the altar. Experts
say the answer is to pick a pro, and here, unlike other areas
of the wedding industry where you might have been working
in the dark, you've got a real plus. Chances are good you've
already "developed relationships" with florists
in your neighborhood.
Making the Pick
When should you start your quest? At least six months to a year
in advance, as soon as you've established four basic points:
where the ceremony will be held, what the location of the reception
will be, what your gown will look like, and what are the style
and color of the bridesmaids' dresses to determine the respective
color and style of the flowers.
After you've narrowed the field down to two or three florists,
says McClean, ask to see photographs of weddings they've actually
done, as opposed to random shots or concepts. Study the "detail,
design, color balance," and equally important, see if
it's someone with whom you, again, "click." Remember,
they're going to be interpreting, as the florist puts it,
"your personality in flowers."
The Money Question
Once you've settled on the person you like comes the tricky
question of cost, and sometimes it pays to spend "a couple
of extra hundred" to get the quality and value you want.
Insist, however, if not on a contract, then on a letter of agreement
that spells out very clearly...
- when the deposit is required (usually immediately)
- when the balance is due (generally one to two weeks before
the wedding)
- what sales taxes will be included ("on everything,"
McClean quips)
- whether there will be any setup and dismantling charges
- what service charges will be involved if you plan to
have the florist at the wedding to distribute the bouquets,
make sure the candles are lit and oversee the cake- cutting
in lieu of a wedding consultant;
- any possible clauses that might be added regarding breakage
or "replacement costs" in the event a valuable
vase mysteriously disapppears.
Most agreements, moreover, will include an ambiguous statement
about the right "to make reasonable substitution"
to which you should pay special attention: This means that
if the flowers you wanted aren't available due to seasonal
fluxes or unforeseen calamities like a drought or an especially
hot day at the airport that caused them to wilt, the florist
has the right to switch over to something "comparable."
This also means that if you have your heart set on a particular
type of flower, you'd better schedule your wedding for a season
when it's in bloom, or else arrange for a backup plan with
your florist, says McLean, in the event that it's no longer
available—or it's outrageously expensive!
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