Wedding Professionals in Ventura and Santa Barbara: Florists / Wedding Flowers

Ventura Wedding Flowers One of the biggest decisions that will determine the overall look and feel of your wedding day is the flowers. The same venue can look immensely different for each wedding held there based on the flowers choices and arrangements. It is a huge decision and should be discussed among everyone involved well before your event. There are many things to take into consideration other than the obvious: color. For example, different flowers are available during different seasons, some flowers are able to withstand heat without withering for longer periods of time than others, and different blooms give a different feel to the entire event (i.e. roses will convey a formal tone whereas daisies will present a casual, outdoorsy feel.

Decide how formal or casual you would like your wedding to be before talking with prospective florists and ask the florists what blooms they recommend. It is a good idea to plan on meeting with at least a few florists before deciding who will be providing your wedding day flowers. Flowers are a bit more complex than most people would imagine. I'm told it's all in the timing. Getting the flowers to be "open" just the right amount and at just the right time seems to be some kind of magical, mystical art only understood by its wizards and accolades.

A great florist will ask you questions in order to find out what you are really after. They will provide you with pictures of previous events so you can see their work and they will want to look at pictures you bring from magazines that show what you like. The florist will be attentive and desire to incorporate your personality and flair into each arrangement.

You’ll need to have set at least a rough figure for your flower budget before meeting with florists. Some things to take into consideration before setting this budget: Are your wedding attendants going to be carrying/wearing flowers too? Would you like parents and grandparents to wear corsages and boutonnieres? Do you want fresh flowers decorating the aisle, aisle runner, arch, etc? Do you want flower centerpieces on each table at the reception? Guest book, gift, and cake tables? How about on the cake itself? Do you need a toss bouquet?

Also before meeting with florists, make sure you’ve booked your ceremony and reception sites, have a color scheme in mind (preferably, color of bridesmaids dresses have been picked out), and know your wedding style (formal, semi-formal, casual…).

You will want to start looking for a florist six to nine months in advance. Many people are planning their entire weddings in six months time. If this is you, start looking immediately. A really good florist could be completely booked for summer months as far back as August of the previous year.

Some questions to ask when deciding on a florist:

Are you exclusive to weddings and events?

You need your florist to be capable of filling large orders with specific details and setting up your arrangements. Look for experience. Grass Roots in Santa Barbara handles flowers for as many as 120 events each year with weddings accounting for about 98% of business. Most likely, you won’t find many florists who do weddings and are a walk-in flower shop, but they do still exist. Just make sure you ask if you’re talking to the person who will actually be designing your arrangements and ask to see pictures. I personally prefer florists who only do events because when Saturday rolls around, they aren’t tired from their 6-8 (or 10!) hour days in the flower shop Monday- Friday.

Do you have rental items available?

Most do- although the selection varies quite a bit. Some florists have everything you could dream of needing: vases, columns, stands, arches, aisle runners, etc…and others have any number of combinations of these items.

Is there an extra fee for set-up or is it included in your prices?

It seems that this is about 50/50 with wedding florists. Be sure you ask. If there is an extra fee, plan on it being around 10-15% of your total flower purchase. You’ll need to know from your sites what time the space will be available to set up for your event so your florist can show up at the right time. Also, if you are renting items from them, make sure to ask if they come and break down or if you are responsible for returning the items (and when).

In what ways can we stretch our flower budget? (You can also ask your Bridal Consultant this question.)

There are many little shortcuts you can take when it comes to your flowers in order to get the most for you money. Many, if not all, have absolutely no effect on the overall look of you day. If your potential florist doesn’t seem too happy to answer this question, move on.

Other local florists who gave their time and information for this article:

These Buds a Bloomin’ of Camarillo Wedding Flowers

Curly Willow of Ojai Wedding Flowers

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Weddings and Engagement photography in Ventura County, without travel expenses including the cities of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Port Hueneme and Oxnard, Ojai, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Fillmore and Santa Paula, and Camarillo, California. Weddings in Santa Barbara: Isla Vista, Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria. In Los Angeles County: Westlake Village, Santa Monica, Malibu, Calabasas and Agoura Hills. Also available for destination weddings.

* Many local wedding professionals provided information for this article. Please see: Wedding Resources