Questions to ask a wedding florist
Not just what to ask — what a good answer sounds like, and what should worry you.
Florals are the category where couples most often arrive with a photograph and leave with a quote three times their budget. The gap is almost always stem count and season, and a good florist will explain that rather than simply saying yes.
These are specific to wedding florists. The questions worth asking every vendor — contracts, deposits, cancellation, insurance and referral fees — are on the main questions page, and you should ask those too.
Getting a real quote
If I show you this photograph, what would it cost and what is in it?
What to listen forYou want a florist who breaks it down - 'that is about sixty stems of imported garden rose' - rather than one who nods. The honest ones tell you what a picture costs before you fall in love with it.
What is in season and local around my date?
What to listen forA florist who lights up at this question is one who designs rather than orders. Seasonal, local material is the single biggest lever on a floral budget and the answer should be specific to your week.
If my budget is fixed at this number, what would you do with it?
What to listen forThis is the most productive question in the category. It moves the conversation from a wish list to a design, and it reveals whether they can work within constraints or only above them.
The day itself
Who installs, how long does it take, and when do you need access?
What to listen forInstallations need venue access hours before guests arrive, which has to be agreed with the venue, not assumed. Ask how many people are coming and what they need.
Can ceremony pieces be moved to the reception, and who moves them?
What to listen forRepurposing effectively doubles what you bought, but somebody has to physically do it during cocktail hour. Confirm whether that is the florist, the venue, or nobody.
What happens if a flower I chose is unavailable that week?
What to listen forFlowers are agricultural and substitutions are normal. What you want is a florist who will call you rather than silently swap, and who has already thought about the closest alternative.
Afterwards
Do you come back to strike, and is that in the price?
What to listen forMany venues require everything removed the same night. If the florist is not striking, that job falls to you or your coordinator at midnight.
Can guests take arrangements home?
What to listen forAsk before the day. Rented vessels frequently must come back, and a guest walking off with one becomes a charge on your invoice.
Common questions
What should I ask a wedding florist?
Ask what a photograph you like would actually cost and what is in it, what is in season and local around your date, and what they would do with your budget if it were fixed. Then cover installation access, repurposing ceremony pieces, and who strikes at the end.
Why are wedding flowers more expensive than I expected?
Usually stem count and season. An inspiration photograph often contains several hundred stems, frequently of flowers that must be flown in out of season. A good florist will tell you what a picture costs before you commit to it.
Can wedding flowers be reused from the ceremony to the reception?
Yes, and it effectively doubles what you bought - but someone must physically move them during cocktail hour. Confirm whether that is the florist, the venue or nobody, because it is a job that otherwise falls to your coordinator.
Why we can publish this
Most wedding sites are paid by the vendors they list, which makes a page about spotting a vendor who is managing you a difficult thing to write. Lazo charges nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price — so we have no reason to soften any of the above. If a wedding florist gives you one of the answers we've flagged, that is worth knowing before you pay a deposit.
Wedding Florists on Lazo
We index 16,000+ wedding florists across 108 markets. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor.