Business, General Tips

Working with Florists

Whether you’re planning a wedding, a baby shower, or a birthday party, a colourful floral arrangement can brighten up any room! As an event planner, working with florists is something that you’ll do regularly. Here are some tips and tricks for working together with your florist to pull off some cheerful, fresh-smelling event decor!

Choose Your Florist

If you are just starting out in the world of event planning, you might not have a list of reliable vendors yet. That’s okay! You can start building a relationship with a new florist by contacting ones that come highly recommended to you!

There are lots of different ways to choose which florist you’d like to work with:

• Do a basic online search of your local area! Which florists have the best reviews or customer satisfaction ratings? Which florists offer the widest range of flowers types, colours, and designs for the best prices?
• Think of events that you’ve been to yourself! Can anyone you know recommend the name of a florist that they liked working with?
• Keep an eye out! If you walk by a beautiful arrangement while you’re out and about, ask the name of the florist from that store or business!
• Network within the event planning community! Are there any more experienced event planners that you can contact who might be willing to refer you to a florist that they’ve had good experiences with?

Meet With Your Florist

Once you’ve compiled a list of potential florists, meet with the ones that look the most interesting! Speak with them about their pricing and floral arrangement options to get an idea for whether you think they’re a good fit for this event. As you ask them for details, ask yourself some questions too.

• Do they appear organized?
• Are their prices reasonable?
• Do they have a wide selection of colours, styles, and designs to choose from?
• Do they seem willing to work with you on customizing certain designs or creating large orders for a big party?
• Can they meet the timeframe for your event?
• Do they seem confident and ready to meet your expectations?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to these questions, maybe working with this florist is a good idea! If you’re not sure, thank them for their time, let them know that you will contact them soon, and visit the next florist on your list. Remember to keep your promises, though! Whether you choose that florist or not, call them and let them know your decision so that they don’t feel like you left them hanging. Little things like this will help you build a good reputation!

Work With Your Florist

Once you’ve chosen a florist, it’s time to start working together on your fresh event decor! There are several things that you can do to make sure things go as smoothly as possible between you and your florist leading up to your big event.

Communicate effectively!

• Make sure that your florist has all of the details they need to create your floral designs.
• Outline the types of flowers you’d like, the colour scheme the client has chosen, the size you’d like the design to be, the theme of the party, the atmosphere you’d like the flowers to give, and anything else your florist might need to know to make your floral design the best it can be!
• Keep communicating with your florist throughout your planning process. Check in with them from time to time (without bothering them too much!), and make sure they have everything they need!
• Make sure that your florist knows your timeline, and let them know very clearly when the event is, and when you need the floral designs finished by.

Be Organized!

• Remember to update your florist if there are any changes to the details of the event decor, when they should be finished by, and how many arrangements you need.
• Remember that your organization is important because it lets them be organized too!
• Make notes of what colour and style decisions you’ve made with your florist, what details and dates you gave them, and what information they need from you as they go.
• Respect that they might have questions or need updates. Call them to check in a few times so that they feel like their service is valued, but not so much that they feel like you don’t trust them!
• Organize your timeline to keep in mind that your florist might experience challenges. What if their fresh delivery doesn’t come on time? Work together to account for possibilities like this.
• If something goes wrong, discuss alternative flower, colour, or styles options with your florist in advance so that you both feel prepared!

Be Personable!

• Be friendly and positive when speaking to your florist. This displays a happy confidence that people will enjoy working around!
• If you are pleasant to deal with, even in stressful situations, your florist will be encouraged to keep you updated and work hard to meet your deadlines.
• Your attitude is important! This can make or break whether your florist will want to work with you again, or recommend you to other clients!
• Remember: being personable doesn’t mean letting people take advantage of you! It’s about remaining respectful even when you’re facing a challenge!
• If you have to be firm, do so in a way that doesn’t make your florist feel bullied.
• If you are approachable, your florist will be encouraged to let you know about problems right away. This makes things easier for both of you!

The Bottom Line

By following tips and tricks like these, you will be able to work well with your florist and decorate your event with an arrangement of brilliant floral designs! Don’t let your first time working with a new florist intimidate you. As long as you communicate effectively, organize yourself well, and stay positive, your florist should see that you are great to work with!

If you liked these tips on working with florists, check out our Event Decor Course! It tells you everything you’ll need to know for wooing vendors and wowing guests!

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