Most couples come to us having already spent several hours on Pinterest and feeling more confused than when they started. That is not a criticism. Pinterest is full of beautiful wedding flowers that are either out of season, out of budget, or both. Here is a more grounded way to think about it.
Start with the season, not the flower ¶
The single most useful thing you can do is find out what is actually in season on your wedding date. A June wedding has access to peonies, sweet peas, and early dahlias. A November wedding does not. Working with the season rather than against it means better flowers, lower costs, and arrangements that look like they belong to the day rather than being forced into it.
Write a brief before you contact a florist ¶
You do not need to know exactly what you want. But you should be able to answer: what is the venue like, what is the colour palette, what is the overall feeling you are going for, and what is your total budget for flowers. A florist who asks you these questions before quoting is a good sign. One who quotes without asking is not.
Understand what the budget actually covers ¶
Wedding flower budgets are often set without a clear sense of what things cost. A bridal bouquet from a good florist is typically £150-£250. A ceremony arch is £400-£800 depending on size and stem choice. Table centrepieces are £60-£120 each. If your total budget is £500, you need to make choices. A good florist will help you prioritise rather than try to do everything badly.
Ask about their maximum wedding count ¶
A florist who takes 40 weddings a year will not give your wedding the same attention as one who takes 12. Ask directly how many weddings they do per year and whether yours would be handled by the lead florist or a junior. We take a maximum of 12 weddings per year and Mara Voss handles every consultation and every wedding morning personally.
The consultation is where you find out if it is a good fit ¶
A wedding flower consultation should feel like a conversation, not a sales pitch. You should leave knowing roughly what you are going to get, roughly what it will cost, and whether you trust the florist to make good decisions on the day. If any of those three things are unclear after the consultation, keep looking.
We have two wedding slots open for late 2026. If you are planning a wedding and want to talk through the brief, email hello@willow-zonefield.com. We do not charge for consultations and we reply within two working days.