Beautiful Blooms - A Bride's Guide to Floral Planning

One of the major aspects of planning for your wedding stems from your floral considerations. For a bride, there are many various things to think about when plotting your bridal blooms.

Most brides first think of their wedding bouquet. This is a treasured design that can either be made with fresh flowers or false ones. Bridal bouquets can range from simple and elegant to extravagant and amazing.

As a bride, you may want to choose a theme for your nuptials. Many have more than one type of flower - others pick between romantic roses, calla lilies, gerbera daisies, forget-me-nots, and lily of the valleys.

A bride's bouquet can either be made from a single type of flower of from a variation of many flowers. In ancient times, brides carried herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits and give them a start in their married life based on good fortune and happiness.

Romans and other cultures used flowers during the wedding ceremony for fertility symbolism. In modern times, people send flowers as a way of saying "I love you," "Thank you," or some other form of happy wishes.

Aside from the bridal bouquet, a groom will need a boutonni?re - which is a small flower worn on his tuxedo. This custom originated from medieval days when men wore the colors of their women as a sign of love and admiration.

Some brides choose their bridal blooms, not based on color or personal tastes, but on the meaning behind the flowers.

Regardless of how you choose your flowers, you'll want to plan for them based around the season your blooms are available. Does it coincide with your coming nuptials, or will you be paying twice as much just to get out of season flowers?

Here are some of the most popular floral choices, along with their meaning and seasonal availability:

* Red roses mean love and are available year-round. * White roses represent unity and are also available all year. * Calla Lilies equate beauty and are easily found March-September. * Lily of the Valley means happiness and is also found March-September. * Orchids stand for love and beauty and are yearly blooms.

Before you choose a flower, find a nearby floral vendor and visit their shop to see what kinds of blooms they've arranged. Good flower vendors should have a book for you to peruse to see previous arrangements they've created.

When you finally settle on a type of flower for your bouquet, you'll also need to choose flowers for the other members of your bridal list - including the bridesmaids and groomsmen, ushers, ring bearer, male and female family members in attendance, and petals for the flower girl to distribute.

You'll also have to choose floral arrangements for the d?cor of the location for your ceremony and reception, including the aisles, altars, tables, and traditions such as the tossing of the bouquet (you'll want a mini-bouquet so that you can keep your real one as a keepsake).

As you'll find when searching for flowers to decorate your special day, some options will be affordable while others may be out of your budget. Be sure to ask your florist about alternate flowers that are equally as beautiful, but less expensive if you have your heart set on something outside of your financial realm.

Sharon Vaz is offering A Bride's Guide to Stress Free Wedding Planning, a Free wedding planning course at http://www.mystylewedding.com.my/signup.php

Cheap Flowers From the Florist Can Save the Day!

We all have budget problems sometimes and it helps to know that there are cheap flowers to help bridge the gap between thoughtfulness and bankruptcy. There are lots of reasons why flowers can be purchased at differing price points.

Seasons are part of the floral industry just as they are part of any type of agriculture. Whatever is available locally in season will just naturally be less expensive. That can mean that long stem red roses are very affordable for one occasion but an incredible expense for another. That's a really huge difference when planning some occasions like weddings which require many flowers. The flower of choice will probably be available anytime but when it needs to be flown from Hawaii it will be a much greater expense, accept when in large enough quantities to reduce shipping costs.

Another factor in pricing is the fact that, like produce, flowers are perishable. Wholesalers can offer left over cheap flowers from larger orders that they have filled. These will typically be found at retailers and groceries that offer other discounted items. This is a good thing since the degree of thoughtfulness increases as the price point decreases.

Some floral varieties grow more readily than others and are simply more available. Cheap flowers are no exception. As a rule, if it grows in local yards then it will be a source of cheap flowers in season. That sounds like an oversimplification but it's important to remember when planning a floral decorating scheme.

Cone flowers, also known as Echinacea, grow wild but may not keep well. So if they are to be used in a floral arrangement in winter they still have to be imported. This makes them cheap flowers when the florist picks them before a summer wedding but ridiculously expensive in winter.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has a huge selection of free party games, coloring pages, word find, word scramble, printable baby and bridal shower activities. Huge selection of grower direct Flowers Delivered right to your door by local florists or by the flower grower.

Floristry As A Career

Being a florist can be a very exciting and challenging career.

Many people of all ages, from other working backgrounds are being retrained and entering the floristry industry.

If you are considering a career in floristry, you should enjoy working with flowers and be willing to learn all aspects of the floristry profession.

You will need to be able to arrange flowers in an attractive manner and be a reasonably quick worker.

As a florist is dealing closely with the public, you should have a genuine liking for people, and have a pleasant and helpful manner.

Flowers touch the emotions of other peoples' lives. Customers ordering funeral tributes are often relatives or close friends of the deceased and may be emotionally upset. As a florist, you will need to be sympathetic and understanding.

A florist has the pleasure of helping a bride-to-be select just the right flowers and type of bridal bouquet for the most important day of her life - her wedding day.

The florist shares the joy and excitment when a proud new father comes in to order flowers for his wife in hospital.

Floristry is not all glamour. There is a lot of hard work and long hours involved. The duties in a florist shop will include:-

Unpacking stock as it comes into the florist shop

Conditioning flowers and watering plants

Pricing merchandise and displaying it attractively

Attending to customers

Answering the telephone

Completing orders and making up designs for the shop

Making sure the florist shop is clean and tidy

Keeping book work up to date

Changing the shop window display

Working in a Florist Shop

You will need to be able to work efficiently. A typical day in a florist shop could include ten wreaths for an early morning funeral, several arrangements and posies. Often a posy or a sheaf of flowers will need to be made up while the customer waits.

A good employee has common sense, a positive attitude, is honest and a willing worker who sees what needs doing and does it in a cheerful and efficient manner.

An employer will appreciate a capable trustworthy employee who has the employer's interest at heart and will co-operate and help with any duties involved in the running of the floristry business.

Applying for a Position in a Florist Shop.

You should present yourself favourably, be well groomed, polite and have an enthusiastic manner.

If you have any references from previous positions, report cards or personal references, take these with you.

You may like to take samples or photographs of your floral designs with you.

Naturally, any photographs or samples should be of a high standard with the flowers arranged attractively and colours blended tastefully.

Any wiring and taping should be neatly done.

The florist may ask you to make up an arrangement, posy or a sheaf.

You will be expected to choose suitable flowers and foliage in colours which blend well together and make up a professional looking design in a reasonable amount of time (approximately 15-20 minutes for a standard arrangement).

Do not worry if you are a bit nervous. Florists are usually understanding people and will make allowances for this. It is far better to be a little nervous rather than have an over confident and "know it all" manner.

A few years ago a position was advertised for a junior in a very busy florist shop in a leading shopping centre in Melbourne.

There were over forty applicants, but one of our students was successful because she could show the florist she was capable of creating attractive floral designs.

After the interview is over thank the employer for seeing you, and if the position offered appeals to you, you could say "I am very impressed with your shop" or "I would really like the opportunity of working for you".

An employer would much rather employ a person who really wants the position in preference to someone who is indifferent.

OWNING YOUR OWN FLORIST SHOP.

Many people find the idea of going into business for themselves very tempting. You may want to open your own florist shop, but you should be fully aware of all the facts before you make a decision to start up or buy into a business.

HOW TO DECIDE IF YOU ARE THE RIGHT TYPE OF PERSON TO GO INTO A FLORIST BUSINESS FOR YOURSELF.

Advantages

You will have a feeling of fulfilment of being involved in such a creative industry such as floristry.

If you run a successful florist business it can be far more rewarding financially than working for wages.

There is a feeling of security in owning your own successful florist business.

You will find running your own florist shop is never dull. You will never know what each day will bring. Working for yourself is far more exciting than going to work in an often dull routine job.

You will meet some very interesting people through dealing directly with the public. This can often develop into lasting friendships. You will be providing a real service to your customers. The skilled florist is always appreciated and will have a secure life-long career.

Disadvantages (You will find it helpful if you do this questionnaire)

As floristry is a lot of hard work and often long hours are involved, do you have the necessary health and energy to run a business? Yes / No

Do you have enough money to start a florist business? Do you have another source of borrowing money if necessary? Sometimes you will need to inject extra funds into the business Yes / No

Are you self motivated and have enough discipline to be able to organise yourself to see what the most important tasks are and to see each one is carried out? Yes / No

Are you a reasonably quick worker? Yes / No

When a problem arises, are you the type of person who can come up with a solution? Yes / No

If you have a family, do you have someone you can rely on to help with the children? Yes / No

To stand a good chance in a floristry business you should honestly be able to answer "Yes" to all the above questions.

How successful you are in Floristry, as in anything in life, will depend on how much time and effort YOU are prepared to put into it.

Floristry Diploma Course

Our floristry diploma course covers opening your own florist shop, how to find a job in a florist shop and work from home.

Fay Chamoun

Fay Chamoun Principal of Floral Art School of Australia and International Floral Design School http://www.floral-art-school.com.au/

The Pros And Cons Of Online Florists

The whole of the world today is moving at a rapid pace, and the credit goes to all the developments and inventions added to existing technologies. The internet is a well-suited example of this. Thanks to the internet our various things we do have been simplified; such as shopping and communication.

Online shopping offers convenience, but we need to remain extra cautious. Among various other products and services, now you can purchase flower bouquets online. Since you are spending money, make sure that the quality of the flowers is up to your standards.

For this purpose, it is worth the effort to throw some light on online florists. It is possible to have a good perspective about the quality of an online florist. There are steps that must be taken before buying online, to ensure that the florist is of a high quality. Once you have made sure that it is safe to purchase from online florists, only then will you be able to understand the benefits and simplification that online florists provide.

Before you make any final decision, it is essential that you are aware of both the pros and cons related to online florists. While purchasing something that is so personal like flowers, you will love to have human touch attached to it. Actually, most of the reputed online florists have their proper physical address, and they are a florist in actual terms even if they are providing services online.

Their working procedure is very much like an actual florist. Undoubtedly, your flowers are not virtual, but real. So when you select the kind of bouquet you wish to have, it is then ordered from the wholesalers by the florists. After this, the flowers are sent in proper conditions; i.e. at the right temperature and with sufficient moisture. Extreme care is taken while sending them to the location of the florist, from all over the world. They are then delivered to you, or to the person you requested they be delivered to.

Purchasing flowers online is comfortable, but it is still important for every online shopper to check the authenticity of the online shop. Generally, the physical address can be found in the "About us" section of the webpage. In the case of it being a local address, then you can go and check it out yourself. This way you will be able to make future purchases confidently from there. Testimonials also prove helpful in letting you know about the type of customers who shop from there.

Once you get at ease with the idea of buying flowers online, you can enjoy other various benefits of shopping online. Usually online flower shopping proves less expensive compared to buying them directly from the florists.

Apart from that, there is a direct link between the producer and the buyer. There are no commissions for intermediaries. Generally the flowers available to online florists are in a better condition than a real florists' shop.

Buying online is similar to buying directly from a real florist. The same choices and varieties are available online. So surely it is the best way to bring joy to your near and dear ones by getting flowers delivered to their doorstep.

Stefan Rockhaus. For further info on online florists visit Online Florist Guide - You may reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and this resource box is left intact.

A Critique of Online Florists

Probably the idea of online florists doesn't appeal to you because you accept picking out flowers as a very personal act. It's not just the rose, the violets or whatever flowers you are buying, you want to smell them and examine them carefully before buying them. Many people find it weird that anyone would want to buy flowers online. I also can't seem to get used to this strange idea. However, according to a recent survey, the business of online florists is blooming. It is amazing to see how important convenience has become nowadays.

Most of the appeal of online florists has to do with packaging. Of course, when buying flowers online you cannot actually look at them. This might be a disadvantage for the online florists or an advantage; it all depends on where you are looking the situation from. Even though you don't see the actual flowers you buy, the online florist will show you a picture of the perfect bouquet, so you will think that everything will be fine. However, the flowers you buy will never look as gorgeous as the carefully arranged and photographed bouquets you've seen online.

There is one thing I really like about online florists and actually this is what made me use one for Valentine's Day. I wanted to buy a very special bouquet for my girlfriend. However, most florist shops have a poor selection of flowers. Of course, the local flower shop cannot afford to have a great variety of flowers in stock as they lack a large warehouse. The online florists have much greater selection of flowers, they stock thousands of different flowers because they run a large warehouse that can ship all over the nation. Some florists online even allow you to custom arrange a bouquet. I just love that idea.

There is no doubt that the greatest advantage of the online florists is that they deliver flowers all over the country. Getting flowers from someone you know - a friend, a family member or a loved one is always a pleasant surprise, especially if these people are far away from you. Flowers bring memories to live, they provide a reminder why you like the sender and they are one of the few things that everyone loves receiving, especially if they've been sent from our significant other.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning gardening. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Online Florists

What to Look for when Choosing an Online Florist

Choosing an online Florist - what to look out for to ensure you get the flowers you want, when you want.

Ordering flowers is a fickle business and it's easy to part with your cash expecting a beautiful bouquet only to be disappointed by the reality. Here at Flowers 4 Online International we pride ourselves on the quality and value of Online Flower Delivery and have created this checklist to help ensure you can choose a reputable Florist.

How long have they been in business? Do they have experience in the type of event you have in mind? Can they work in your price range? Our experience includes a range of events; we can quickly "size up" what you have in mind.

Are the pictures you see on the site, pictures of Flower Arrangements they have created themselves? Is there a wide price range of Flowers, and do you have the option of sizes of bouquet ranges?

What guarantees do they offer for delivery? Can they offer same day and next day flower delivery? What about international orders, can they also deliver these at short notice? Do they have a large number of international florists they work with to deliver anywhere at short notice? Is pricing totally transparent? Can you see the prices you pay including delivery charges before you pay?

Flowers4 has enabled thousands of customers to send flowers online for over five years through its own Flower Shops, affiliates and website. It is a name you can trust for quality Flowers at good prices with an excellent reputation for timely delivery.

Clinton Porter is a search engine optimisation consultant with Nvisage (http://www.nvisage.co.uk/whatwedo/search_engine_optimisation.asp) for Flowers4 Online flower shops and florists (http://www.flowers4.co.uk/) specialists in Wedding and bridal flowers, Funeral and sympathy flowers. Order and send fresh flowers online for same day and next day delivery.

Fruit Bouquets: How to make your Wedding Bouquet a Talking Point

Are you looking for something a bit different for your wedding day? Something that shows how trendy, fun-loving and interesting you are, without being tacky? Well instead of using a normal every-day boring bouquet of flowers, why not make yourself a bouquet made of fruit?
 

Yes thats right I said fruit!
 

Now you're probably thinking that a fruit bouquet would be interesting, but that it might not be quite the look you want for your wedding. In fact, maybe you're thinking a fruit bouquet would just look plain ridiculous!
 

Well, I think you'll be surprised how good a fruit bouquet can actually look. If you keep the bouquet small and prepare the bouquet carefully, you can have a really great looking wedding bouquet that will definitely be a talking point amongst your family and friends afterwards.
 

The trick is to not overload the bouquet with too much fruit. If you add too much fruit, it will start to look tacky, and you'll have trouble carrying the bouquet down the aisle!
 

So what fruit do you use in a fruit bouquet?
 

I suggest using a variety of small fruits like:
 

• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Mandarines
• Passionfruits
• Small apples
• Kiwi fruit
• Strawberries

One thing to be aware of when chosing your fruit, is that some fruits (like strawberries), will stain if you are not careful. Just wrap them in cellophane, and you won't have to worry about everything getting stained.
 

Make sure you use small pieces of fruit. This will allow you to make a fairly decent sized bouquet, without having to worry about your arm dropping off when you're carrying it!
Once you've chosen your fruit, you need to wire the fruit into the bouquet. You will need to use heavy gauge wire, which you can get from your local flower shop.
You can either put the wires straight through the fruit and then tape the wires, or you can wrap the fruit in cellophone first, and then wire and tape.
The next thing to do is add some leaves to the bouquet. I like to use big leaves, as they make it look like the fruit is hiding in the leaves. This make the fruit bouquet more subtle, and stops it from looking like a fruit basket.
You can also cut a bunch of leaves off a fruit tree and wire the fruit amongst the leaves. Make sure the branch is fairly straight. This will allow you to tape the branch, and will add a more bridal look to the bouquet.
Finally, place some ribbon bows near the leaves, to soften the fruit bouquet, and to add some elegance.
As you can see, it isn't too hard to make a fruit bouquet, and it's definitely something you should consider if you want something a little more interesting than a regular flower bouquet for your wedding. And there's the added advantage, that if you get hungry later, you've got something handy to eat!
Peta Fletcher has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a website with detailed, easy-to-understand articles about creating your own bouquets

Bouquet Tulips - Lucky New Garden Trend?

Did you know that your garden may have the luck of the Dutch with bouquet tulips? Just what does that mean? Good things come in fours. Think of a four leaf clover. Do you know how lucky you are to find a four-leaf clover? Why you would have to have the luck of the Irish!

According to Wikipedia, there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf one. If you have to examine 10,000 clovers to find a four-leaf clover, that would take you quite a long time. When - and if - you did find that four-leaf clover, you would be fortunate indeed. Like finding a pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow.

So what does this have to do with the luck of the Dutch? When something is uncommon or rare, it is considered good favor, almost like winning the lottery. Most of today's tulip bulbs are imported directly from growers in the Netherlands by distributors.

A modern garden trend is planting multiple-blossom bouquet tulips. Some of these varieties have four flowers on one tulip plant. How lucky are you when you find one? Discovering two blossom and three blossom tulips is a surprise in the garden, as well. You would have to look in a lot of tulip gardens before you ever saw one. But they do exist.

Just so you know, a common tulip plant yields one flower per bulb. You plant one bulb which forms one tulip plant, grows into one bud and blossoms into one tulip flower. That is the way it has been for hundreds of years. In hundreds of thousands of gardens around the world. When you spot any of these beauties growing in the wild, you have just found a "bouquet on a stem" that is the envy of any tulip arrangement you place into a vase.

Today, with modern science of hybrids, you can buy and plant bouquet tulip bulbs that grow two, three, four, five and even six shoots for every tulip plant. Each shoot yields a colorful tulip blossom. The more blossoms one tulip plant has, the smaller each blossom is. Bouquet tulips come in orange, red and yellow varieties.

Bouquet tulips make excellent tulip arrangements of cut flowers. Make sure to cut the main stem with a sharp knife at an angle. Don't use scissors to cut the stem. Using scissors will pinch the stem and the tulip flowers will not be able to draw water to keep them alive. When you cut the tulip plant stem at an angle, you are allowing the plant to drink more water. It's like using a larger straw in a soft drink.

Put two or three stems in a vase and you have a beautiful bouquet of tulips greeting you in your house. For example, if you had three tulip plants of four blossoms each, you could make a cutting of all three tulip stalks that you put into one vase. That would be a dozen compact tulip flowers in one arrangement. Cut tulips in a vase can last between four and seven days. When your neighbors, friends, or family visit, just think of how amazed people will be to see these unique and unusual gorgeous bouquet tulips on your table.

Dave Pipitone is a lucky tulip gardener. He found a four-blossom orange bouquet tulip. For see pictures and learn more information on four blossom bouquet tulips, visit http://www.bouquet-tulips.com

Finding A Local Florist - Sorting Out the Weeds of Deceptive Flower Shop Phone Listings

You want to send flowers to Aunt Sally in Newark or your sister Susan in San Antonio. You decide to look up a local florist there, hoping to get more personal service or even save a few bucks by avoiding the "middleman." Normally, a simple call to directory information or an online search would be all it takes, but in the case of florists, the results could be deceiving.

Many of the online resources are overcrowded with national marketers and wire services rather than the real local florists you're seeking. Some companies have built hundreds or even thousands of web pages referencing various cities across the country just to show up in so-called "local" searches across the country. Others are simply paying to be on top. This makes life difficult, as it is very hard to tell the difference between a genuine family flower shop and a national fictitious "florist" with local phone numbers which are actually forwarded out of state.

While these deceptive phone listings have officially been banned in many states as intentionally misleading, the laws are all too often not enforced. As a result, fictitious florist phone listings have become commonplace, especially with the growth of online yellow pages. Flowers With Gifted Elegance of Randolph, NJ and All American Flowers of Mount Laurel, NJ are two of several telemarketing companies employing this tactic to make money while providing a disservice to unsuspecting consumers. By purchasing local phone listings under many different names, they hope to lead customers into using their services.

The strategy first surfaced in the mid-nineties. States such as Virginia and Delaware recognized the threat and took action. Other states have followed, but the practice continues today relatively unhindered. Companies in New Jersey, Wisconsin, and the state of Washington purchase phone numbers all over the country, and place those numbers in local white and yellow pages. The listings usually have the name 'Flowers Of (Town or City)' or 'Flowers in (Town/City)', with a local area code and phone number but either no address or a bogus address. Consumer groups agree it's misleading at best and usually a ploy to con people into ordering. In the end, customers may face unnecessary extra charges, poor quality, or both. Here's how it works and what you can do to avoid it.

The Phone Listing Scam

Take a quick trip over to whitepages.com. Do a search for business type "florist springfield," and don't even both entering any city or state. You'll see that about five of the first listings are for "Florist in Springfield" or "Florist of Springfield" in Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Missouri. They all display local phone numbers, but none of them list an address, a common indication of a deceptive listing. To find out more, we called each of the numbers. Four were answered by a recording referring to "Our Flowers with Gifted Elegance." The fifth was answered by a similar operation which refused to provide a physical address and claimed it didn't allow 'walk-in' customers. In short, all five were bogus. The problem isn't limited to Springfield. One florist we interviewed knew of at least seventeen misleading florist listings in its local yellow pages.

According to customers, the real disservice isn't the false listing; it's the poor service. These companies often charge between $8.99 and $14.99 for taking each order and redirecting it to a real local florist. The service fee is on top of the flowers and local delivery, or worse yet is deducted from them without the customer's knowledge. The Better Business Bureau report on Flowers with Gifted Elegance, at bbb.org, notes an unsatisfactory record due to unanswered complaints. A search at RipOffReport.com reveals the number of complaints, including reports by people who's flowers were never delivered.

Avoid Being a Victim

There may be no easy way to recover from being a victim of this kind of advertising deception, but avoiding it is fairly easy.

- Trust your hometown florist. Most are seasoned professionals who can deliver your gift almost anywhere, know the better flower shops in other areas, stand behind their service, and guarantee your satisfaction. In the unlikely event any problem does arise, you'll be glad you're working with a reputable local business that wants your continued patronage.

- If you shop online, choose a nationwide florist that proudly displays a toll-free phone number, contact address, customer satisfaction policy, and industry credentials. Check for a secure order form with "https" in the address, and consider placing your first order by phone to ensure customer service people are easy to reach.

- Get advice from friends, neighbors, or business associates. They're often the best source for choosing the right florist.

- If you do search for local florists online or in phone books, be sure to avoid those with generic names that include the town or that can't give you the address and directions to their local store.

The vast majority of florists are hard-working, family-owned businesses dedicated to serving you. So, you can send flowers with confidence when you turn to the local florists you know and nationwide florists you trust. Most can deliver your bouquet around the corner or across the country, within 24 hours or less. No wonder, flower delivery is still one of the most reliable and popular ways to show you care. Still, like any industry, the flower business has its share of 'bad apples.' So, think twice before you play Russian Roulette with the phone book. Count on your local hometown florist and the established nationwide florists online.

Courtesy of Flowers Delivery Florists, an online guide for fresh flowers, florists online, and floral information resources.

Permission is granted to republish this article in its entirety on the Internet, as long as the link and credit above are included.

Wedding Flowers - 3 Steps to Hiring Your Florist

Even if you plan to create and arrange your own wedding flowers, consulting with a florist first is still a good idea. A florist's first-hand knowledge and years of experience can prove extremely useful, ensuring that you don't overlook small but important details. Hiring a florist ensures your wedding flowers and floral scheme match your vision. Not sure how to even begin hiring a florist? Follow these steps, and you will be sure to find the florist that suits you.

Do Your Research

It is never too soon to begin exploring your options. If you don't already have a favorite florist, research and find local florists. Your wedding facility coordinator or recently married friends are a great place to start. Browse Elegala.com's directory of local florists for a complete list of preferred florists in your area. Once you have a list of local florists, make appointments to review their work and discuss your floral vision.

Meet with Potential Florists

Plan to review portfolios and discuss your overall vision during your first appointments with potential florists. Your florist's previous work should match that vision. Remember that these portfolios showcase their best work, so if you don't like what you see, continue shopping. When they follow-up with proposals for your wedding based on your discussion, you should be able to make a decision on which best suits both your vision and wedding budget.

Determine the Details - Pick your Wedding Flowers

Now that you have selected your florist, schedule planning meetings at the ceremony and reception locations to determine the wedding flowers you'll use and their placement (or provide photos so that the florist will have an idea of what the locations look like) Consider your wedding facility as a blank canvas upon which your florist will create his/her work of art. The look and feel of the setting will lead your discussions, determining both the wedding flowers you choose and where they will be placed.

For ideas and inspiration to help you plan your floral scheme, visit Elegala.com's complete Wedding Flowers guide.

Cori Locklin is editor-in-chief for Elegala.com and Elegala Magazine (and a recent bride!). Elegala is a new wedding planning resource offering the most comprehensive portfolio of superior wedding reception sites and wedding services, along with planning tips, photo galleries and checklists to keep brides in-the-know on today's wedding trends and styles.

For a complete guide to creating an elegant and memorable wedding celebration, visit Elegala.com, your ultimate wedding planning resource.