Long for the flowers: Finding my Florist

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Of all wedding vendors we booked and the few we'll soon book, the florist has been the most difficult.

I'm someone who knows what I want. For all our other vendors (photographer, caterer, baker), I had one sure fire choice and booked them without much hesitation. I'd researched, browsed countless photos, and liked them upon speaking with them. But the florist has been a different story.

I think it's because, for me, it's harder to gauge the final out come of a product that varies by personality so much. Our venues are standard and formal rooms that can be decorated to our liking, our photographer has a point of view and style that I really enjoy, our baker produces such sweet delights (we enjoyed every flavor during our tasting), our caterer's spread is always so yummy regardless of what specific food we asked for, and our coordinator's vision/style is something we very much admire. We can view their work, consider their pricing, and have consultations (over the phone or in person) and just know what we're in for. Their past weddings are an example of what we can hope for, their outline of services help to determine what we need, and we can see how our money is being spent.

The search for the perfect florist was quite harder. Like other vendors, florists range in style, experience, and cost. But unlike other vendors, their pricing depends on our criteria (type of flower, amount needed, how elaborate), what's in season, how much work goes into each arrangement. Their pricing was dependent upon what I wanted, and although I liked someone I could be priced out of working with them. An example of my frustration is when two separate florists charged the same rate for different arrangements (carnations vs. roses). I was also hit with minimum spending requirements.

But alas, this is all in the past because, with the help of Angel (our awesome DOC), we have found our florist, Joey Molina of Cana flowers. He is awesome :) Once I met him, I knew :) He's got great style, vision, plenty of personality, and is willing to work within our budget.

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We went over flowers we liked, designs he suggested, and his past work. He thought of great flowers like sweet peas, cymbidium orchids, and delphiniums, and our style is something he enjoys creating. We also gave him the ability to use any seasonal flowers that are within our color scheme.

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How did you decide on your florist? Was it an easy search? Did you find it difficult to find someone who could fit into your budget?

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