A useful flower brief starts with the feeling you want, not a shopping list of stems copied from a photograph. Seasonal availability depends on your region, growers and conditions, so a fixed calendar cannot promise what will be ready for your date. Give your florist clear priorities and room to respond to what is genuinely available.
TLDR
Brief your florist on colour, shape, setting and priorities, then agree on substitutions and installation logistics. Treat specific varieties as preferences unless confirmed, and judge proposals by their full scope rather than stem names alone.
Describe the effect before the ingredients
Gather a small selection of reference images and explain what attracts you to each: loose movement, sculptural branches, saturated colour or delicate texture. Tell wedding florists what you dislike too. A clear visual direction is more useful than a large collection of images pulling in unrelated styles.
Include clothing colours, venue photographs, table shapes and ceremony surroundings. Distinguish between must haves and ideas you would happily change. If one flower has personal significance, explain why and ask about realistic options. Your florist can then protect the sentiment without assuming every detail in a reference image is essential.
Keep seasonality local and flexible
Ask what is likely to be available through your florist’s growers and suppliers near your wedding date. Local conditions and supply can shift expectations, even when a variety is commonly associated with a season. A photograph from another region or hemisphere is inspiration, not evidence of what your florist can source.
Discuss substitutions in terms of colour, shape, scale and texture. Decide whether the florist may make comparable changes or should seek approval for significant departures. Seasonal does not automatically mean cheaper, locally grown or more sustainable. If sourcing matters to you, ask specific questions about origins and available alternatives.
Spend attention where flowers will matter
List each arrangement by its role: personal flowers, ceremony focal point, dining tables or welcome area. Then consider what guests will actually see and what matters to you in photographs. Concentrating on a few considered pieces can be more coherent than distributing small arrangements everywhere simply because a checklist suggests them.
Repurposing flowers may be possible, but it needs a plan. Ask who moves them, when, and whether the arrangement suits both locations. Check this against your photography plans, especially if ceremony portraits continue after guests leave. Moving a large installation is not the same task as carrying a vase.
Design for the place and conditions
For backyard weddings, share details about sun, wind, ground surfaces and access. Flowers waiting outdoors can face very different conditions from arrangements delivered into an air conditioned room. Ask where bouquets should be stored and who will receive them, rather than leaving delicate pieces wherever space happens to appear.
Confirm venue rules for attachments, candles, hanging installations and cleanup. Table flowers should leave room for food, glassware and conversation, especially with shared dining. Mention fragrance sensitivities and any concerns about children or pets. Ask your florist to recommend suitable placement and materials rather than assuming every attractive plant belongs within reach.
Turn the brief into a workable agreement
Request a proposal that distinguishes arrangements, vessels, hire items, delivery, installation and collection. Clarify access times and who coordinates with the venue. Note any substitutions policy and the process for approving changes. Keep the floral schedule in your planning guide so setup does not compete with catering or furniture deliveries.
Ask what happens after the celebration: which vessels return, who dismantles installations and whether flowers can be taken home. Assign someone other than the couple to manage collection instructions. When you send your floral enquiry, include your date, location, priorities and reference images, while leaving space for the florist’s practical and creative advice.
If you want to preserve a bouquet, investigate the process before the wedding rather than after flowers have spent hours in heat. Preservation providers may have particular handling and delivery requirements. Alternatively, decide whether you would prefer to give arrangements to guests or keep photographs as the lasting record. Tell your florist about any plan that affects bouquet construction or collection. This lets them explain practical limits without making assumptions about what you want to keep. Plan ahead.
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