? Corsages for mothers;
? flowers to decorate the ceremony site;
? centrepieces for the reception tables.
Choosing the right florist who can ensure all these blooms are beautiful, and more importantly, within your budget, is a task which requires careful consideration.
Here are some quick-fire tips courtesy of well known local florist, Pamela Jenkins, on how best to choose your wedding flowers:
1. Do some homework before your consultation with your prospective florist. Try bridal magazines and websites, the internet, and tools like Pinterest.com.
2. When selecting your ''guru'' of blooms, you might first wish to ask for recommendations from your ceremony or reception sites. They may have their own recommended suppliers which means the florist will already be familiar with the site.
3. Think in advance about your flower budget and let the potential florist know. This will help them assist you to make floral selections for your allocated budget.
4. If your wedding hasacolour or other theme, then consider how you'd like your flowers to best reflect that. For example, including shells in your bouquet forabeach wedding isagreat idea.
5. Take along a swatch of your gown, and the bridesmaids' fabric for colour matching of flowers and ribbons.
6. Choose at least one or two types of flowers that you would like to use if they are in season. For example, while many popular flowers like roses, lilies and Singapore orchids are available all year round, many other flowers are seasonal, so prices fluctuate accordingly.
Your florist is ideally someone who can take your vision and run with it, who offers valued advice, but gives you final say, and who commits to working within your style and price range.
