How to find your perfect wedding service providers

8 Questions You Must Ask a Wedding Professional Before Booking Them

Hiring the right company is critical to planning your dream wedding…and it can also be quite stressful.

How do you find the right match for you?

How do you know who to trust?  

Where do you go for advice?

First of all, this is not an easy task and it’s totally normal for couples to feel overwhelmed, frustrated or confused.  

It’s not like you plan a wedding every day!  This is all probably brand new to you, so be patient with yourself.

A few tips to finding the right ones for you…

• Do Your Homework.  You’ll get much more out of a meeting or conversation with a wedding professional if you do a little background homework first.  

Spend some time on the internet or talking to friends who’ve recently been married.  Find out the average prices in your area and what services are available.  Get an idea of what you like and don’t like.  Wedding websites and chat rooms can be a great resource.  This way when you meet with a wedding professional you’ll be able to ask better questions and have an idea of what to look out for.

• Meet With Them.  An in person meeting is the best way to interview a potential wedding vendor. It lets you get the full experience of their personality, style and professionalism.  If that’s not possible, have a phone conversation.    

• Ask Questions.  There are no stupid questions! Make sure you get clear, specific answers to your questions. If you aren't sure what something means, ask them to clarify. Keep asking questions until you completely understand.

If a wedding vendor has a problem with you asking questions, they probably aren’t the one for you.  The best wedding professionals are patient, understanding and take the time to help you make the best choicesfor your wedding.

• Listen.  Don’t just hear the words they say, really listen.  Watch the vendor’s body language.  Are they confident and comfortable with their response?  Do they look and sound nervous?  Do you get a “funny feeling” about them?  Take all the sights, sounds and feelings into account along with their responses; if your gut tells you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.

• Check References.  Portfolios are hand-picked to show off the best work, but they may not represent the “average” wedding performance.  Videos are edited for the optimum presentation.  But real referrals from satisfied clients are hard to fake.

Call up both client and professional references.  Ask questions and use those listening skills.  Even if they give a rave review, you’ll often be able to “read between the lines” if there were any issues or problems.

Ask around and search the internet for reviews.  Check the Better Business Bureau for any outstanding complaints against the business.  Weigh all of this information into your choices.      

Here are 8 Must Ask Questions to ask ALLyour potential wedding professionals before booking:

1. How many weddings do you do per year?  How much experience do you have?

This is an extremely important question.  Ideally, your wedding professional should have ample experience specifically with weddings.  Not only will they be more skilled in their craft, this also makes them a valuable source of information and ensures that your wedding day goes smoothly.

2. How much do you cost?

Price is often relative, especially when you factor in experience, reputation and expert skill.  Generally, the most talented professionals have a higher price tag because they are worth it.  

3. How much is the deposit?

4. What specifically is included in that cost?

Because packages often vary, it’s likely that you won’t be able to compare one vendor exactly to the next without doing a little figuring.  The lowest cost isn’t necessarily the best deal; some higher quotes include services that you have to pay extra for in other packages.  Make sure you take this into account.  

5.  What happens if I cancel?  What happens if you cancel?

Find out if your deposit is refundable under any conditions.  Does the wedding professional have a back up plan if something happens to them? 

6. Do you use a contract? 

If the answer is No, RUN!  A contract is designed to protect both you and the wedding professional.  Don’t settle for a verbal agreement that won’t hold up in court. 

7. Are there any additional fees?

Taxes, service charges and travel fees can add up quickly.  Make sure you understand exactly what is included and if there are any other fees you’ll have to pay.  This should be clearly defined in your contract.

8. Do you carry liability insurance?

The answer you’re looking for here is Yes.  This protects you in case an unfortunate accident should occur on your wedding day.  It’s also a sign that this is a reputable business, since most “fly by night” operations don’t invest in insurance.

If chosen wisely, with the right wedding vendors you get expert help and advice…for free!

Thanks to book more brides for this brilliant information 💋

How to pick your wedding flowers/ florist advice

Here is our new 8 step guide on how to pick your wedding flowers....by Laura from Avant Garden Weddings- Florist and Venue Styler.

1: Consider your date

My first question to a potential bride or groom is always ‘what is your wedding date?’ Firstly to check that I am available to work on their wedding and that I am not already booked up. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the florist can wait until last minute. Summer dates book up FAST especially weekends. Often up to 2 years in advance.

When considering your flowers you also need to think about what will be available at the time you get married. Just like food, flowers are seasonal, and some flowers are only available at specific times of the year.  

Have a look and see if you are getting married  around a national occasion?  Certain flowers fetch premium prices around special events and the flower growers know this. Around Christmas, Valentines day and mothers day expect to pay up to 5 times the usual amount for popular flowers such as Roses and Gerberas. Ask your florist for alternatives.

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2: Consider your budget

When deciding on your wedding flowers the first thing you should do is decide on your budget. There are no set rules about how much you should put aside for your wedding flowers, but according to ‘the knot.com’ you should be looking to put aside around 8% of your over all wedding budget for flowers.

Be open and honest with your florist about realistically how much you can spend. A good florist will be able to work within any budget, and it will help them narrow down your options. Ask your florist if they have any package deals or promotional offers on at the moment. At Avant Garden we have 4 set package deals for various budgets, from £150 to £1000. Even if those packages are not for you it will give you a good indication of what you will get for your money.

Be realistic about your budget, no matter how big or small your budget the overall quality should be to the same high standard. However if your budget is small, chances are you wont be able to have those tall,  overflowing  martini vase arrangements that you have spotted in a magazine on every table. However, your florist will be able to offer budget friendly and practical solutions, such as alternating those arrangements of your dreams with more cost effective ones, or filling them with more greenery to bring down the price a little. Magazine and celebrity weddings can often give brides an unrealistic idea of what they can expect for their budget.Work with your florist, to a budget you are happy with. A happy relationship with your florist is all about a little compromise and a little creativity.

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3: Decide on your theme

Weather it be vintage, tropical, centred around a colour scheme or type of flower, not everything has to match. Most brides match the flowers with the colour of the bridesmaids dresses, table centres, jewellery, everything ends up the same and the flowers end up blending in rather than standing out. For wedding flowers to remember try mixing contrasting colours. For example, try holding a sunflower or an orange gerbera up against a dark purple or royal blue bridesmaids dress. The colours come alive and the sunflower really stands out. Contrasting colours can make a real statement and ensure that your flowers are never forgotton.

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4: Decide on the essentials

I would suggest making  2 lists. Firstly a ‘must have’ list.  Include all of the things that you just can’t be without……for example; Your bouquet, the bridesmaids bouquets, centrepieces, buttonholes and corsages? Those flowers that you just couldn’t live without. Write them all here.

Secondly make a ‘wish list’ include here all of the things that you would like but would be willing to sacrifice if it meant compromising on your essentials. Remember that you can always book and pay a deposit on what you need. If you find that you have the extra funds nearer to the date then ask your florist if you can add to your order. They wont mind making a little more money…I promise!!

Remember there are no set rules, you don’t have to have a buttonhole for everyone, some limit them to the main wedding party and some people like to buy one for every guest. Every single wedding I have ever done has been different. Have what you want, it is YOUR day.

5: Consider your dress

The general rule when deciding which flowers will suit your style of dress is the bigger the dress the bigger the bouquet.

Hand tied bouquets tend to flatter most dress styles, these are by far the most popular wedding bouquet ordered at Avant Garden.

Trailing bouquets are more traditional and work better with larger dresses. Trailing bouquets are to be avoided if your dress is slinky.

Sheaf/line or single stem bouquets work best with slinky dresses such as fishtail styles.

Ask your florist if samples are provided, that way you can try your bouquet once you have your dress on at your fitting. At Avant Garden we offer a bouquet sample service. For a small charge we will make you up a small sample of your chosen flowers. This allows you to see your flowers in advance of your big day. If there is something you would like to change or if you don’t feel your flowers fit in with your dress exactly as you imagined, this is a great oppourtunity to change it. And of course if you have bought your dress from Amy J’s bridal boutique, we share the same shop space. So we can arrange for your sample to be ready for your fitting.

6: Don’t be afraid of expensive blooms.

Per stem hydrangeas, roses and peonies may cost much more per bloom, but you need to consider the fact that they take up much more space in a bouquet. You might feel that the ‘gathered look’ bouquets must be cheaper as they look picked fresh from the garden. But you need to consider that these flowers still have to be bought and shipped in from wholesalers all over the world. Each stem has to be unwrapped and conditioned which all takes time, and time means added cost. Having a lot of inexpensive stems in your bouquet can often end up costing more than a few expensive stems.

7: Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty

If you want to be involved with creating some of your flower arrangements, or mum/nanna is a keen flower arranger and would like to be involved then go for it. Just don’t take on too much. As easy as it can look, wedding flowers are not just a night before the wedding activity. Preperation for a big wedding can take up an entire week for a florist. Some blooms open faster than others, you have to know exactly when to buy them so they will look their best for the big day. There are buckets to clean, different types of flower food, the flowers will all need conditioning and keeping at different temperatures….the list goes on. So get involved, but perhaps leave the most important parts to the professionals. You don’t want to be falling asleep into your starter because you were up all night making flower arrangements.

Why not ask your florist if they can recommend which bits you could possibly do yourself. If you can arrange some of the centrepieces yourself this may free up more money in your budget to have more flowers in the bouquets.

Think about re using arrangements. You may want a pedestal arrangement for the church. Find out if family members would be willing to move it to the reception for you? We offer a service where we can do this for you. It’s often more cost effective for you to pay us to move thing than for us to make the same arrangement again for the reception.

8: Trust your florist

We are here to help and offer you advice. We want your big day to be special and we want you  to be happy with the service that you have received from us and recommend us to all of your friends.  Your flowers will be on your wedding photographs for the rest of your life and so will our reputation. We want to make it perfect. 

Be flexible with your florist, and allow them to be creative. Florists are artistic people by nature and take great pride in their work. If we are left to invent we will create something much more spectacular than just copying a photograph from a magazine. Remember that we know all the tricks of the trade, we know how to get you the maximum out of your budget and we can produce ideas that may have never crossed your mind.

If your getting married in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or South Yorkshire then please visit our website and make an appointment today 

http://www.avantgardenevents.co.uk/floristry.html

Http://www.facebook.com/avantgardenuk

https://plus.google.com/106828503220815423043

We also do venue dressing and event hire items like chair covers and candelabras , our showroom is on firs parade in Matlock if you want to pop down to see everything x

Help with picking your wedding venue

Struggling with picking a venue? Don't worry everyone does, it's the first stage of the most important day if your life and it's most peoples first go at it, use this useful filter to help you decide....once you decide on the venue it's time to decorate it, visit http://www.avantgardenevents.co.uk or http://www.facebook.com/avantgardenuk for some ideas