FAQ'S

Q: We are looking for our Wedding Florist, which areas do you cover?

A: We are a Wedding studio based in Tarporley covering the Cheshire & Manchester area, North Wales, Shropshire and the whole of the North West. We have however worked up and down the UK from Scotland, The Lake District right down to Kent and are able to travel anywhere you’d like us to! In addition we have worked in Amalfi + Lake Como Italy and Seville, Spain and are hoping to do more and more destination weddings in the near future!

Q: How long in advance should I book you as my wedding florist?

A: We recommend you have a few things in place before reaching out - the date, the venue, estimated guest count, rough budget etc! Typically we get booked up 12-18 months in advance. Weekend weddings during our busiest time May - August generally get booked up first, bear in mind we like to offer a super personal service so this often means only doing one wedding a weekend or even per week, there is pretty much only 16 weekends in that peak period so definitely get in touch as soon as you can if your planning Summer nuptials.

We also LOVE weekday weddings and Autumn, Winter + Spring weddings just as much and love the variety of flower availability throughout the seasons! On the contrary if you are planning a last minute wedding then still give us a try! We sometimes have last minute availability and can whip into shape quite quickly!

Q: What wedding flower elements do you provide?

A: EVERYTHING and anything natural that involves getting creative with Fresh Flowers, Dried Flowers, Preserved Flowers + Foliage - we don’t dabble in the plastic stuff so please don’t ask us (sorry). We are a full service wedding florist who takes a holistic design approach to your wedding flowers from the Bridal Bouquets, Button Holes, Centrepieces, Aisle flowers, Arches, Installations and beyond! We also have a large inventory of candles, candle holders, vases and vessels to compliment the overall look. 

Q: I know nothing about flower types or their seasons so how can I choose what flowers I want?

A: In all honestly it doesn’t matter, we are the flower experts so you don’t need to be. When it comes to your wedding flowers as long as we know your date, colour scheme and overall vibe you want to achieve and have laid of eyes on your inspo images we will carefully select the best varieties from our fabulous British + Dutch flower suppliers suited to you and your budget.

As far as focal flowers as a general guide most Roses are available year round, Ranunculus in Winter to Spring, Peonies early Summer and Dahlias late Summer to Autumn! Obviously let us know if there is anything you particularly dislike but providing we have all the above then relax and trust in our creative process!

Q: I can’t decide on a style or colour theme so how can i brief you?

A: Grab a wine or a herbal tea (whatever your into!) and head over to our wedding gallery page or our Instagram/Pinterest and have a flick through, screenshot EVERYTHING wedding floral related that makes your heart sing, try and find at least 1 picture you love of all of the elements -Bridal Bouquet, Bridesmaid, Bouquets, Button Holes, Centrepieces, Arch etc. Pop it all in a Pinterest board or attach to an email to me, even if you think it’s all a big mash up of contradictions I will be able to see some common denominators and de-code the chaos!

You may well change your mind along the journey and that’s ok but in order to even start the ball rolling we need an initial idea to go off and to quote you. So long as you have all your estimated quantities and budget filled in on the enquiry form we can make suggestions of how best to achieve the look. If you really are at a loss or perhaps we feel we need to dig a bit deeper then we will can arrange a a call to chat it all through :)

Q: Do you have a minimum spend? How do I know how much to budget for flowers?

A: The question of flower spend is pretty much like saying how long is a piece of string. The amount, size, scale, variety and composition of flowers determine the budget; put simply- bigger budgets = more flowers. It’s so important you give us some sort of budget ceiling otherwise it can turn into quite an frustrating game of tennis where the outcome could be us suggesting ideas that are totally way off, or even the end result being you wishing you’d have spent a bit more but you didn’t tell us your budget so we had to take a wild guess - worst nightmare (never happened) but that’s why an open honest communication channel is key!

My full service minimum spend is £3000 for small - average sized simple weddings although this does increase to £4000 for peak summer weekends during May, June, July + August where demand and auction prices are higher - as a general rule of thumb having lots of tables or adding on large pieces such as Arches + Installations will almost always be in addition and will push you up above the minimum. We recommend the £6k budget band as a minimum for requirements that include a larger piece and the £8k minimum budget band for two installs. Couples on average spend around £7-£12k with the higher scale being in access of £18k. 

Q: I want everything but I don’t think my budget will allow it!?

A: That’s completely normal, our job is to help you maximise your floral spend - whether it means us discussing the scale and size of the arrangements, compromising on a higher ratio of foliage or dried grasses vs blooms or re-using ceremony flowers into the reception or simply by evaluating your priorities with you. It may be after our discussion that you realise that the absolute money shot of you and your partner in front of a gorgeous ceremony floral arch is the ultimate dream and that you want simple candles and/or smaller centrepieces on the guest tables. Essentially the wish list comes first, then the reality check, then the priority list then we are ready for magic!

Q: Do we require a face to face consultation wedding or do we organise everything via email?

A: Where possible we do prefer a mixture of email and phone chats to keep everything recorded and organised however it totally depends on the on the complexity of your order and also the time frame of your booking to wedding process. For example if you book in the height of peak season we just may not be able to match our diaries at that time. From experience I’ve noticed little value in meeting mid way through the process when things are likely to change again therefore if a meeting were to take place it would be better suited a few months before the big day especially if you have been saving up lots of amends.

We do however ask you to keep us informed of any major changes as they happen and save up small things such as adding on a extra button hole/one less bridesmaid until the final version of the order. Just to help you explain the role of a florist is pretty continuous albeit behind the scenes, from the costings, proposals, research, re-quotes, auction ordering, the full week prep, the on the day delivery, set up, room turnover, de-rig, collection and the clean up of messy stuff like candles and buckets! I’m not saying we won’t meet however sometimes it’s not always possible or necessary. Meetings can generally only be held on weekdays or early evenings as you can imagine we are usually working on site each weekend, if that schedule works for you then great, I love nothing more than to meet my lovely couples in person if we can!

Typically though I find the most effective way to work through amends or updates to be a mixture of phone and of course email where we can keep a clear track on correspondence! That said if we are working in a new venue or on a particularly complex and bespoke installation we would endeavour to conduct a site visit where possible:)

Q: What happens on my wedding day?

A: So many factors determine our on the day wedding flower production schedule, prior to becoming a wedding florist I worked as a senior event manger for 8 years so running orders and logistic planning comes as naturally to me as designing flowers, your in good hands! Ahead of your wedding we would always need to know the following - your venue (s) addresses, access and de-rig times, if we are required to do a room turnover, checking door heights if arches are to be re-positioned, where the bridal prep is taking place or where the groomsmen will be if you are not all staying at the venue the night before.

Okay I won’t bore you with all that!! Generally we will give you at ETA however don’t fear if we are not running on the exact dot, chances are we had a lot to remember and pack in that morning starting sometimes as early as 4am. In particular if you are getting ready somewhere other than your venue as we may be delivering to you first then going on to decorate the venue, typically we like to be on site as early as possible so if you are getting ready on site it may be that we keep the bouquets downstairs with us for a long as possible before bringing them up! Our experience with bridal prep rooms is that they can be a bit hot and stuffy with all the hair tools going so we always make flower care and preservation a priority! Generally we always start with the complex installs (such as hanging) or anything that will be seen by your guests first, then move around the venue accordingly. Often we are required to wait until the ceremony is over in order to position our next phase of florals as part of a room turnover. Once everything is in place that will be us done until collection day! 

Q: How do I book / pay?

A: If you would like to book with us we ask for roughly a 25% booking fee, an instalment of the same amount 6 months before then the remaining balance due 1 month before your wedding. All amends are to be finalised 6-8 weeks prior to the wedding. Please note deposits are non-refundable and all payments are to be made via bank transfer.

Q: Are you insured?

A: Yes we are! If your venue would like a copy then please email me :)

Q: Do you have any wedding flower tips?

A: Just do you! Don’t worry about Aunty Betty’s opinion (sorry Betty) Inject your personality into your day, rather than what you think is expected at a wedding and put your trust as much as possible into your chosen wedding Florist and pick a great photographer! See our ‘SASSFLOWER LOVES’ page if you need any of our recommendations.