It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to choosing a florist for your wedding. Why not start close to home ad ask family and friends about florists they may have used in the past, or floral displays that they have seen and loved at weddings elsewhere. You should visit several florists for quotes and to view their work, and bridal shows can provide you with plenty of ideas too.

Visiting several florists will give an idea of the kind of arrangements that are on offer. When you do go to see florist shops, look at their displays and ask yourself whether you can see yourself working with this florist. You can also view photos of their previous work, and if you see something you like, be sure to ask which particular florist was in charge of these arrangements.

While leaving your floral arrangements to the last minute is not ideal, neither is making your floral arrangement plans too early. It is better to wait until you have picked your outfit and the dresses of the bridesmaids along with your wedding location first as this gives the florist more to work with and ensures your flowers will fit in with your wedding plans perfectly.

It is a good idea to bring along any pictures of flower arrangements you have seen and liked when you go to consult with your florist. Give them a list of flowers you love, as well as swatches of the bridesmaids dress fabric, venue details and a picture of your wedding dress if you have chosen one.

See how flexible your proposed florist is by asking whether it will be possible to make changes to any initial ideas. You should check to see if there will be any extra fees charged for doing so, whether set up fees are charged separately and whether they have extra deliver charges too.

You should check if the flowers you have chosen are in season around the time of your wedding, and if not, you should find out what flowers will be in season. If you are on a tight budget, you should ask if the florist is willing to work with a mixture of silk and fresh flowers.

Wedding flowers can be far more expensive if your wedding coincides with a popular flower-giving holiday such as Mothers Day or Christmas time. Florists will also be busy around these times and it may be harder to get their full attention when you need it, so if you can, try to avoid these dates when planning your big day.

The most vita thing is that you choose a bouquet that goes perfectly with your wedding gown. Once you have matched your flowers to your dress and bridesmaids dresses, then you can use these same flowers and shades throughout the rest of your floral arrangements and decorations to tie the whole wedding look together.

Maricruz Tennill is the author of this guide to choosing wedding flowers. For great deals on fresh flowers online, go to the Interflora website.