Booking the perfect florist for your wedding can be one of the most daunting prospects going into your special day. For many, it will be the first and only time that they book an event florist, so it's unsurprising that most people go into the booking process not entirely sure what questions they should be asking, or how the logistics or budget should work.

Here we speak to Tracey, founder of Floribundi, an independent florist based in Beaconsfield with over ten years of experience, about what to bear in mind when booking your florist for your event and where people can often go wrong.

Make sure that your visions are aligned

You should ask yourself before you start booking a florist 'what is my vision?'. You will know better than anyone how you want the flowers on your special day to look and it's really important that vision comes through on the day. Once you've had a think about it, I'd recommend trying to find images that are similar to what works for you so you can show these to the florist you're speaking to. Ultimately flowers are a visual product and there's no better way to show what you want than images.

Secondly, you'll most likely get a feel of whether your florist gets your vision or not as soon as you start talking to them and my advice would be to go with your gut. You should be thinking 'do they understand what I'm talking about and can they add to it?' You should be able to sense that when you start talking.

Ask what else they'll be providing

You might assume that your florist would be providing everything that you need for the perfect display at your event but that's often not the case, sometimes it's just the flowers.

If you'd like your special day to include set pieces such as arches, vases, lanterns or pedestals, it's worth making sure you're on the same page with your florist about it. In the case that these aren't provided by the florist, they would usually be expected to be provided by the venue or the organisers of the event.

Make sure your suppliers are working together

The work that a florist does can be very closely linked to other suppliers on the day. For instance is there a marquee that's being set up that the flowers will be designed around, or will a caterer be laying the tables at a certain time before the flowers can go on top?

I'd recommend setting your suppliers up together a few weeks before the event, just over email, to ensure that there are no logistical or timing errors on the day.

Allocate who your flowers will be given to at the end of the day

You would not believe the fights that can erupt between guests looking to bring the best flowers home with them... To avoid this I'd recommend allocating which guests will be the lucky ones to take home the flowers.

It's a great way to reward people who have contributed to making sure the day has gone really smoothly, and a fun way to do it is to put lottery tickets under certain people's seats.

Go in with an open mind about budgets

Most people come into the booking process having never done this before so it's not at all surprising that some don't have a rough idea of how much they should be spending.

Ultimately, your vision is the most important thing, and you should look to find a supplier who can fulfill it. If that means perhaps spending a little more than you'd originally anticipated it'll be worth it, I promise!

Be careful of candles!

I've had to say this a few times but flowers, and many other items at weddings, are very flammable. If you're looking to have candles lining the aisle or at the reception, try and ensure that they're not too close to the flowers, it would be a shame for something so beautiful to go up in smoke!