Planning a wedding means juggling numerous tasks with varying deadlines. Between finding a venue, hiring vendors, finalizing your wedding flower design, any everything else, it can be a lot to keep track of. While every wedding is different and timelines can vary, having a baseline understanding of when to complete each task is important. This is especially true for wedding flowers. You’ll need to have an understanding of when to hire your florist, when to finalize your order, and so much more. 

With wedding flowers being such an important part of your big day, you'll want to ensure nothing is overlooked. To help you stay organized, this ultimate wedding flower timeline will ensure everything flows smoothly from the moment you start planning until the flowers are set up at your venue.

12-9 Months Before the Wedding

Set Your Budget

Your first wedding planning task should be determining your overall wedding budget. This magic number will be useful when it comes to determining the amount of funds you’ll be able to allocate towards each wedding category. For flowers specifically, couples can expect to spend between $3,000 and $7,000 on average.

While there will always be exceptions, floral decorations typically account for about 10% of your budget. This percentage can vary based on factors such as your wedding location, preferred blooms, the number of arrangements, and so on. 

Gather Design Inspiration

Now it’s time for the fun part: gathering inspiration. Use websites like Pinterest, Instagram, and wedding blogs to gather ideas. While it's important to understand what you like, it's equally important to know what you don't. Coming to your initiation consultation with photos showcasing your preferences will set you up for success.

Discuss Floral Restrictions with Your Venue 

If you're hiring a local wedding florist, chances are they'll have experience with your chosen venue. However, it's still important to understand any floral restrictions when touring venues. This information is valuable for both you and your florist when planning and getting excited about potential designs.

Research Potential Florists 

While booking a florist right after securing your wedding date and venue is ideal, it's not absolutely necessary at this point, if those details haven’t been sorted. But, starting about a year before your projected wedding date, you’ll want to begin your research process. Spend time browsing local florists' Instagram accounts and websites, reading reviews, and checking their portfolios to see if their style matches your vision. Then, create a shortlist of potential vendors you’d like to contact.

8-6 Months Before the Wedding

Schedule Consultations

You’ve already compiled a list of your top wedding florists you’d want to work with. As the recommended deadline for booking your wedding florist gets closer, it's time to start reaching out. Contact your preferred florists via email or through their website’s contact us form. This will help you determine who is available on your wedding date and within your budget.

Book your florist 

Once you find a florist that fits your wedding style and budget, book them immediately. Popular florists tend to fill up quickly, so don't procrastinate if you have a top choice in mind. Your florist plays a key role in bringing your wedding vision to life, this is a detail you won’t want to delay sorting. 

Discuss Flower Options with Your Florist

Having already done your research and developed a clear understanding of your desired vision, it's now time to discuss flower options with your florist. This is your opportunity to share your inspiration and ideas. Your florist can then make recommendations that fit within your budget and suggest seasonal flowers, which are often more affordable and readily available.

5-4 Months Before the Wedding

Finalize Flower Choices

After exploring all your options, you'll need to narrow them down to finalize your vision. This involves selecting a color palette, choosing specific blooms, and listing the types of arrangements you need. Consider bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, ceremony arches, and reception flowers. Finalizing your vision and the necessary arrangements will significantly reduce your stress and ensure no detail is overlooked. 

Create a Layout Plan with Your Venue in Mind 

When you know what arrangements you’re ordering, discuss the layout and design of your venue with your florist. Identify the different areas of the venue where floral arrangements could be placed, such as the ceremony space, reception area, entrances, and focal points. Then, create a layout plan with your florist to ensure you’re on the same page about the placements of your installations.  

At this point, you can still make any necessary adjustments based on venue restrictions or new ideas. Need more arrangements to fill gaps? Want to incorporate more rentals such as vases or candles? Writing out a layout plan will allow you to determine where the gaps are and give you ample time to add on additional decor items, without cutting it too close.

3-2 Months Before the Wedding

Confirm Details with Your Florist 

With most of your wedding flower details already sorted out, your next step is to review and finalize your flower order. Discuss the number of arrangements needed again, ensure they match the agreed-upon designs, and confirm your delivery options. Confirming your delivery and setup details will help minimize any confusion leading up to the wedding.  

Draft a Wedding Day Timeline

If you've hired a wedding planner, chances are they've already created a detailed wedding day timeline for you. Use this as a guide for drafting a timeline tailored to your wedding flowers, including delivery and set up times. Passing on this information to your wedding planner, venue coordinator, and other vendors ensures everyone is on the same page. Having clear expectations in writing will alleviate any potential stress leading up to your big day.

1 Month Before the Wedding

Final Check-In with Your Florist

After spending a lot of time, energy, and money planning your wedding flowers, your efforts have paid off. As the final month before your wedding approaches, all you have to worry about is your final check-in. Your last meeting is in place to review all the details with your florist one last time. This is where you’ll confirm any last-minute changes to your order, if needed. 

Relay Point of Contact Information 

After investing significant effort into planning your dream celebration, the last thing you want to stress about on your wedding day is managing logistical issues. When the big day comes around, your goal is to have every detail sorted. While unforeseen challenges may arise, the goal is that you won’t have to deal with them. That’s why hiring a wedding planner or day-of coordinator is so important. They’ll as your point of contact throughout the entire wedding day handling any issues or questions from vendors. 

About a month before the wedding, it's important to provide your florist with all necessary contact information for the wedding day, including details of your planner and venue coordinator.

The Wedding Day

Florist Deliver and Setup

On your wedding day, you’re entrusting your florist with delivery and set up. Your wedding planner will work with florists, overseeing the setup and ensuring that everything unfolds according to plan.

After Your Wedding Day 

Preserve Your Wedding Flowers 

It’s a shame you only enjoy your stunning wedding flowers for one day. Well, unless you’ve decided on wedding flowers preservation. While you’ll want to make this decision prior to your wedding day, the actual preservation process takes place afterward. Whether you choose pressed flowers or creating floral jewelry, it's crucial to send them off quickly to ensure they are preserved in the best condition.

Create a San Francisco Wedding Timeline with Flowers Valley

Choosing the right florist is often underestimated in wedding planning. It's crucial to hire a florist you can trust, as they play a significant role in both the preparation leading up to your big day and the execution on the wedding day itself. That’s why you want to be assured that you're working with an experienced team of professionals. Luckily, Flowers Valley is an award-winning team of professionals offering stunning wedding flowers that exceed expectations. 

With an extensive portfolio working with many venues in the area, The Flowers Valley team understands that every event is unique. That’s why they create a personalized wedding proposal tailored to your needs and preferences. They combine your inspiration with years of expertise to make your wedding day unforgettable. So, if you’re ready to bring your floral dreams to life, reach out to Flowers Valley by filling out their contact form.