You should select your florist 6-12 months in advance of the ceremony.

When calculating your flower budget, keep in mind you will need flowers for you and your bridal party, the ceremony and the reception. The second thing you need to think about is the color scheme, style of your wedding, personal tastes and time of year -- flowers that are out of season are more expensive.

Check with your ceremony and reception sites for restrictions before ordering any arrangements.

Selecting a florist

Getting recommendations from friends, family, other brides and other service providers is a great way to find a good florist.

You will want to interview a few florists. Before you make any appointments ask them if they do weddings and if there is a consulting fee. Make sure to bring a swatch of fabric from your bridesmaids’ dresses and you may want to bring pictures from magazines of arrangements you like.

Once you arrive at the appointment, take note of how the shop is decorated. Do the flowers look fresh? Do they have a wide and interesting variety? What are their floral arrangements like -- creative and interesting? Ask to see a portfolio of their other work and get references from clients.

Remember that you can buy flowers from many different places, it is the florist’s creativity and style that will make your bridal floral arrangements and bouquets a beautiful part of your wedding.

Here are some questions to ask when interviewing florist:

• How many weddings do they do each year? Do they book multiple weddings for the same day?

• Who is the designer who will be responsible for your wedding?

• Will they distribute bouquets and boutonnieres the day of the wedding and help with final details?

• Can they supply you with any other decorations that you may need? At what cost?

• Are they familiar with your ceremony and reception sites? If not, would they be willing to visit the site with you?

• What is the cost of each bouquet, arrangement or centerpiece?

• What are their delivery and set-up times? Remember that flowers may wilt on hot days and not last through the celebration.

• What services are included in the total cost?

• Do they guarantee the freshness of their flowers?

• What are their payment and cancellation policies?

A good florist will offer creative ideas and suggestions as well as listen to any ideas that you have. Be open-minded. They are experts at this and may have some good ideas that you would not have thought of.

And don’t forget to get everything in writing to avoid any confusion.

Something to consider

If you are planning a bouquet toss but would like to preserve you bridal bouquet, ask you florist to make you a smaller throwing bouquet.