Pick of the Surrey bunch: three florists chat to Your Surrey Wedding

Image credit: GMG Creative

Meet Sharon Monk from Longacres Garden Centre
01276 476 778 | www.longacres.co.uk

Tell us about your company?
Longacres has the largest cut flower shop in the South-East, and we deliver hundreds of amazing wedding packages every year.

What should couples expect when booking your services?
Our dedicated team of enthusiastic florists have decades of experience with an amazing eye for detail. We supply an exclusive personal florist who will be with you every step of the way, working with your tastes and providing that personal touch. We can manage every event from a small intimate venue to large hotels and outdoor properties. Every wedding is different, so we can create flowers in any colour, style or theme such as romantic, country garden, modern chic, classic elegance or something a little quirkier.

What services do you offer?
We can deliver your flowers and (if desired) dress your venue to ensure you get the wow factor you and your guests are expecting. In addition, we are very excited to offer our enhanced range of hire items, from vases and lanterns to big items such as moon arches and our beautiful new blossom trees.What's your favourite part of the job? We are devoted to makingyour wedding dreams come true. You are not simply customers but rather a couple choosing Longacres to be part of your special day. To start your journey, please book an appointment with one of our wedding florists atone of the Longacres stores.

Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist?
Talk to your florist about your specific needs to see if they can create a distinctive look that suits your big day.

Meet Annabel Grange from Butterflies & Bows
07717 527 923 | www.butterfliesandbows.co.uk

Tell us about your background – how did you become a florist?
I started at night school while I was working in electronics. I'd always loved my garden and saw a course being advertised, so I thought why not? The electronics company I was working for was taken over a couple of years later, so I decided to go full time and start up my own company. I have an excellent background in advertising, accounts, purchasing and sales, which is essential when owning a company.

What should couples expect when booking your services?
I meet my couples for a one-on-one consultation and go through every detail of their day, especially colours using my hug portfolio, which gives the bride and groom a feel of what the finished product will look like.I provide a personal service, and unlike some other shops, I only do one or two weddings per day. I also deliver and set up, and collect any loaned items the next day, so you don't have to worry. In addition, if you change your colour scheme or choice of vases/décor, I'm happy to adjust your booking to meet your requirements. I try to be as flexible as possible.

What's your favourite arrangement that you've made and why?
I don't have a favourite – there are way too many! I enjoy making a variety of designs and styles – I also enjoy being given free rein to create a particularly unusual design.

How long before the wedding should couples book?
I take bookings 18 months before the wedding as slots get reserved very quickly.

What's your favourite part of the job?
I love walking into a blank venue and creating a real wow factor with the flowers and décor. When they walk in and love it, it's an amazing feeling.

Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist?
Ask to see their portfolio, recommendations, and thank you letters. Don't let one bad review on a social platform put you off – there may be a story behind it. Talk to the florist, preferably face to face, to see if you click and make sure they understand what you're looking for.

Image credit: Hayley Bray Photography

Meet Elaine Davis from Flowers by Elaine
01306 883 511 | www.flowersbyelaine.co.uk

Tell us about your company?
We are proud to be the appointed florist for Wotton House, Denbies Wine Estate and The Burford Bridge. We work closely with their wedding teams and recommended suppliers to ensure that your wedding day is the day of your dreams. We are also a recommended florist for Hartsfield Manor and Guildford Manor Hotel & Spa, as well as working at other local hotels, churches and venues.

What should couples expect when booking your services?
Wedding flowers are a huge part of your day, and our team of friendly and highly experienced florists will provide a professional and personal service to help you choose the perfect blooms. From a small intimate affair to a large formal occasion, from bouquets and buttonholes to church and venue decorations, we will ensure that your flowers enhance your day. We also have a large selection of items available to hire, including vases, candelabra, artificial blossom trees and bay trees.

How long before the wedding should couples book?
We recommend that you book your consultation around six months to a year before your wedding, as we do get booked up quickly. If you come and see us at the same time of year as your wedding, it may give you chance to see what seasonal flowers are around at the time. Contact us in advance to book your consultation as we have a lot of couples to meet, and obviously, Saturday appointments are most popular and get filled quickly!

We offer appointments for weekday and Saturday afternoons, so, if possible, try and have a few possible dates in mind when you get in touch with us. Feel free to email us any of your ideas before your consultation, for example, photos, colour samples, dresses, pictures of the wedding venue etc. This will help give us a head start to build a picture of the day you want to create before we meet you.

Try to limit the number of people you bring to your meeting with us. Not only do we have limited space, but often, having too many friends/family with you may lead to too many distractions and different opinions. We want your appointment to be stress-free and an enjoyable part of your wedding preparations!After your consultation, we will put an estimate together and email it to you. We aim to get this to you as soon as we can, but it can take up to a couple of weeks during particularly busy times. When booking with us, we take a deposit of £100 to hold the date and then require the balance to be settled two weeks before your wedding.

Once booked, we will stay in touch via email and phone, and any alterations can be made to your estimate. You may want to book another appointment to come and meet with us again, nearer the time of your wedding to have a final catch up and confirm all the details. We would like your order confirmed two weeks before so we can plan our flower list and place our order with suppliers.

Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist?
Most couples have a budget for their wedding flowers, so prioritise which flowers are most important to you for the day. We recommend focusing on the flowers that will be most photographed, so we would advise not to scrimp on your bridal bouquet.
When working with a budget, there are often ways to reuse flowers throughout the day, and we can discuss different ideas with you. Large arrangements can be moved to different areas, and there may be an option for using flowers from your ceremony as your table centrepieces afterwards. If you have a lot of bridesmaids, a great idea is to have vases on the top table to display their bouquets in to save spending on other flowers.

Don't worry if your knowledge of flowers isn't great, we are here to guide you through the process and make choosing your wedding flowers one of the highlights of the planning process!