Tips on how to navigate working with your wedding florist virtually

So you’ve found the perfect florist for your wedding. You love their style, their portfolio, and they’re available for your date (woohoo!). You’re already dreaming about your bouquet and how romantic the outdoor ceremony will be. The only problem is your florist is local to the Georgian Bay area--but you’re not. You said you’d swear off long-distance relationships after that one disaster back in college, but you’re about to dive into one with your florist. How the heck is this going to work? Well, wonder no more as Rachel, of Euclid Design Co shares her top tips for managing a long distance relationship with your florist.

What does it mean to be in a long-distance relationship with your florist?

It’s not easy to plan anything from afar--especially a wedding! What makes planning from a distance different from living or working in the same town as your wedding vendors? A few things come to mind for me:

It can be harder to do things on the fly.
If you need to walk through your venue with your floral designer or you’d like to meet to talk about a quote, it’s harder to spontaneously find a time to drop by. It can also mean that whatever plans you do make will be harder to reschedule if something comes up.
Your meetings will mostly be virtual. Likely all virtual considering the current pandemic related restrictions.
A lot of us are accustomed to having our phones in our hands, texting and emailing around the clock. It’s great to feel like your floral designer is just a quick text away, but there’s something about sitting down at the same table with someone that can help you feel at ease. If you don’t live in the same place you might only get to meet face-to-face a handful of times before your wedding, if you do at all.
Trust may take longer to build.
Without face-to-face meetings, it may take you and your florist a bit longer to get to know each other, even if you’re regularly sending each other Instagram messages or emails. Building a foundation of trust for your collaborative relationship may take a little more time. When I’m working with a client who lives far away, I consider this relationship of trust one of the first things we work on together.

So… How can we make this work?

Does this sound like the situation you find yourself in? The majority of my clients don’t live in the Georgian Bay region, but we love many of the same things about this special place. I’d say that it helps to start from something that we share. In my experience, there are a few things that can help make a long-distance relationship with your florist a bit easier:

Find ways to keep in touch that work for you.
Some of my clients like to interact with me through social media. I love this! My Instagram feed is where you get a glimpse into my life behind the scenes and what’s running through my brain on a given day. But maybe you’re more of a phone person. Don’t be afraid to tell your florist this so they know how you prefer to hear from them. Some folks love email -- if you find writing things out helps you think, all power to you. Letting your florist know how you prefer to communicate will go a long way to closing that distance.
Practice clear and empathetic communication.
Ask questions and provide specific feedback. That way your florist will be able to give you answers and work through the creative design so that you’re both happy. It also helps to remember that people have good days and bad days. When we all bring a little patience and humour to the table it makes communication much more easy and enjoyable.
Plan to plan.
By planning time to meet with or speak to your wedding vendors you know that you’ll be getting their full, undivided attention. Getting in your florist’s calendar five to six weeks before your big day to chat final numbers is a good idea and will help you stay on the same page. If you have time, I’d also recommend squeezing in a short pre-wedding getaway to the area. Enjoy this wonderful place like a local and come on a weekday. Your venue and your vendors are much more likely to be available as they’re often booked -- for weddings! -- on weekends.

This long-distance relationship doesn’t have to end badly! I hope I’ve helped clear up what it can be like to work with a florist from afar. You’ll rock the planning process with just a bit of effort and clear lines of communication.