Book your florist well in advance. A wedding florist of good reputation may well be booked for some dates over 12 months in advance - particularly for Saturdays in summer months.

Choose a florist who can demonstrate their skills, either by exhibiting at wedding fayres or by showing you photographs and commendations from previous clients.

Ensure your florist can give you the time you need, when you need it. Many high street shops are only available in normal trading hours, which may well be inconvenient to you, and will be distracted by the shop activity. Proper consultations take time. A specialist wedding florist will give you that time when it suits you, including evenings and weekends.

Having tentatively chosen your florist, you should be offered a free consultation without obligation. Use this to ensure confidence in your choice, build a rapport and discuss your initial ideas. As well as observing your own build, skin and hair colouring which should influence the size, shape and choice of colours in the bouquet, the florist needs to understand your personality, the style of the wedding, the dress fashions and colours and the nature of the ceremony and reception venues (if these are to include floral decoration) - are they large and traditional, small and intimate or contemporary and trendy?

With this understanding, your florist should be able to suggest appropriate styles, colours and flower choices. Many flowers are available all year round but prices can vary significantly from season to season. The keeping qualities of flowers vary also. What may work well in a posy holder with a moisture reservoir may be totally inappropriate in a wired shower bouquet, particularly in potentially hot weather periods.

The florist should be able to show you photographs from quality publications by top designers and her own portfolio that illustrate these suggested styles. These may be closely replicated or just used as a starting point to develop a unique design. Take advantage of your florist's knowledge and experience but don't be dictated to.

Your florist should be able to give you an approximation of cost at the end of the initial consultation. If this breaks the budget, do not despair. Your florist will be able to advise ways to reduce the costs with the least compromise on the general theme, perhaps just a change of flower variety could make the difference.

Finally, ensure everything you have agreed is confirmed, in detail, in writing. The styles, colours and flower choices for each bouquet and arrangement, the exact number of buttonholes, corsages, etc., the times and addresses for delivery and, of course, the costs. Your florist should remain flexible and ready to amend these details until close to the wedding date but ensure that any amendments are, again, confirmed in writing.