Megan | Scottsdale, AZ Floral Designer | Fleur de Vie Studio
Before you reach out to a wedding florist, spend ten minutes actually reading their portfolio. Here’s what to look for and what the red flags actually look like.
How do you find a good wedding florist on Instagram?
Look for range in their portfolio not just consistent highlights. Look at whether their arrangements vary in shape and structure or all follow the same formula. Read the captions to see if they talk about design decisions or just tag the venue. Look for work that feels specific to the couple and space rather than interchangeable.
What are red flags when looking at a florist’s Instagram?
Everything looks like it came from the same trend era with no evolution. No behind the scenes content. Generic captions. Client work that all looks the same regardless of venue or couple. Consistent single shape arrangements with no variation.
Why do certain photographers and florists keep appearing together on Instagram?
Usually because a planner who trusts both of them keeps pairing them together. It’s a sign of a cohesive creative team rather than vendors who found each other randomly.
Should I hire a florist based on their Instagram alone?
Use it as a starting point but get on a call. Instagram shows you the work but the consultation shows you whether you can communicate, whether they listen, and whether the energy is right.
You found a florist you like on Instagram. The feed is beautiful. The photos are dreamy. You’re already mentally placing their work at your wedding.
But before you send that inquiry, spend a few more minutes actually looking. Not just at the pretty pictures but at what those pictures are telling you about how this person works, what they consistently produce, and whether that’s actually what you’re looking for.
Because a beautiful Instagram and the right florist for your wedding are not automatically the same thing. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Look for range, not just highlights
Every florist shows their best work on Instagram. That’s expected and totally fine. But look at whether the best work all looks the same or whether it spans different aesthetics.
A designer who can do a moody jewel tone forest wedding and a bright tropical brand activation and a clean minimalist ceremony and an earthy desert installation, and have all of them look completely intentional and specific, that’s range. That’s someone whose skill set isn’t locked into one look.
If every post is essentially the same arrangement in slightly different colors, that’s the template you’re getting. Which is great if that template is exactly your vibe. But if you want something specific to you, make sure they’ve demonstrated they can flex.
Look at the shapes not just the flowers
This one takes a second to train your eye for but it’s worth it.
Are the arrangements all the same shape? Round and full and symmetrical? Or do they vary, some reaching and asymmetric, some low and sprawling, some sculptural and architectural, some soft and garden-like?
A florist who only makes one shape of arrangement is working from a formula. A designer who makes arrangements that look like they grew out of their specific context is doing something different.
Look at where the stems go. Do they all point the same direction and stop at the same height? Or is there movement, things reaching outward, some tucked deep, some spilling over the edge, negative space used on purpose?
That’s the difference between a recipe and a design.
Red flags worth paying attention to
Everything looks like it came from the same era of trends. If the whole feed is one aesthetic that peaked a few years ago and nothing has evolved, that’s worth noting. Good designers grow and change and their work reflects that over time.
No behind the scenes content. Not mandatory but designers who are proud of their process tend to share it. If it’s all finished product with no glimpse of the work behind it, you’re just seeing the highlight reel with no context. Usually this is seen in stories, but still… nothing?
Generic captions that don’t tell you anything about the design decisions. “Spring wedding at Venue Name, link in bio” versus actually talking about why they made the choices they made. The second one tells you there’s a designer brain behind the work. The first one tells you they’re posting for the algorithm. Although, sometimes we just need to get a post out and don’t want to think about what to say. So take that with a grain of salt.
Client work that all looks the same regardless of the couple or the venue. If you can’t tell whose wedding is whose from the photos because they all feel like the same aesthetic was applied to different locations, that’s copy paste design even if the flowers are technically different.
Green flags that tell you something good
Work that feels specific. You look at a wedding on their feed and you can almost feel the couple’s personality in it even without reading the caption. That’s a designer who actually listened.
Designs that are clearly in conversation with the venue. The florals look like they belong in that specific space, not like they got placed there.
Variety in scale. Some big statement moments, some quiet understated ones, some that are all about texture, some that are all about color. A range of approaches to the same basic task.
Real responses to the work in the comments. Not just fire emojis, but people saying things like this is so her or this is exactly what I wanted or I cried when I saw this. That’s a designer who is connecting with people, not just producing content.
And honestly just the feeling you get when you scroll. Does it feel like one person’s genuine point of view or does it feel like a feed curated to appeal to as many people as possible? The first one is what you want. A specific perspective is way more valuable than a broad appeal.
One more thing
Instagram is a highlight reel. It’s also genuinely useful information if you know how to look at it.
The designers whose work stops you mid-scroll, the ones where you feel something before you even read the caption, those are the ones worth reaching out to. Trust that instinct. The algorithm didn’t put them in front of you by accident. Or maybe the universe did. Either way, go say hello.
If you’ve been sitting on my Instagram for a while and something keeps pulling you back, that’s probably your sign.
Want to work together? Let’s connect.
Want to see more of the pretty things? Follow me on the gram!
Leave a Reply