Lush greens and muted colors are the perfect flowers for a wedding in the courtyard at Willowdale Estates.
There are many facets to wedding flowers. In a series of posts, I will discuss them. Today’s post focuses on my booking process.
You’re getting married!!! Congratulations!
The when and the where will be first on your mind. Then come all the vendors that will bring those spaces to life and record the event. Flowers are such an important part of this. They help set the mood, add warmth and will be in so many photos. The bridal bouquet will be photographed the most. Your guests will be looking at your centerpieces for 4 hours! So where do you start? When I initially talk flowers with a bride/couple, I ask for key words to describe her/their vision. Natural Elegance, Country Club Chic, City Sophistication, Rustic Casual, Traditional Formal, Modern, Contemporary, Beachside, On the Lake, Romantic, and Ethereal – these are all starting points. Without even realizing it, you’ve considered this when you chose your venue. The right flowers and containers will bring your concept to life. I’ll write more about specific flowers and styles in a future post.
Like venues, floral designers get booked up as well. There is only so much space, so many assistants and most importantly – so much time in each shop. As a specialty studio, I generally take only one event a day and sometimes, depending on the size, only one event per weekend. I deliver the wedding (with assistants if needed) so that I can make sure the flowers are as perfect as when they left the studio. As a National Garden Club flower show judge, I’m very particular how everything looks.
SO – when do you select your floral designer? If you like my work, I recommend you call as soon as you know your date. When we talk, I get a sense of the scope of your wedding and go over details. This is so when we meet, the time is spent on ‘show and tell’ of the items I’ve pulled from inventory based on our conversation. I’m aware of how precious and limited time is for couples so I meet anytime, day or evening, 7 days/week. Ideally, we would meet after you have selected your dress/suit and preferably after you know what style/color your attendants will be wearing. I’ve had brides set on one idea and then go a totally different direction after shopping for dresses! What if it will be awhile before you go shopping? I appreciate that it is a bit of a quandary if you think you want to me to create your wedding flowers but we haven’t had a consult in person yet. I hope our conversation, images on social media and glowing reviews would put your mind at ease and you feel comfortable booking me prior to meeting in person. A retainer reserves the day in my book and is applied to your total.
I truly love to educate and help couples through the flower portion of their planning. I’m frequently told it is the most enjoyable and relaxing part of their planning!
Dahlias, calla lilies and anemones are among the flowers bringing elegance to this upscale farm table.