The Question:
Floral Designers & Their Collections~
What do you collect? Seems many of us collect frogs, pottery vases, pitchers, etc.
Send us a picture of your pretty collection!
From Laurie in California

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The Answers:

I love all kinds of vases, here are some of my amber and blue glass vases.
Margaret Joan Florals, California

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I personally collect (or some would say Hoard) all things crystal!
I love glass, crystal and blingy accents. My obsession ranges from Vases, Candleholders, Mini Chandeliers and especially glass or crystal dining/kitchen pieces that double as floral and candle vessels!
Jennifer Manusco, Michigan

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I collect vintage strawberry short cake dolls. They are a reminder of my childhood.
Tracy of Park Place Design, Michigan

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I collect cookbooks. There’s something special about a hardback cookbook. I’m writing notes in mine for my daughter. Just like my grandmother used to do. I cherish those sweet & silly notes she would write. Like don’t fix this.. or you loved this as a child. I plan to pass these down to my daughter one day, just as my grandmother passed her’s on to me.
Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms, Kentucky

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I have always been attracted to old, art pottery. When I lived at home in the 80′s my mother, sisters and I would go thrifting on the weekends. Back in the day it was not uncommon to pick pieces up for between $2.00- $$5.00. Now, everyone covets these vessels and they are harder to get at a bargain. They are ,however, some of my favorite possessions!
Carmel of Mt. Lebanon Floral, Pennsylvania

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And what does Laurie, who originally asked the question, collect? Pin cushions and Milk glass!

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

This week I had a fun little outing with Debra Prinzing to visit Vivian at Everyday Flowers Farm here in Arlington, Washington. Rows & rows of flowers that Debra and I got to walk thru and pick from to make arrangements. So fun!
Here’s my design .. dahlias, zinnias, butterfly bush, sweet peas, nine bark, plum tree, artemsia.

Vivian’s flowers can be purchased at Seattle Wholesale Growers Market.

First, a little backstory before I start today’s post. Last summer I announced on Flirty Fleurs that my husband and I would be relocating to Washington State for his job. At the time I had no idea what to expect for myself, Bella Fiori or Flirty Fleurs and figured I’d take it as it comes. Well, I was very fortunate in that upon announcing the impending move on the blog right away Kelly of Botanique reached out to me and suggested I join her for a GSFA meeting. (Greater Seattle Floral Association). I cannot thank Kelly enough for inviting me to the group, being part of GSFA has been a wonderful experience and one that I’m very grateful for. GSFA meets monthly and at each meeting we focus on a business topic. At one meeting we all got together and decided to have a floral designer come in from another city and give us a hands-on workshop. I reached out to my sweet friend, Nancy Liu Chin of San Francisco to see if she’d be willing to come to Seattle for a workshop, and luckily she said yes! Plus, as an extra bonus to our workshop she brought her husband, Kevin, who took photos of our day together!
We worked on so many projects together – bouquets, centerpieces, table displays, head wreaths, and escort card table statement pieces, plus, lots of business discussions took place. I can honestly say that by the end of the day we were all very filled with ideas and very tired!
Here are some of the fun photos from the day -

Nancy designing a centerpiece for the group

Nancy, Jodi, Kate, and Tess

Colleen, Kelly, Melanie, Emily, Anne, and Melissa

Christiane, me, Wendy, Christopher, Lorie

Colleen of Botanikal

Emily of Lola Flowers

Christiane of Flora Nova

Jodi of Woodland Flowers

Kate of in bloom designs

Kelly of Botanique

Melissa of Terra Bella

Nancy’s Design

Nancy’s Design

Tess of July Floral

Wendy of Ravenna Bloom

Bella Fiori (my photo)

Bella Fiori – I took this photo with Kevin’s help, he gave me some pointers on how to shoot in manual settings. Thanks, Kevin!

One last parting shot – Alicia & Nancy

Photographs are by Kevin Chin (except the last three that I took)

GSFA members pictured above include:
Alicia of Bella Fiori & Flirty Fleurs
Anne of Floressence
Christiane of Flora Nova
Christopher of Christopher Flowers
Colleen of Botanikal
Emily of Lola Floral
Jodi of Woodland Flowers
Kate of In Bloom Designs
Kelly of Botanique
Lorie of Ring Around The Rose
Melanie of Melanie Benson Floral
Melissa of Terra Bella Flowers
Tess of July Floral
Wendy of Ravenna Bloom

Small businesses can get bogged down by late payments. There is one major reason why your clients may be paying you late (hint: it may be YOUR fault). I’ve got some tips for your today in my latest video.

As business owners it can be frustrating to deal with late payments. If you find yourself constantly asking “where’s the check?” this video is for you.

Alison Ellis
Floral Artistry
Vermont

The Question:
It’s been awhile since we’ve done a pricing post on boutonnieres and/or corsages.
Send in a picture of a boutonniere or corsage that you have designed. Please also include a list of the materials you used and the final price for the piece.

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The Answers:

Kris of KRISanthemums, Oregon

Lambs ear (from my gardens), leather wrap (from saddle shop throw away), cedar from gardens, berries $20.00

White cymbidium orchid, pink ranunculus, eucalyptus, bear grass, bracelet and one bling pin $45.00

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Andrea of Dandie Andie Floral Designs, Ontario

2x Spray Rose, Sprig of Green Trick, 1x Tuberose bloom, A few hypericum berries
Wrapped with wire.
$15

2x Spray Rose, Sprig of Statice, 1x Tuberose bloom, 1x Variegated Lily Grass
Wrapped with wire.
$12

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Tracy of Park Place Design, Michigan

White rose, moss and some twine, and brunia, and lambs ear
$21.00

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Buffy of Pink Posey Design, Colorado

Blushing Bride Protea, agonis Berries, scabiosa bud, camelia foliage and small ranunculus.
$18

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Lauren of Garden Gate Florals, Florida

Succulent
Oregonia Varigated
Green Thistle
Teal, gold and dark teal ribbon tied.
$18.00

Dusty Miller Leaf
Peach Ilse Spray Rose
Peach Hypericum Berries
3 stems of Birch
Wrapped in Ivory ribbon with a tiny white pearl pin
$18.00

Baby’s Breath
Jute/burlap ribbon
tiny white pearl pin
$12.00

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Tammy of Wild Bunch, Shropshire, UK

Double white ranunculus, lilly of the valley, forget me knot, brunnera (and beautiful silk ribbon from Silk and Willow)
£9.50

Santolina, Pheasants eye naricissi, lilly of the valley, asparagues fern and stachys
£8.50

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Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms, Kentucky

1 hellebores
3 creeping red sedum florets
1 boston fern frond
1 stem tri color sage
1 stem lemon thyme
1 stem dill
tape, wire & bindwire
Price $18

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Laurie of Fleurie, California

Wired and taped boutonniere with wrapped stem.
I stem spray rose 4.50
1 Galax leaf .50
.25 yd ribbon .50
Pin
Labor
Tape
Wire
$15.00

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I love getting creative on corsages and to be honest I’m not sure if I could create just a “basic” corsage because I haven’t done one since probably my first floral design class. I know some may think corsages are just an aftermath for flowers, but they are typically for the mothers of the bride and groom, who could possibly be the most important support system these two have had, so they should be wearing something beautiful for their flowers. Here are a few fun and not so typical designs I’ve done in the past.
Katie of Noonan’s Wine Country Designs & The Petal Club, California

This was a wedding with peacock feathers and took place at the historic Santa Margarita Barn so burlap and feathers was a must, so we took a basic cuff and wrapped it with burlap, then added in a peacock feather and used the colors of the wedding with a few petals from a purple vanda orchid and then a green pompom mum. The price of this was $25.

For these wrist corsages, they look more traditional, but are created on a floral decorative wire bracelet. These are the more common corsages that go out our door for clients and we create all the bracelets with the wire color of their choice and then add a base with a heavy kraft or fabric covered cardboard at the top of the bracelet. We typically cover this part with a foliage and then add in the flowers and maybe a decorative ribbon or lace accent. These are $25-$30 depending on the flowers used.

These mother’s corsages were created with a much more labor intensive technique of creating the bracelet with three taped wires and then weaving lily grass tightly into a cuff bracelet creates your base. Then you are able to adhere blooms and accents as desired. Below we used a string of pearls to match the mother’s dresses and then added blooms of vanda orchids, but this can be customized to any style or color scheme. The price of these are $35, maybe should be more but like I said clients have a hard time paying more than $35 for “corsages” so it’s all about showing them a different type of corsage.

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

Hello Flower Friends –

Did you see that Florabundance announced the dates and speaker line-up for Inspirational Design Days 2015? – check it out here

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Also, last week I mentioned my new part time position at Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. I’ll be posting goodies at the market to instagram so be sure to follow along – here

Jello Mold arrives at the market

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Last thing .. photo of my sweet niece modeling a flower halo I made with Passionflowers & bachelor buttons -

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Have a great weekend everyone! See you back here on Monday!

Nestled among the rolling hills above Healdsburg, California sits a breathtaking flower farm called Chalk Hill Clematis. Yes, a flower farm focused on growing the beautiful, wild, ethereal Clematis Flower!

The Clematis grown here are available exclusively to floral designers and the trade; yes, you can order Clematis from here! Typically their Clematis are available April thru October, of course weather can affect their flowering season. The Clematis are available in blue, purple, mauve, red, pink, lavender and white. Clematis’ are an excellent vase flower, and will usually last 7-10 days after receiving them. The Clematis from CHC typically have a stem length of 15-18 inches with one flower per stem. Yes, I have had them shipped to me in Colorado when I had the shop there and the flowers arrived in beautiful condition. Check out their website here to see a sampling of the varieties they offer.

Clematis Growing at Chalk Hill Farm

Chalk Hill Clematis Seed Pods

Visiting Chalk Hill Clematis Farm was a true treat, my mother joined me and she and I just loved every minute of wandering the grounds with the farm manager, Fernando. Just perfect to walk thru the rows of flowering Clematis, to see the rambling roses, rows of Olive Trees, take in the view from the pool area, and a walk thru Mary Toomey’s Clematis garden. Towards the end of our visit Fernando let me loose in the fields as I was craving those crazy, swirling seed pods and winding clematis stems for a wedding I was designing for the following Saturday. The vines I collected that day were just what my bridal bouquet needed ..

Designed by Alicia of Bella Fiori – Thank you Chalk Hill Clematis, your vines were the perfect touch for these bouquets!

Oh, and if you are curious to know if they produce anything else at the farm they do offer extra virgin olive oil, vinegars and honeys.

Rows and Rows of Olive Trees

Contact Information:
Chalk Hill Clematis
PO Box 1847
Healdsburg, CA 95448
Office: 707-433-8416
Fax: 707-433-8963
farmmgr@chalkhillclematis.com
http://chcfarm.com

View from the pool area

Never know what you might see while wandering around the 120 acres at Chalk Hill Flower Farm!

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Shawn Chamberlain of FULL BLOOM when she attended one of my floral design classes in Seattle. I was instantly intrigued about her project of ‘Recycle The Love’ and wanted to learn more. FULL BLOOM is located in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, and it is here where she spreads the power of flowers. Fresh flowers can help aid in reducing stress and give comfort to those who are dealing with death, terminal illness, severe injury or sickness. Shawn and her team of volunteers accept any gently used or fresh cut flowers from special events and/or gardens to help create beautiful bedside bouquets for local area patients. They recut, repurpose and recycle donated, gently used blooms into beautiful bedside bouquets for patients in area hospitals, hospice care, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities. How fantastic is that?!

Shawn, How did you come up with the idea for Full Bloom and when did you start?
The idea came about one summer evening while I was working in the gardens at a local hospice facility. I could see in one of the patient rooms, a young mother. I began to reflect about her situation and wanted to do something to let her know someone was thinking about her. I had just cut some flowers, so I arranged them and gave them to a nurse and asked her to deliver them and to tell the young mother someone was thinking about her. I’m not sure it made a huge impact on the patient, but it did on me. I thought, “wait. I’m on to something here.” So that’s sort of how it came about. FULL BLOOM is in it’s 2nd year of operation and hundreds of bouquets have been delivered since that one evening. Pretty amazing, I think.

Can you tell us how Full Bloom works? How do you ‘Recycle The Love’?

I love the phrase “Recycle the Love” because that’s exactly what we are about and it’s so easy to do! To make a flower donation, all you have to do is go to thefullbloom.org and send a quick email telling us you’d like to donate. I collect a few details about the donation, then contact the planner or florist and arrange the pick up. I have volunteers recut and repurpose all the flowers into bedside bouquets and they are usually out for delivery the very next day. That’s how we recycle the love! It has been really rewarding knowing that this simple gesture has the ability to connect so many people in such a positive way. Whether it’s the one donating, receiving, or the volunteers that help arrange and deliver, every person finds some joy and meaning in it. It’s been really awesome to connect people in this way. Love is such a good thing. Isn’t it?

I’m sure you are full of wonderful stories of how flowers have touched someone who really needed them, can you share one of your favorite stories with us?

I do not personally go in to the patient rooms and deliver flowers – I leave that up to the nurses & caregivers, so I do not get to see the response of those receiving them, however, I did happen to have an experience with a patient that I will not forget. It reaffirmed to me that I am doing something good and it’s making an impact on the lives of others. It went something like this: I am on a flower delivery to a care facility. As I was bringing the last vases in, I saw a nurse and a woman ahead of me in the hallway. The nurse had just given the woman one of the bouquets of flowers.
The woman was walking with her walker, so the nurse set them on the seat of the walker.
The woman asked, “Who are those for?”

The nurse replied, “Well, they’re for you. Someone is thinking about you.”

The woman: “Who would be thinking about me?” This question stopped me in my tracks.

Nurse: “Maybe this lady behind you can tell you, she brought them in.” The woman turned to me and with moist eyes said, “These are for me? Well, they’re beautiful.”

I replied, “Yes they are and so are you..”

The woman then quietly said, “thank you, for thinking of me..” It was a very simple exchange of words, but I walked away knowing at least two lives were touched that day – hers and mine.

Thank you, Shawn, for sharing your story of Full Bloom, very inspirational!
For more on Full Bloom check out the website here

The Question:
Floral Designers & Their Collections~
What do you collect? Seems many of us collect frogs, pottery vases, pitchers, etc.
Send us a picture of your pretty collection!
From Laurie in California

………………………………………………….

The Answers:

I love all kinds of vases, here are some of my amber and blue glass vases.
Margaret Joan Florals, California

………………………………………………….

I personally collect (or some would say Hoard) all things crystal!
I love glass, crystal and blingy accents. My obsession ranges from Vases, Candleholders, Mini Chandeliers and especially glass or crystal dining/kitchen pieces that double as floral and candle vessels!
Jennifer Manusco, Michigan

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I collect vintage strawberry short cake dolls. They are a reminder of my childhood.
Tracy of Park Place Design, Michigan

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I collect cookbooks. There’s something special about a hardback cookbook. I’m writing notes in mine for my daughter. Just like my grandmother used to do. I cherish those sweet & silly notes she would write. Like don’t fix this.. or you loved this as a child. I plan to pass these down to my daughter one day, just as my grandmother passed her’s on to me.
Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms, Kentucky

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I have always been attracted to old, art pottery. When I lived at home in the 80′s my mother, sisters and I would go thrifting on the weekends. Back in the day it was not uncommon to pick pieces up for between $2.00- $$5.00. Now, everyone covets these vessels and they are harder to get at a bargain. They are ,however, some of my favorite possessions!
Carmel of Mt. Lebanon Floral, Pennsylvania

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And what does Laurie, who originally asked the question, collect? Pin cushions and Milk glass!

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

When floral designers are proud of our work we really, really, really want professional photos to show off our stuff. It somehow seems increasingly hard to find photographers who are willing to share their work with us. Here’s my take on it…

Why don’t wedding photographers share photos with floral designers? We always want photographers to share photos, but some are pushing back and even want to charge for photos of our work. What can we do about this as a professional community? Can’t we all just get along?

Tell us about your experience with photographers sharing professional images in the comments.

Alison Ellis
Floral Artistry
Vermont

Today we have a special guest, Margot Shaw, who is the founder and editor of my favorite magazine – flower

Margot, Please tell us a little bit about what prompted you to start Flower Magazine.

Well, I’ve always loved beauty, and words, and had worked in floral design for a few years, unable to find anything with a floral/lifestyle message on the newsstand, and one day had the idea to start a magazine devoted to flowers in every incarnation.Living in Birmingham, Alabama, the home base for numerous national publishing houses made my job easier, especially as I was a complete novice. But the idea began to take “root” and I’ve had amazing help, support, lots of God moments, and incredibly rich experiences in these last 7 years, as we’ve grown and increased to bi-monthly from quarterly.

Photographer – Becky Luigart-Stayner

What is a typical day in the life of a magazine editor?

Interesting question. For me, there is no typical day, as every day is different. Depending on where we are in the editorial cycle, what special events are on the calendar and where I might be speaking, I can be in the office looking at cover options, or in Chicago presenting to a garden club, in New York meeting with advertisers and flower world folks – my day is never boring. Plus I’m surrounded by interesting, beautiful places, gardens, people, etc. – not exactly rough duty…

As you know, the majority of our readers are floral designers and I’m quite sure
they’d like to know how to submit to Flower Magazine. Any tips?

EASY!! Just email pitch, images, etc. to editorial@flowermag.com –
We LOVE submissions and our team is very quick to respond.

What elements do you look for in a floral arrangement to make it cover ready?

A cover-ready arrangement does not need to be over the top, it just has to have a seasonality and beautiful background, and of course, the flowers and design really fresh. We love an interesting container but not one that distracts from the “star of the show”.

What do you see as the next big thing in floral design? What has seen its day?

I think the next big thing is just more of the green/slow flower idea, whether its organic plant material, or just something locally grown, versus imported. The loose, garden-y look is one of my favorite throwback styles that I hope will endure. The element of simplicity seems to be gaining ground, whether it’s monochromatic arrangements or mono-bloom. I’m not sure what’s seen it’s day, as my sense is we’re just embracing more design styles and retaining what’s still good design. I still love a beautiful French hand-tied bouquet, or a sphere of rich red carnations in a footed urn, as well as a big mixed English arrangement on a console in the foyer of an important venue. So, these favorites of mine will always be in vogue with me.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the floral industry?

With all the DIY blogs, Pinterest, etc., the industry MUST continue to emphasize its strengths. I think it’s really important for a designer/retailer to not only market themselves, but offer educational options. It’s one way to expose consumers to good design, and instruct them about flower care and mechanics, all the while having them in the shop/studio being familiarized with the of course, unattainable expertise of the actual designer. So we want to inspire civilians to arrange, but always foster an appreciation for the high level of skill and talent of the professional. The more people are empowered, the more they’ll see flowers as a necessity vs. a luxury, and that’s good for all of us!

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find my inspiration almost everywhere – design books, flower shows, garden tours, travel in general, fashion, interior design, even music. I think the world of design is so interrelated , with all mediums feeding off each other. Our new slogan at “flower” is “flower as a verb” meaning, a lifestyle that flourishes…

Photographer – Cary Norton

Which blogs & magazines do you read?

Well, Flirty Fleurs of course, Style Blueprint, Slow Flowers, Faith Flowers, Flower School of New York, Emily Thompson Flowers, All the Best, Cote de Texas, Honey of a Thousand Flowers, my list is pretty long, but that’s a good smattering of blogs, and magazines I read/have and hope to read: Garden Design, Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, House Beautiful, New Yorker, Victoria, Southern Living, Garden and Gun, Art and Antiques and every now and then, Rolling Stone (I’m a music fanatic)

If you were to design an arrangement for your home today what style would it be
and what flowers would you use?

Loose, garden-y, most likely from my garden, augmented by some gorgeous dahlias from my wholesaler, or whatever’s in season, that I don’t have in my garden.

And, I have to ask– what’s your favorite flower?

Right now, it’s either the scabiosa or the poppy. They’re so simple and playful. I like things that don’t take themselves too seriously, have movement, and a little sass.

Thank you, Margot, for sharing your passion for flowers with us! So great to get to know you a bit better!

For more information on flower magazine – click here

Photographer – Brooke Slezak

The Question:
What mistakes have you made (aside from under-charging) in your professional career? Things that ‘you’ll never do again having learned your lesson?
From Patricia in Washington

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The Answers:

Early in wedding deliveries we placed vases that were on pedestals on the floor of the cargo trailer (in boxes, surrounded with fill) and by the time we arrived we had one with a broken base . That was also the last time I used containers that the client provided( they were very poor quality).
Kris of KRISanthemums, Oregon

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Inflexibility has been my big lesson learned. Generally I have found it makes a much happier customer when you are willing to go the extra mile. A last minute additional delivery goes a long way for a flustered bride forgetting about boutonnieres going to the hotel, etc. I have made the mistake of charging for every single little thing and then regretting it when I sent that extra bill or got one less star on my Wedding Wire reviews. Being flexible is the best customer service and I am determined to have all my brides happy with my service. It’s hard to be constantly easy going when you are overtired and overworked come the Saturday afternoon wedding but the flexibility makes a big difference to that bride. Referrals and word of mouth is best for business growth!
Andie of Dandie Andie Floral Designs, Ontario

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One very important lesson I’ve learned in both the floral business and event planning industry would be to absolutely invest in a comprehensive Agreement/Contract form that client signs at time of booking and at final meeting for services/selections.
The best resource I’ve discovered for this (without hiring a lawyer) is:
www.lawforcreatives.com
Jennifer Mancuso, Michigan

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Two situations pop out immediately. Both were early in my floral career and I learned hard lessons from both. The first occurred while I was working for a girlfriend who had just purchased a small bucket shop. A customer had order multiple bouquets of wrapped flowers to give out at an event. The wraps were prepared and put in buckets. The customer arrived, picked up the buckets of bouquets and left. Sometime later we discovered that there was one more bucket in the cooler that we had missed. Thus began a 2 hour ordeal of driving the additional bouquets to the venue. The trip to the venue was actually an adventure in and of itself, but suffice to say we made it to the venue in time, but the customer was not exactly pleased. If we had taken the simple step of labeling the buckets 1 of 3, 2 of 3, etc., we would have avoided quite a mess.

The second situation occurred the first year that I had my own shop. It was Administrative Assistants Day and I had a pretty healthy order from a relatively new customer that included both local orders and out of town orders. I had taken care of all of the out of town orders days ahead of time. The local orders were going to 3 different businesses. By noon, the sender was calling me to find out when their order would arrive and said that they’d already heard from the recipients out of town who had received their flowers. I think the flowers finally got to the local businesses about 2 p.m. I ended up refunding the delivery fee and of course they never ordered from me again. It taught me a HUGE lesson about business deliveries and customers’ expectations. Since then, I’ve always delivered business orders before noon.
Anne of Hydrangea Bleu, California

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What I have learned is NEVER ever, ever start out cheap and make sure you have a good logo and name to brand yourself. It’s kinda hard to change over after you started out doing weddings almost for free, everyone thinks you’re going to give it away. My original name was Affordable Elegance meaning I was “affordable” my new name is Park Place Design, you know like the board walk place the most expensive place on the board!!
Tracy of Park Place Design, Michigan

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Recently I was completely taken off guard, and consequently felt quite out of my depth in understanding how to make good a situation that seemed to snow ball quite quickly. The main thing I learnt from my experience was to be very clear and open about trusting your instinct and deep gut feeling. And to acknowledge to yourself, it might be worth saying no and pulling out in a clear and honest way to the bride, simply by saying you think you are the wrong person for her, and you think she should find another florist to do her flowers. My experience related to a last minute bride, who had 7 weeks before her wedding phone you and admit she couldn’t find the right florist and would you be available. I explained it was very early in the growing the season and I wasn’t too sure that I would have the quantity of flowers ready in my garden for what she wanted, however when she assured me she only wanted a very small floral element I agreed to take on her contract. But very soon a terribly complicated email chain developed, from it seemed an subconscious flow of wishes and desires, which felt almost structureless and pure whimsy. I tried a number of times to summarise all ideas into a structured and numbered floral design itemised list, but her communication still flowed through random emails. It all worked out in a reasonable way, but I did not feel there was an essence or a beauty in the the work I did for her that I expect from myself, and it was because the essence was lost in a terrible knot of communication. What I learnt was to trust your instinct and your deep gut feeling. As I deeply wishes I had, when in even our first phone conversation I tried to say no, but she persuaded me it would be so small it would be fine, when in fact it turned out to be one of the biggest weddings I have worked on. I realise it would have been better to pull out even after a couple of weeks, and I wish I had, but I have ever experienced this confusion before, and so I kept going despite this deep rooted feeling telling me to apologise and say I wasn’t the right person for her.
Tammy of Wild Bunch, England

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The biggest mistake I have made recently is to try to streamline my event consultation process. I created a series of steps for the bride to be screened, in the end it became to many hoops to jump through and the whole process had become depersonalized. I feel that the reason it didn’t work for me is that my client wants a personal connection to the company that will be handling the details of a most personal moment or day in their life. They want me, the florist. They want to meet face to face, to get a feel for my personality. To have a real human connection. I will still use the wedding consultation form, but will be in contact by phone or in person as soon as possible for sure.
Laurie of Fleurie, California

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

I know us floral designers are often asking .. What does a Bride want? How do I get brides to hire me? How do brides find me? How did she make her final decision in who to hire?
Recently a friend of mine married on the coast of Central California and I asked her if she’d share her wedding planning experience with us.

Sarah, how many florists did you meet with?
Since we were not super local to our venue, I emailed and checked out websites, blogs, and facebook of many florists in Monterey. I personally met with 2 after narrowing it down.

How did you find florists to meet with?
Mostly just online searching. One friend recommended a florist but they never got back to me. They were a bigger shop and I went by their store once when I was in the area, but their customer service wasn’t good in person either so I didn’t pursue them further.

Did you compare websites?
Yes.

What were some things that you liked about a vendor website, what did you not like.
Of the two florists I met with, I liked both of their websites. They had all sorts of photos of different styles of weddings including ceremony spaces, table arrangements, bouquets, etc.

Why did you pick your florist?
I decided on the one I went with for a few reasons. The biggest reason was when I personally met her, she was awesome. She worked out of her home and she was showing me a bunch of things she was working on for the upcoming weekend. Her energy and personality were a good fit for me, in addition to really liking what she showed me. She was within my budget and she also had done the flowers for our venue many times which made me feel more confident. The other florist I met with was not impressive in person. I didn’t care for her personality (she was slow like she seemed drugged or something) and it just didn’t seem like a fit. Also when I met with her in person, all of her photos seemed really old and she hadn’t worked at our venue.

Anything during the process that you wish would have been different?
Our florist was great. Besides that one in person meeting, everything was done online. She was very quick to respond, she eased my fears, answered my questions, and I was so happy with how the flowers turned out. They were exactly what I was hoping for- a bright pop of color with a variety of textures.

Anything else you’d like to share with flirty fleurs readers about your planning process?
I think the biggest thing would be go with your gut. I knew right away after meeting with the 2 different florists which was going to be the right choice for me.

The Question:
I would love to hear wedding installation nightmares and lessons learned. I am learning a few myself and would love to learn from other designers experiences!
From Madeleine in Texas

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The Answers:

Don’t feel bad saying NO to a client who wants to “piece” an event together using a variety of vendors for decor. You can also file this under: Hold your ground, go with your gut, and you signed my contract.

Case in point:
I had a mother of the bride who was a tad on the difficult side. The bride was a total sweet heart but had I met her mother at the initial consult I probably would have declined the project to begin with. The bride was pleased with the proposal and signed the contract. Towards the event date, the mother of the bride called and argued about the price of my chuppah rental. She claimed to have found it from another vendor that “specialized in chuppahs” for less. After many back and forth conversations about it, I was tired of arguing and said “sure, please get your chuppah from the “other guy”. The one catch was she still wanted me to hang floral pieces on the corners, and I thought “no problem, I can do that”. At the particular time in my career I was one who wanted to avoid conflict at all costs I and didn’t stick to my guns even though my gut told me I should. Big mistake.

A month before the wedding I contacted this “other vendor” and chatted about set-up time. We agreed that they would set the chuppah at 3:00 and I would place the flowers at 4:00. The ceremony started at 5:00. Fast forward to the wedding day. 3:00 came and went. 4:00 came and went. The mother of the bride started to freak out. To say she was upset was upset was putting it mildly. The “other vendor” wasn’t answering their phone and she kept looking at me to do something. What could I do?!

The “other” vendor showed up at 4:45, as guest were being seated, and proceeded to struggle to set up their chuppah. It was a circus… it looked as if they had NEVER set up a chuppah before. It was like the blind leading the blind and the THREE of them argued as to how it should be done. Twenty minutes later, I walked up and quietly asked them to please hang the flowers on the front corners when they were finished. On my way out of the venue i overheard a conversation between guests… “let’s make sure we never use this florist…. what a joke”.
Needless to say, I was FURIOUS. What could I do? Stop and confront the guest, explain the scenario, make the family look silly…. there was NOTHING I could do in that moment to make it better. What a nightmare.

This particular circus happened early in my wedding business career and I’ve learned along the way that if it feels wrong, it usually is. Go with your gut. ALWAYS go with your gut!
~anonymous

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The ever changing bride….each email was changing flowers and colors between the bride and the bridesmaids. When I delivered the bouquets, she loved the wrap but wanted the bridesmaids bouquets to be more white and the bride to be more blue(hydrangeas) . In dealing with this for months, I decided to take extra of everything with me! So in the back of the Pilot I changed out the bouquets. Although I was prepared for this, it was still a nightmare !
Kris of KRISanthemums, Oregon

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The second wedding I ever delivered on my own after starting my business, I got so caught up in making the arch beautiful that I forgot to pin the corsages and boutonnieres on the groom, groomsmen, and all the family. I remembered only after driving away. I had to awkwardly pin everyone after the ceremony and explain to the Mother of the Bride my mistake. I offered to reduce the remaining balance due by half, which was about $500. This $250 mistake will never happen again!
Janelle, For The Love Of Flowers, New York

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A wedding last summer had a large installation over an arbor at the venue. I was using jumbo cages along the top. I looked at photos of the arbor online, got photos from the bride and dimensions from the venue. I didn’t go and look at it as I had multiple photos from different angles and it was quite a drive to go see. What the photos didn’t tell me is that the arbor where everything was going to hang was overhanging stairs. The only way to hang something off if it was to climb and sit in top if the arbor (no thank you), or stand on a ladder and hang on to the top. It was such a nightmare. I managed to secure the cages and had to stand on a table and place the additional flowers from behind the cages almost blindly. My assistant had to tell me where to place everything as I was hanging onto the arbor (with one arm!)for dear life. I’m afraid of heights (been slowly getting over it, kinda part of the job) so this was absolutely terrifying for me. In the end, the bride loved everything and it was featured on a blog.

What I learned: any installation – do a site visit no matter how long of a drive it will be! And invest in one if those $400 ladders that can be secure on stairs!
Chandin of Studio 3 Floral Design, Washington

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Oh I have a great one for this!! My ski resort wedding. On a beautiful, clear sunny day in July, we set out to deliver and set up a wedding and reception at a ski resort at about 7500 feet elevation. We got the outdoor reception décor set up while waiting for a shuttle up to the ceremony site, at the top of a mountain overlooking a lake.
About shuttle time, we had the vehicle loaded, the clouds rolled in. And the lightning. Being that it was at the top of the mountain, and the guests were to ride up by chairlift, a call was made by the resort to relocate the entire wedding and reception.
Needless to say, the couple was devastated that their planned mountaintop ceremony was off. The resort staff all came together and moved the entire reception indoors. It was impressive how fast they worked. The ceremony site was moved to a beautiful grove of trees. The original mountaintop site had a rustic log arbor in place that I was to decorate. In the grove, there was no structure, just a flat, bark covered space. I used simple pedestals I had brought and put large decorated lanterns on them. I used the wide burlap ribbon that was to drape the arbor to line the aisle. I pulled lanterns that were centerpieces off the tables to line the aisle. It was simple, but beautiful. The couple was married, I didn’t have to brave the dreaded chairlift and no one got struck by lightning!
It was the most exhausting event to date, but it was also one of the most beautiful and heartwarming. At that wedding, there were 4 other couples attending that I had provided flowers for.
Laurie of Fleurie, California

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A few years ago, a wedding in mid-October became a wind tunnel. Set up at a high end golf course, the tent became a parachute. The entire catering staff, me, the wedding planner, some random guys off the golf course all holding onto the poles for dear life during a wind storm. No rain..just wind! I am so thankful no one was hurt all of the centerpieces and tables were untouched. The only thing that needed fixing was our hair and the tent curtains!
Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms, Kentucky

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It seems in regards to wedding installation the list of don’ts grows daily, but one thing sticks out in my mind.
We are all on such tight timelines and have to be quick on set up day, time is money and the window for set up can be small. We had a very large wedding at a venue with a short lead time. The bride wanted to provide certain things herself. We arrived to the venue to find five unopened boxes of her DIY items and at least 200 individually wrapped candles that had to be dealt with. The caterer refused to deal with them and we were left unwrapping these items that we hadn’t allotted time or labor to unwrap.
Always ask questions and make sure you are charging to handle someone else’s things.
Carmel of Mt. Lebanon Floral, Pennsylvania

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Setting up tall table centers on a sloppy floored room had to glue dot plates to the bottom of the tall vases to give it a wider base so they didn’t fall over!
Jane of Budget Blooms, British Columbia

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I don’t go anywhere without zip ties. They really are the answer to so many problems! They hold so much weight. Never have to worry about something falling when it’s attached with a trusty zip tie!
Andie of Dandie Andie Floral Designs, Ontario

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com