Wedding Tips and Tricks featuring Florists
Welcome to your tips and tricks with some of my favorite wedding florists around Massachusetts! I’m going to ask them a series of questions and provide you with their answers. I hope you find this information helpful when choosing your florist and flowers as well as thoughtful tips for your Big Day! I’ll also provide my reasoning for asking the questions as it relates to photography!
I had the pleasure of interviewing the following florists for this series. For this series, I also had Danielle who creates wooden flower arrangements for an alternative option on your wedding day! To check out their gorgeous work and to contact them, please see their information at the bottom of the blog!
Grace- PrimRose Floral Design
Maria- Nico and Vines Collection
Danielle- DanniLish Designs, wooden flower design.
1. What’s the one thing couples should look for or ask when choosing a florist for their wedding day?
Maureen Russell Photography: Much like photography, it’s so important for you to like the style a florist has! When it comes to the photography piece, we want you to look back at the details of your day and see exactly what you were expecting! So look on their social media or portfolio and see if their past wedding creations really fit your style!
Grace: When brides are looking for a florist, my best advice would be to go with someone who shares a similar style as you. There are so many different types of design styles out there & whichever style you like more, find florists who have the same style! (ex: if you like super textured & organic designs, I’m your gal!) Another great indicator is when you meet with a florist or have a call with one, if you two are on the same wavelength & vibe really good together it makes the experience so much more fun! We are here to help create your dream wedding & are equally as excited as you are so if we mash up really well together, from my own experience, florist will sometimes add more elements within your designs that you may not have budgeted for original, but we love ya so much we want everything to be above & beyond for your big day!
Maria: It’s really important to dig deep and make sure the florist has experience designing the style of florals that the couple wishes to incorporate on their special day. It is also important for the florist to be experienced and that he/she is a licensed and insured company.
Danielle: For me I feel like just knowing that the style is in line with your vision and ensuring that your florist (and all other vendors) are legit with insurance.
2. What’s the biggest advantage to hiring a professional rather than making your own bouquets, boutonnieres, and arrangements?
Maureen Russell Photography: While there are many amazing DIY options out there, having a professional provides you with peace of mind!! From a photography prospective things that a professional will help with range from having the flowers last the whole day to them being delivered on time and to the right place. We want your detail images to be just as beautiful as you imagined them!
Grace: There are so many advantages of hiring professionals rather than making your own designs. Here’s a list of some reasons hiring a professional is more beneficial & creates a less stressful week before their big days!
-
We receive your flower order 3-5 days before your wedding day. From there we process the flowers, make sure the colors & condition of the flowers are all perfect & give flowers 24 hours to hydrate–this ensures they stay alive throughout your whole wedding day
-
You may think it sounds fun to have all your bridesmaids over to help design, but not everyone in your bridal party may feel the same. In that case, you could have designs that don’t look alike, flowers that may not be in water & die before your wedding day and could start arguments from being frustrated with breaking or bruising flowers and no one wants to be mad at someone they love days before your wedding day!
-
Brides already have a million things whirling through their heads between pre-wedding jitters, making sure Aunt Suzy is on time & making sure all your vendors are on-time & perform the services you have hired them to do. The last thing you want to feel responsible for is making sure your bouquets & centerpieces are done!
-
The day of craziness alone should be a reason to hire a professional! You have to coordinate who is bringing the flowers to the venue, who is setting them up etc. You don’t want to ask someone who is important to you to have the day of running around and not be included in getting ready! You don’t want to miss making those memories at all!
-
Finally, professional floral designs KNOW what they are doing. We know how to design so there is no frustration there. We know how to keep your flowers alive & make sure they look perfect for your wedding day! And, this is our job. We bring your vision to life, deliver & set up the flowers the day of and we break down after each event as well! If you don’t have a professional there to do all of that the day of then that can add more confusion, stress & concern the day of that you should not have to go through!
Maria: The week leading up to your wedding is extremely busy!! I don’t think that couples realize all the little things that need to be done / have to happen the week of their wedding.
Flowers are obviously perishable and can only be done just a couple of days / day before wedding (with a few things like boutonnieres / corsages, etc. having to be designed on the morning of the wedding) to make sure they last throughout the event.
Flowers are also so important to your bug day and are photographed by your photographer so much throughout the day, so it’s important to make sure all the little details that go into them are done right. For this reason, hire a professional – they know what they’re doing and will make sure everything looks amazing! You only have a wedding once!
Danielle: By hiring a professional there is less to worry about on the big day! You don’t have to spend time or ask the bridal party or family members to help with set up on the day of your wedding when you can be spending time getting ready.
3. If a couple wants to compile ideas for their florals, where should they start?
Maureen Russell Photography: While Pinterest and Instagram are great spots to get broad ideas, always make sure that your florists style is what you’re looking for! So go through their portfolio to make sure! Thinking back to my own wedding, I should have been more specific with this while I looked through her portfolio. It’s something I notice in my wedding pictures, so you want to make sure you’re going to look back and love what you see!
Grace: Pinterest is definitely the best way to do this! It can be extremely overwhelming with all the different styles, colors etc. but it is the best way to really see what style you favor more!
Asking friends & family for their advice can also help, but be careful! They may have a different style than you and different ideas of what is ‘most important’ the include. But it is always nice to see how many options you really have and how customizable your designs can be to fit you!
Maria: Instagram / Pinterest / Wedding Mags are great places to start. They can even take a look at florists’ work and get an idea of what resonates with them.
Danielle: Most couples tend to look a Pinterest for ideas, but also narrow down your ideas by looking closer at the florist’s portfolio on their website or Instagram to see if you like their style and past work.
4. Once they have an idea of what they’d like, what is your process? Do you create visual options for what the couple is looking?
Maureen Russell Photography: I ask this because you need to make sure that your florist is going to want to see your vision, your ideas, your style and see what they can create from it! Yes- let them work their magic, but its important that they have an idea of what you’re looking for. As always, it comes back to you want to LOVE what you see in your detail images and also your formal images with your florals.
Grace: I always ask my brides to send me either a Pinterest Board link or inspiration photos which helps me visualize the route they want to take with their designs. From there, we typically set up a time to chat either over the phone or in person to talk more in details of what they are looking to include. More times than not, brides are more overwhelmed with not knowing the different types of flowers & what is in season when they are getting married. I typically will create a Pinterest Board that only her & I can see and will send it along with their customized proposal. I find this helps with narrowing down design options & ideas for brides who like a lot of different styles. From there, they let me know what they like and don’t like and we revise their proposal from there to create exactly what they want!
Maria: We will send the couple a brief Wedding Questionnaire to gather a bit more info on wedding (venue, location, date, number of guests, inspo photos, etc.) schedule an in-person consultation to talk through details of day, look through inspo photos and talk about the details in more depth – flower types, design, etc. From there we will design a custom mood board and provide a Proposal.
Danielle: During a consultation we can look at samples and refine colors, styles, flowers etc.
5. How important is “in season” and how does that affect the cost?
Maureen Russell Photography: If you read the ‘wedding planner’ interview, you know that budget should be one of your first steps in planning your wedding. I remember while planning our wedding, that my florist mentioned in season vs off season options. We personally try to stick with in season flowers to keep the budget down. This was so long ago (LOL), so I wondered if this was still something couples had to think about!
Grace: I am a HUGE fan of in-season flowers! These are always the best flowers & are always found at local flower farms. The quality alone would make any bride only want them in their bouquet! When it comes to pricing, if it is a specialty flower (ex: dahlias, peonies etc) the pricing is usually around the same from local farmers to wholesale during their season. But other seasonal flowers like tulips, zinnia, cosmos etc. are cheaper than other flowers like roses which you can get all season long!
I think the most important thing to realize is what flowers are in bloom during the time of your wedding if you have a specific favorite flower you want to include in your designs. If you love peonies but are getting married in the fall, chances are slim that you will have them just because they are not growing around here during that time of year. With that said, a lot of times couple’s care more about the colors & cost of flowers rather than the type so, although a plus that they don’t have a preference, they automatically assume ‘in season’ flowers will cost them less money.
At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to ask your florist what is available during the season you are getting married & ask about pricing! (Pinterest is also helpful in finding what flowers are available during your season too!)
Maria: “In season” really just means that those particular flowers (or that particular flower) are available at the time of their wedding, as some blooms are in season year round.
Common misconceptions are that “in season” flowers are inexpensive flowers, which isn’t always necessarily true. For example, peonies are in season in the Spring. Since they are only available for such a short period of time and are in such high demand for Spring weddings, that particular bloom is a premium flower with a higher cost than say carnations that are available year round.
Danielle: With wood flowers, all of flower types are available regardless of the season. We do have busier months throughout the year where we have higher minimum order sizes.
6. What about allergies? Do you talk to the couple about seeing if anyone has allergies in their group?
Maureen Russell Photography: If this isn’t something you’ve thought about when creating your floral arrangements, it’s a great idea to ask your bridal party, parents, and grandparents! We don’t want any last minute surprises on the Big Day, if we can avoid them!
Grace: Brides are usually really good at mentioning if someone in their bridal party has allergies. There is always the option of using silk blooms for their bouquets/boutonnieres, but typically we find flowers that produce less pollen and use those in their designs!
Maria: We do ask if anyone that will be carrying flowers (part of the wedding party) has any floral allergies.
Danielle: Wood flowers are great for allergy sufferers as they have no scent. We recommend faux greenery and fillers opposed to the preserved fillers and greenery that we also offer for allergy sufferers.
7. How far in advance should you book your florist? When do you need to finalize their choice on florals?
Maureen Russell Photography: As with many of your wedding plans, if you can check off boxes and make decisions sooner rather than later; it’ll make the days leading up to the Big Day less stressful!
Grace: The furthest in advance to start planning your wedding florals should be at maximum a year before. So much can happen in a year so I always make sure my brides know that it is okay if their style changes from our initial conversation.
The minimum time to book your florist is 3 months in advance. Between finding time to meet/chat about your vision & curating a proposal, you want to leave enough time for minimal revisions if necessary & give us enough time to plan & order the flowers you are looking for!
Maria: If you are having your wedding on a Saturday, I would suggest booking at least one year in advance as Saturdays book up quickly! Some florists have a larger team and can take on multiple weddings in a day/weekend, so it just depends on who you decide to move forward with. I would say at least 6-8 months in advance.
Danielle: We recommend booking 10-14 months in advance of your wedding date as we typically book about 9 months out. Some revisions can be made 3 months prior to your wedding day.
8. How do you decide on the size of the bouquets and the weight? What about for boutonnieres?
Maureen Russell Photography: You may laugh at this question but it’s actually pretty important when it comes to photography! For example, if you have a stunning gown and a huge bouquet, your dress details could be lost by the bouquet covering so much of it. I love a picture with the bouquet draped around the groom’s neck, which might not work depending on the size of the bouquet. Also, you carry the bouquet for a lot of the day, so you don’t want it to be so heavy that you don’t want to bring it for your formal pictures. Last boutonnieres that are too heavy, will tilt and look off in images.
Grace: I am a huge offender of making massive bouquets! (Oops!) But, during our initial meeting, I will ask the bride her preference on size & how tall she is so I can determine the size of the bouquet while I’m designing! I do that because I am only 4’ 11” and if the bouquet doesn’t look big on me, then it typically isn’t too big for most other brides!
When it comes to boutonnieres, I personally HATE the whole ‘prom style’ look of bouts. so I will ask if they have any boutonniere designs they may have seen that they really liked and if not, then I let them know that it is a small collection that has coordinating blooms & greenery included and it will not be obtrusive on any of the guys so they won’t have a huge flower all up in their faces!
Maria: It’s very important to have an idea of the type of gown will be worn and the size of the person. You want to make sure that a petite bride isn’t holding a massive bouquet. It’s also important that the bouquet isn’t too large so embellishments on the dress are not seen.
Danielle: Wood flowers are relatively lightweight so it’s not typically a factor. Size is can be determined based on preference and style.
9. Are there any suggestions on the day of to make the florals look their best through the entire day?
Maureen Russell Photography: Keeping flowers looking their best is sometimes overlooked on the wedding day, so I wanted to see what tips these florists had for us! I try and take images as soon as the flowers arrive and/or are set up so I can capture them at their best on the day.
Grace: I began including a ‘Styling Kit’ for photographers the day of to use for detail shots or anything else they may need it for. This way the bridal bouquet isn’t out of water too long before the ceremony!
Bouquets: Ultimately, the best way to keep your flowers looking good all day is keeping them in water as long as possible! When I deliver bouquets they are always in water so you can bring that vase around with you so when you are done using the bouquets for photos you can pop them right back into water so they are ready to go when you need them next! Since the flowers are already so fresh, they will typically last all day out of water. On super hot days it is crucial to keep your flowers in water and out of the sun as much as possible to make sure that none of them wilt or die before you even get to use them!
Boutonnieres/Corsages: Leaving bouts & corsages in a fridge or a cool, dark place is the best way to make sure they last! They should be one of the last things being pinned on or put on your wrist since they don’t have a direct water source!
Maria: Our bouquets include vases with fresh water. Whenever the bouquet is not in use, we suggest keeping the bouquet in the vase of water to stay fresh and hydrated.
Danielle: Wood flowers are a long-lasting alternative so they require little to no maintenance on the wedding day or after.
10. Last, what do you suggest a photographer keep in their bag, so we can help with the florals throughout the rest of the day?
Maureen Russell Photography: I always find myself looking for things to help with the flowers! To start it is usually paper towels or pins, but what else can I have in my bag to help on the big day?
Grace: Hmm, I’d say always having a towel or napkin to dab the bottom on the bouquets before the girls hold them is a necessity! This way the girls won’t have any water marks going down their dresses during photos.
On super hot days a little spray bottle with water or Crown & Glory in it will also help keep the flowers hydrated and looking their best throughout the day!
Finally, using the ‘Styling Kit’ provided for those detail shots so the bouquets aren’t being messed with a lot and potentially get bruising on petals or breaking off flowers within the bouquet!
Maria: Definitely boutonniere pins, just in case boutonnieres slip with all the hugging the guys’ are doing on the special day!
Danielle: Nothing! You shouldn’t have to do anything!
Grace- PrimRose Floral Design
Facebook: www.facebook.com/primrosefloraldesign/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/primrose_floraldesign/
Website: www.primrosefloraleventdesign.com
Maria- Nico and Vines Collection
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicoandvines/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicoandvines/
Website: www.nicoandvines.com
Danielle- DanniLish Designs
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dannilishdesigns/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dannilishdesigns/
Website: www.dannilishdesigns.com