What Really Goes In To Your Wedding Flowers
You've set the date, chosen the venue and photographer, and sent Save-the-Dates to the guest list. Wedding planning is off to a great start, and now that you've found your florist, it's time to start nailing down your floral design. What follows is a consultation to discuss your color scheme and theme and what in-season flowers make you swoon. After that you're hopefully letting your florist create something magical for you (see my previous blog on Why Giving Your Florist Creative Freedom Is Important).
But what really goes into your wedding flowers?
Most couples don't get to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into their centerpieces and bouquets, and many sometimes wonder why wedding flowers seem so expensive. Well, I'm here to tell you why.
I'm sure you at least know that most florists don't just run into their backyard, pick your flowers, and tie them together. There's A LOT of prep work that goes into your floral order. From that initial consultation where we discussed your colors, we constantly brainstorm ideas for designs that will perfectly match your theme and style, and then have to choose the specific flowers, place the orders, and find all the miscellaneous items that will help bring the design together - for example the vases those flowers will go in or the ribbon on your bouquets.
Once the blooms arrive, stems must be properly cut, flowers must be properly stored in previously cleaned storage containers, and some, like roses, even have to be stripped of thorns. Flowers are constantly monitored and kept in and out of coolers to maintain the perfect full bloom for your wedding day. Countless hours of finding perfect placement follow this production, and florists often spend a massive amount of time working on the arrangements to make sure the design is perfectly constructed. It's not as simple as bundling the flowers together and tying them off. Each flower has to be specifically placed, and the florist has to take flower type, color, and size into account with each placement, to give the arrangement the perfect overall variety and fit the theme you had in mind.
Then comes wedding day. Now it's time to transport all of the beautiful designs to the event, a task that isn't very easy. Arrangements must be packages properly to ensure that they are upright and stable for the ride, and also misted and transported in an air-conditioned environment. They have to be delivered and unloaded carefully, and then installation begins. Bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages are delivered to the bridal party, while ceremony designs, centerpieces, and any other large pieces must be set up and touched up to perfection. Delivery for a florist means setting all of these up and ensuring that everything outlined in the agreement was delivered properly.
On top of all of that, florists have to work magic during these processes. If some flowers come in smaller or larger than expected, designs have to be quickly altered to fit the new pieces. If the blooms aren't looking as perfect on wedding day, florists will use their expertise to cool and mist the flowers to keep them looking beautiful throughout your wedding day. There's a lot of knowledge, experience, and creativity that goes into even the most simple of floral designs, because above all else, your florist wants your wedding day to be as perfect as you do!
