DIY BRIDE (REAL TALK)
Now more than ever, we are all trying to save a buck or two where we can, and weddings are no different. Between the venue, food, dress, and, of course, the flowers, it can add up quick. And thus, the DIY Bride was born! Don’t get us wrong, we love a resourceful Queen and are often impressed seeing all the amazing creations, but how do you know when it is time to DIY, and when its time to hire the pros?
We find that wedding florals are often one of the last things to be checked off the list and are more likely to be taken on by ambitious do it all babes. Listen we get it - it’s flowers. They are already beautiful. How hard can it be to tie them together, slap some ribbon on and head down the aisle? We have been florists for a combined 25 years and we are STILL learning new things all the time. So, let’s talk about the reality of wedding floral design!
Let’s pretend you are getting married (maybe you are) and you decide not to hire a florist. You have to order the exact amount of florals from a big box store and hope they have the colours and quantity you need on the date you need them. They will arrive the week of your wedding packaged in big boxes and need to be cut and processed immediately and properly. Every flower has different needs. Some need to keep their packaging on, some need special product that helps eliminate air bubbles in stems, and some even need to take a bath (seriously - hydrangeas are high maintenance like that). This means carving out at least a couple hours to clean/cut every stem. Don’t forget you’ll need buckets. With no cooler to store your flowers, you cross your fingers and hope they stay alive as you lug all your processed flowers to the basement (the coldest place in your house).
It’s the day before your wedding and it’s time to design! You’ll need snips, wire, ribbon, pins, containers, foam, chickenwire, compost bins, and TIME. It’s not abnormal for us, as professional floral designers, to spend an entire work day curating your designs. So you’ll need an early start and a couple extra pairs of hands so you can make it to your rehearsal dinner at 5:00 pm.
Okay okay, I think we made our point and we haven’t even gotten to the actual complexity of the design work. Remember, 25 years later we will don’t know it all!
We are not trying to burst your bubble. We want you to have a realistic expectation and for you to have the most magical day where you can focus on what is most important. There is a reason why most of us don’t sew our own wedding dresses or cook all the food for our guests. Doesn’t that stress you out just reading that?! It’s because of the knowledge and time it takes.
We value your vision, time and trust. It’s not just about the pretty flowers. Here’s how it looks if you give us the opportunity to create your wedding florals:
- Come sit on the velvet couch during a time that works for you that you booked easily through our website
- Tell us all your wedding flower dreams while sipping on a sparkling water
- You receive a customized mood and inspiration board with your colour palette, flower choices, and overall vision
- When you are happy with the overall floral package and pricing you sit back and we do the rest (other than you opening a photo of your bouquet the day before your wedding)
The rest: we will count every stem needed, order right amount according to bunches and stem count (accounting for breakage and spoilage), process each stem, keep them in our temperature controlled cooler, design everything, deliver and set-up the flowers at your venue. Sounds nice, right?!
If you feel like we are selling ourselves to you - we are! We love what we do and put our full selves into each and every wedding. Can’t wait to see you on our teal velvet couch chatting flowers!