The Three Branches of Curating a Client and Florist Relationship
Kristen Camielle Photography
When it comes to your florist and flower arrangements for your wedding we understand it can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. We are compassionate towards our customers not knowing the details of our business as floral professionals, but we are always grateful for the trust they pour into us to create the best results.
There are three conscious actions when hiring any florist for any event: Trusting in the Design Plan Process, How to Get The Most Out of Your Florist, and Client Homework.
These are the keys to creating not only your dream floral arrangements, but curating a great relationship with your florist to make things run smoother, faster, and more creative on both ends of the party!
Trusting in the Design Plan Process
What exactly does “Trusting in the Design Plan Process” mean? This means both you and your florist have trust in each other during this stressful yet exciting time of planning. As a client, this does not mean you cannot discuss your must-have blooms and varieties at first. Leave room to be pleasantly surprised by the season's bounty. Oftentimes, we won't know what's available seasonally until the week of the wedding. Trust that we will choose only the best for your big day, even if it’s not what you originally expected, we won’t let the vision fail.
Kristen Camielle Photography
How to Get The Most Out of Your Florist
When it comes to wedding planning, flowers are the crucial detail. Good communication is key to bringing the floral vision to life. Step one, keep your florist up to date about layouts and design plans; even if there is a minor change, express that to your florist. A lot of the time we don’t only make floral arrangements, we see a bigger picture just like you! In the end, the florals will tie everything together so sharing those details is important to ensure nothing is left behind. For example, unless your florist has specific table measurements written in the design plan, these may go overlooked - resulting in florals not filling out a table adequately: Added a welcome table? Added a few rows to your ceremony? Might want to tell your florist because believe it or not those will result in empty or uneven placement of floral designs.
Think of your florist as the fun popular girl in school who wants to know all the gossip/details of your event! Without her knowing all the ins and outs it might look a little funky, but if you keep her in the loop she won’t let you down.
Repurposing floral elements is a common practice that we suggest doing on many occasions. However, not all occasions! For example, we may suggest instead of repurposing your bouquets on a guest table as a focal centerpiece, to place them on other places where guests are not closely observing. This is because the bouquets will be handled out of water for quite some time and may not be looking their best several hours later. Some alternative placements could be bars, dj tables, etc. Your wedding coordinator will be acquainted with this practice and know the best places the day of the wedding where things look like they need to be filled in.
Kristen Camielle Photography
Starting Off on The Right Foot With Your Florist / Homework Tips
As a client meeting at your first consultation with your florist it’s recommended to come just as prepared as we are. If you’re feeling lost on how to find inspiration we suggest starting with a pinterest/design board as well as an idea of what your venue offers. Present any/all ideas you have to your florist with room for advice and evolution. A basic plan is good to make a booking but expect to grow and tweak this plan as things evolve in the wedding planning process. You don't even have to confirm a color scheme upon booking! Prioritizing what floral elements are most important to you and sharing those priorities with us. Ex: you want an over the top statement floral ceremony but a minimalist reception tablescape design or vice versa. The more work you put into your vision beforehand the better the results will be!
Remember to keep these three tips in mind when hiring or consulting with a florist, we promise if you have a strong design plan compromise, keeping clear communication, and do your homework beforehand the possibilities for more floral magic are endless!
Vendors:
Planning service: Elle Loren & Co
Photography: Kristen Camielle Photography
Getting ready venue: Quirk Hotel, Richmond, Va
Wedding venue: Common House #2, Richmond, Va