Wedding season is upon us. Once
upon a time weddings were big business for florists, but like most things this
has changed. Wedding venues now offer a
full wedding package including flowers. On the whole I think this way of doing
business is much less stressful for the bride. The only exception is the
flowers for the bridal retinue. Thousands have been spent on the dresses and
suits, the pictures will be looked at for generations - don’t skimp on the
bridal bouquet. Even if you want it to look like an informal bunch of flowers,
get a professional to select the flowers, tape and wire each flower and place
them perfectly. Ribbons and bows are very important, always go for the ones
made in Germany or France; they are much more expensive but can’t be compared
to their cheaper competitors.
If you’re planning a wedding, the
first step is to go through all your bridal magazines and scour the internet
for images you like, this will give the florist a good idea of your taste and a
feel for the theme of the wedding. Remember, in most instances you are going to
get overseas images so the flower selection will be different. We don’t get flowers
like “Lilly of the Valley” and a lot of Bridal work in the UK is done with
Hydrangeas, which although perfect for their summer will last about 5 seconds
in our summer weather. Be guided by an
expert.
Next step is to book time with
the florist, you need an hour or so to chat and swop ideas. Get a quotation in
writing. Once a bride has accepted our quotation I always suggest a meeting a
week before the wedding where you can see the exact selection of flowers that
will be used in your arrangements. If you’re ordering table arrangements this
is the point at which you want to see a mock up. Finalise collection times and
make sure everything is in writing. All this preparation converts to less
stress on the day.
This whole process is not only
about your special day - it’s about building a lasting relationship with a
professional who would like you to be a satisfied client who will continue to
use their florist services many times in the future. There is nothing like the
satisfied “YAY” of a thrilled bride. I have only ever had one unhappy bride, she
burst into tears when she saw her bouquet and yelled at the top of her voice “I
hate it! I hate it! I hate it!” I will never forget how disappointed I was; I
worked on that bouquet like a mad person till we were both happy. That was 16
years ago, since then we have sent her tons of flowers for various occasions - when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl,
came up with some great ideas when she
met and wooed a new love and did all the flowers for her wedding party
after she eloped for her second marriage. Nowadays she often pops into the shop
on a Saturday afternoon when we both have time for a good old yak. Every bead
of sweat I put into making my bride happy was so worth it, I made a customer
for life but more than that a friend, and as we all know those are priceless.
Written by Jackie West-Evans
owner of Country Flowers “Living my dream”