#floraltips

Credit: The Wedding Planning Institute and sweet Jesus Lord look at that centerpiece....!!!!

Even wedding planners need inspiration too.

For me, one of my gurus in the business is celebrity wedding planner Preston Bailey. What I love about him is that not only has he been in the business for years, have catered to many A-list clients and have designed some stunning weddings, he also has very valuable business and industry tips on his blog. As an avid blog follower, I will take the liberty of picking and choosing some of my favourite articles a la Preston.

A couple years ago, Preston posted his top 10 flowers do’s and don’t’s. What I love about “Do and Don’t” lists is the practicality of it all, something that a planner like myself revels in. Being primarily a designer and less of a planner (there is a difference, folks!), Preston is able to meticulously analyze what to do and not to do to maintain the aesthetic appeal to your wedding.

1. If you’re using clear glass flower vases, nothing looks worse than dirty water.  Solution: Add a few drops of Clorox to the water.

2. Magazines love to feature beautiful images of ceremony aisles decorated with petals. In real life, however, this isn’t very practical. Most of the time the bride’s train drags the petals down the aisle, creating a visual mess along the way.

3. Speaking of ceremony aisles, have you ever unrolled an aisle runner without it looking like a wrinkled mess? Solution: Tape it down before the processional and hope for the best.

4. The one thing that most brides love more than anything is candles, especially tall tapered candles. Unfortunately, I have ruined more than one table setting with dripping wax – even when I used drip-less candles. The biggest problem is when you turn on an air-conditioner and the air blows across your beautifully decorated table, creating a disaster. Solution: The wonderful and tall LED tapers. I suggest these in my book as well, because they will give you the gorgeous effect you want without the mess.

5. On a similar note, never, and I mean NEVER, line a ceremony aisle with candles unless you properly enclose them first. I learned this one the hard way. Years ago I made this mistake, and the candles dripped on the father-of-the-bride’s tuxedo. NOT a smooth move, especially since he was the man paying for everything.

6. Many of you are not going to agree with me on this one, but that’s alright. I DO NOT LOVE LILIES, which is why you seldom see them in my work. I only use them when a client requests them – and even then I do so kicking and screaming. I think they’re best when used with the pollen in the middle. Unfortunately, the few times I have left the middles intact, they have messed up some of the guests’ outfits.

7. Often rental companies don’t offer the table shape or size you need, and I get many questions about creating different sized tables. Solution: This is simple! Buy plywood in the sizes you prefer, and set them on top of smaller tables.

8. Let’s talk about setting up. Be very cautious about accepting a job that limits the amount of time you’ll have to set-up. I have also done this many times and have been so late that I crossed paths with arriving guests. Suggestion: Depending on the size of the event, aim to have at least 10 hours of set-up time. Also, it’s worth asking the venue if you can start setting up at midnight the night before. Most venues are very accommodating.

9. Lots of people ask me what happens to all of the flowers after an event. Suggestions: Freshen up a few of the larger arrangements and drop them off at your client’s home the next day. You can also donate the flowers to a local nursing home; I cannot tell you the joy you’ll bring to the residents.

10. If you’re setting up a ceremony and you know there’s an event scheduled right after or before yours, you might want to reach out to them. See if there’s any way you can share flowers, which will make both events more lavish as well as cost effective.

Naturally, some of these tips don’t apply to you unless you are planning your own wedding. However, many of them can transcend into your own planning experience. If there is one thing that resonates for me, is to leave a lot of time. Time is your best friend, and it will be the one thing that saves the day if anything goes wrong. Any problem is fixable, if you have the time to go out and fix it!

Above all, trust in the planner and designer’s expertise; they’ve seen the blunders and know best.

Until next time,

  Many years ago I had the distinct pleasure of working with an inspired award winning Japanese designer.  I had done a flower arrangement that I was not happy with. He could see this and noted to me in his fabulous polite Japanese manner, "Their faces are all confused."  I had NO IDEA what he was talking about!  However, that one comment opened a door to an entirely new view of floral design, the art of Japanese floral design and the ability to use each flower to its best "face."

  Yes, every flower has a "face" and each flower and piece of greenery that you put into a vase has a totally different personality from stem to bud.  Just as a fashion photographer finds the best angle to bring out the true beauty of the face of a model - you can, by how you place your flowers in a vase, bring out their unique beauty.  

Here is a fun drill to do:

 Pick up a flower and look at it, really look at it.    

Hold it by the stem and turn it around in your hand and look at the flower.

Which way would you "face" it to bring out its best personality? You will find it has a "back" and a "front" and then there is the exact turn of the stem when it just says "look at me and how fantastically beautiful I am".  This is it's "face."

Then, to the best of your ability, put it into a vase with its "best face forward."  If you do this with each flower and piece of greenery you will find your flower arrangements begin to sing and talk.

I would love to hear your responses to this little drill.

Enjoy!