Today I have a wonderful guest blogger, the ever lovely, Summer Watkins of Grey Likes Wedding Blog. Summer is not only a fabulous blogger but she is also a talented floral designer, event guru, and teacher. Beyond her obsession with all things weddings, Summer enjoys teaching new brides how to DIY. I think what she is doing to help brides is wonderful and we certainly need more people who can support that DIY movement.
Thank you Summer for your wisdom and for being a wedding hero not only to me but many people out there. I also appreciate that you could fill in for me as I am going through a crisis. In every crisis there are always heroes, thanks for being mine today!
Hello all! I'm hoping I’m not alone… but I'm starting to feel really fed up! I can't seem to make a decision, I think because I want it all to be so perfect... and scared I could get it soooo wrong! I can't make a decision. The dress.... sooooo confused! Invitations… perhaps there is far too much choice. Flowers...?? Colours ...??
It’s all overwhelming! H2b thinks we have loads of time to decide… JULY 2010.My family is not helpful... Friends are great but I think I'm driving them mad, and to be honest they have their own lives.I'm living wedding, dreaming wedding!! What the hell will I be like on the day? It’s overwhelming!!! I can't seem to shut off from it, however don’t seem to be getting anywhere...if that makes sense.
This rant really resonated with me, not only because, as a stylist and designer I often feel the same way, but also because I know lots of brides who struggle with a similar sense of overwhelming indecision!
Every day, we’re lured into a state of absolute indecision by another real wedding, inspiration board or fabulous vendor feature. How is one to decide when there’s just too much good stuff out there?
Well, I can’t profess to have all the answers, but I thought I’d share a few decision-making tools (which are sometimes about the process of elimination) that might help the committal process!
Usually, the first commitment most brides make (besides saying YES!) is where to book the wedding. For most brides, because guest list,budget, location, and availability are such huge considerations, the venue choices are naturally narrowed down. Once that decision is made, allow the venue to dictate the style and tone of your wedding. An outdoor garden is going to have a very different feel from an artist’s loft. This first step helps eliminate a good percentage of choices. Also, if you’ve chosen a venue with a reception room that is embellished with say, maroon carpeting and drapery, choosing canary yellow as your main color may not be the direction you want to go.
Consider the Season. Seasonal design isn’t set in stone, but if you are completely undecided between a few color palettes, consider the time of year your wedding will take place. Kelly green and navy blue might be way more fun for a spring wedding than say, brown and copper, which might work better in the fall.
Consider your sense of style. When you are trolling through blogs and magazines for inspiration, start off by bookmarking or saving your favorite images, no matter how different they may be. After you’ve collected a hefty amount,go through the bulk of them (perhaps with your maid of honor or husband to be) and discuss each one.
Ask yourself:
What am I attracted to in this image? How does this image make me feel?
Begin to catalog your ideas and what you find most appealing. Is it a specific tone of color (cool or warm?) or is it a sense of style (elegant, rustic or chic?). Then begin to narrow down what you are most often attracted to. Keeping in tune with who you are is extremely important! You may love the look of a chic black and white wedding, but if everything else you choose in your daily life is rustic and vintage, then a modern look may not be the right direction! Allow your wedding to be a reflection of YOU! Consider a theme. Brides are often confused by “themes”: Does that mean my wedding has to have a “Midsummer Night’s” theme? How do I think up a theme? Also, I often have brides email me concerned that choosing a theme means their wedding will be “theme-y”. This is absolutely not the case.
A theme is
A set of keywords that conjure up feelings, images, and subsequently a direction for your wedding. You might have a vintage farm theme for example. So maybe for dessert, you serve pies, which have a very “homemade farm” feel to them. A theme can lend itself to subtle touches that when combined convey a specific feeling and quality. Your guests don’t need to be bowled over by a theme. Rather, it’s there to help you stay focused and to inspire additional ideas!
Also, when it comes to invites and flowers, for example, approach your vendors with a THEME, rather than a list of specifics. Allow them, as artists, to begin by casting their own vision. Rather than micro-manage, allow your designers to do what they do best (DESIGN) and you may end up with a much better result than if you had demanded something too specific. My vendor colleagues complain all the time about brides who have no vision: “If only the bride had just let me do my thing, her wedding would have been magazine worthy! Too bad.”
Consider connection. When it comes to choosing vendors, the amount of options are limitless. Really. Once you’ve narrowed down a few favorites based on pricing, availability, location, portfolio, etc… meet with them. Sometimes, the only way to make a decision is perhaps based on how well you connect.
I heard recently about a couple that had some really fun ideas for décor, but when they met with the florist, she immediately shot them down. This florist was supposed to be the absolute best, so what a disappointment for her to completely shoot down their vision. The couple ended up meeting with a lesser known, but equally talented florist who was really excited about their ideas. Their personalities and vision really clicked, so they went with her.
There’s nothing worse than working with wedding vendors who won't listen to your ideas. Sometimes, credentials only go so far, so if you really can’t decide, make sure you love your vendors and that they love you back!
Hire a pro. If you still are completely overwhelmed, hire a pro! Many brides know they can plan their own wedding, but they just need a little jump-start to give them vision. Some designers, including myself, offer a design consultation service. For a remarkably smaller fee than hiring someone to do all the work for you, a design consultation will allow you collaborate with a pro on all of your design elements, leaving you to do the work and implement them. You’ll walk away with a really specific concept, color palette, and even an inspiration board and vendor recommendations to get you started and keep you focused! Commit. Once you’ve decided on a direction, commit to it. You can still get great ideas to incorporate into your look, but don’t deviate from what you’ve already decided on. If a new pretty idea or vendor pops up, admire them and move on. Stay focused and be confident in your decision!
This was a post from earlier this year but I think that it's still relevant as there are quite a few wedding terms and slangs that new brides might need to know. Of course, if you have a few of your own, I'd love to hear from you.
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The other day my 14 year old niece texted a message to me. Half the time I couldn’t figure out what all those symbols referred to. Who knew that a : and a [ meant that they were mad! Obviously the way we communicate these days is quite different and I for one need a new dictionary on modern symbols, terms, and slang.
Well, I’m sure that for many brides and grooms alike they feel the same way when it comes to wedding planning and flowers. I’m here to help with these industry terms.
Strike – Professionals in the industry often use this word to refer to the time when an event ends. To “strike” means to breakdown the event. When you see on a proposal that states a strike time at 10pm that literally means that vendors are allowed to breakdown an event at that time!
MOB/FOB – Short for Mother of the Bride, Father of the Bride. Of course, there’s MOG, FOG…which is Mother of the Groom, Father of the Groom. When you see someone use the abbreviation SMOB that stands for Stepmother of the Bride. The list goes on and on. AnnieX took this photo of the parents of our bride, Amy. They look relieved and happy!
Personal Flowers – I’m not sure how many florists or floral designers use this term but I refer to “Personal Flowers” as arranged flowers or floral creations given to individuals that they will carry or wear. A Mother’s corsage is a good example of a personal flower. Of course a bridal bouquet is definitely a personal flower. This image by Gene Higa features a groom's boutonnieres with a trio of orange spray roses.
Chiavari Chair – One of the questions I get most often from clients are “what’s a Chiavari chair?” These are the beautiful chairs that come in wood or resin known for their bamboo-like backing. Open framed in back, they have four legs and flat sitting surface and are typically 16 inches across. They come in many colors these days but most rentals companies carry black, natural, gold, silver, white, dark mahogany. Many venues are now replacing their banquet chairs with these bamboo style chairs. Angie Silvy took this image of Chiavari chairs decorated with gold cones and flowers.
50, 60, 70 cm – This is a unit of measuring length most commonly used in pricing long stemmed roses. Roses come in all lengths but 50, 60, 70 cm are the most commonly found. Price can differ between these lengths.
Russian cut – Another term mostly associated with roses. It is a special terminology used for a type of roses that are very long and between 5ft. to 6 ft. in length. The heads of these roses are often quite large. Sometimes floral vendors throw this term out when a flower is allowed to grow longer so that the head is extremely large. This week, a floral vendor of mine called the large Rananculus in the Torchio stall a “Russian cut” Rananculus. What she meant was that the Rananculus was extra large and that the grower left it on the stem a little longer for it to grow. That’s all!
Charger - No, I am not referring to the San Diego Chargers! A charger is an over sized plate usually decorative used for table top décor. Usually dinner china is placed on the “charger” for wedding receptions. The one shown below is photography by Lisa Leigh. It is a crystal, clear charger. The napkin is placed on top of the charger with a white gardenia. Pave – If a floral designer uses the word “pave” in a proposal it is describing a particular design style noted for flowers placed close in proximity to one another as if it were placed side by side. A “pave” of flowers means very tightly packed flowers usually done in a flat surface.
Top two images by Annie X Third photo by Angie Silvy Bottom photo by Lisa Leigh
As I am currently dealing with some family crisis, I am pleased to give you our first guest blogger, real bride, Jean Ng. Jean wanted to share her wedding floral story with us. Please give your attention to the lovely and sweet, Jean Ng who hopes to one day be a wedding event designer and planner.
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Hi, my name is Jean Ng and I got married last September 12th 2008 and just like any bride that was on a budget, I too had ideas of doing my own floral arrangements versus hiring a floral designer. Like many brides, I thought “Why should I spend an arm and a leg to hire a florist when I can use the roses growing in my garden or buy flowers at Costco or Whole Foods at a fraction of the cost and do them myself?”
I found out through a couple of blogs and websites that a floral company was offering a one day DIY workshop on wedding floral arrangements for brides on a budget. Because I did not have experience in floral arranging, I figured that I might as well attend so that I could understand the concept and start planning (I already had in mind that I was doing my own flowers).I even divulged a plan to use the orchids from my father’s vast collection for all my arrangements.
With the one day workshop, I realized that making boutonnieres, bouquets, and corsages was not as easy as I had thought it would be. I also learned that there is a lot of prep work from cleaning (stem stripping), wiring, and advance care for the flowers to make sure they are open and ripe for the day of the wedding. Though there was a lesson on this, I wasn’t discouraged because I knew that my bridesmaids would help out. The workshop didn’t cover centerpieces, but I still planned to create 35 of them. I figured, “how hard could it be?” “I could just take a look at a magazine and follow the design.” I knew that the workshop was not enough but I had confidence in myself that I could tackle the task. Boy was I WRONG!
About 1.5 months until the wedding date, the stress from work and wedding planning finally hit me hard. I started getting emotional and feeling rushed. That’s when I sat down alone to stop and analyze everything from the place cards to the flowers. I really wanted to do my own flowers but realized that there was no way I could do them considering the time and stress I was going through. I checked my father’s orchid collection and noticed that the ones in bloom weren’t the ones I was planning to use. It then hit me that I would be very much limited in flowers. I even thought about the fact that as an amateur, the time it will take to put everything together plus the total cost of buying all the materials and all the flowers would probably end up costing me almost the same as hiring a designer, but the end result would be nothing but mediocre. I had already spent a lot of money buying a couple of vases, ribbon, and tools. I finally gave in and decided to search for a floral designer that could help me. It was the best decision I made as I was able to focus on other things related to the wedding.
After taking a look at my wedding photos, I could imagine how my own floral arrangements would have been if I did them. It would have been a disaster! I took a look at a picture of my wedding bouquet and compared it to a picture of a bouquet I made at the DIY workshop. There was a HUGE difference! First off, my DIY bouquet looked like it could have been done by anyone but a florist. Secondly, the quality of the flowers was appalling compared to what I had on my wedding day (and to think I was actually proud of my DIY bouquet after I made it).
I had an awesome venue, amazing photographer, an out-of-this world videographer, and a great floral designer. Without the floral designer, I think my wedding wouldn’t be as beautiful as it was as flowers were the major décor for the venue. In reality, there would have been no way my own floral arrangements would stack up. It would have been average.
I am a creative person, but even if I love flowers, I’m not as talented and gifted when it comes to arranging them and I learned the hard way. I would need a LOT more practice and time to hone the craft like successful floral designers. So all in all, paying to have my flowers done was worth every penny as it takes a lot of work to get them the way they are. Add that to the cost of materials and transportation as well. Given that flowers are perishable items also justifies the cost of hiring a floral designer.
For brides that were able to do their own flowers and are satisfied with their work, I commend you! For those that hired floral designers, kudos to you as well! I believe floral designers not only take care of your flowers, they are the ones that take your stories and use it to help transform your venue into something magical and out of this world.
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As Jean mentioned, DIY just wasn't for her. Did you DIY your flowers? If so, I would love to hear your story. Please send a full story with 4 images to Nancy Liu Chin at weddings@nancyliuchin.com. I can't wait to feature a DIY bride. Also, if you did partial DIY, I'd love to hear that.
It's such a joy to write for all of you. In the coming two weeks, you will still have great posts but due to family crisis and an important project(which will take me away from my office), I will be re-featuring some old posts that many of you might have missed and will have a few guest bloggers.
For the month of November and December, I will not be doing my Flower of the Month series. My apologies for this but no fear, I will bring this back in January of 2010.
November is a month to be thankful and I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments over the past month of posts. Keep them coming.
In the meantime, any prayers are well appreciated and I'll be back soon.
I'm so happy to share with you this Enchanted Garden wedding that took place in September. My lovely couple Nicole and Michael left me speechless and teary eyed. Their love story is beautiful and memorable!
During the entire process I got a chance to get to know Nicole's family. I met her younger sisters and her mom. All of them made me feel as if I was part of their family. You don't just love the craft and the business - you learn to love the people! It's hard not to when they just make you smile.
I am so excited that Style Unveiled choose to run this "enchanting" wedding this week. I thank the entire staff at Style Unveiled who wrote this lovely article.
I love this image of Nicole and Michael "kissing". It looks unreal as if it were an ad for a magazine. Little did most people know that our dear groom, Michael, was quite ill the week up to the wedding. Couldn't tell from these images!
For the place card table, I found these amazing vintage farmer's boxes at Coast Wholesale(a Fav). We placed "styrofoam in the wooden boxes" and then moss. Little "clear" sticks were inserted into the bed of moss to keep the cards from "blowing" over.
To the left was one of the bridemaid's bouquet made with dusty miller, yellow garden roses and lisianthus. Just about as lovely and soft as you can get!
One of my favorite memories was watching as the artist created this image. How he did it, I'm still not sure. It's very unique and truly ONE of a kind.
We double used the aisle decor so that it would also serve as the centerpiece. Who could tell?
Read more about this lovely wedding at Style Unveiled. Special Thanks to the Ritz Carlton SF and Jay Kelly the photographer!
Due to the response of my previous post Bear Bear Bear, many wonderful floral industry professionals have sent me emails to voice their concern for the future of the wedding floral business. Though I cannot possibly post all the wonderful, inspiring, disturbing but thoughtful provoking notes, I did receive one very poignant email. Because of his email, I extended David Dahlson the opportunity to contribute a post based on the wholesaler's point-of-view.
I thank David for his courage and conviction. He has over 20+ years experience in the floral wholesale industry, so to say that he has seen it all, is quite the understatement. This thought provoking post will not sit well with many of you. Whether disturbing or distressing, the point that has been made over and over again is that WE MUST CHANGE.
Bottom line: What worked yesterday will not work today. What will work today will not work tomorrow.
How did we get here? And where are we going then? Read on.
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For the purposes of this brief essay I will concentrate on the predicament of the modern floral professional who specializes in weddings, events and corporate accounts.
As an associate who works for a company that supplies many such designers, I am all too pertinently aware of the fallout from the financial meltdown and the squeeze or even elimination of flowers from the budgets of corporations. Our company is keenly aware of the downsizing of weddings and parties that has occurred and sensitive to the quite austere atmosphere that we Americans currently live in. Given the excesses of the past ten years or so, it seems entirely logical that there would have to be a period of reconciliation with the insanity of our runaway consumption. Alas, it is just history repeating itself - yet again (Genesis 41, again!) but still, the dissolution of much of the wealth from our economy comes with some pain.
I was moved to respond to the Nancy Liu Chin’s commentary(in her post, Behind the Scenes: Bear Bear Bear) because of her straightforward and accurate outline of the financial predicament that many florists find themselves in. Most of the problems that floral professionals encounter are the direct result of a very poor understanding of the real costs involved in conducting their business. During the times when money was altogether much looser and more available, the wealth effect managed to mask most of these shortcomings; but now that we live in times when every penny counts and is counted, all costs of production need to be accounted. Last but not least, the credit-worthiness of the client needs to be assured. There is absolutely no shame in this…it is business!
OK…so now we’re in business, still in business, as it were, let’s take a look around at the playing field.
State of the Union: A Wake up Call
First and foremost to be considered are the DIY Nuptial Designers working in concert with the supermarkets. We need to have a clear understanding of what is happening at the supermarkets, and they are in business to maximize yield per sq.ft.. It is unfortunate for a lot of us that many markets frequently use flowers as a loss leader, but this is happening less and less in this economy. Even the mass markets have cut back on flower purchases. The flowers they sell can be very good, in many cases excellent. Generally however markets do not have enough people allocated to properly take care of the flowers. Therefore, the quality suffers significantly the longer the flowers remain in the store.
One fact has become clear and immutable: Supermarkets are unequivocally the best location to sell flowers to consumers, because the consumer ranks their perishable nature on a par with milk, meat and produce. Supermarkets provide the absolute best opportunity for an impulse purchase of flowers because the buyer is going directly home. The selection available is commensurate with the diversity available in the produce department. It is quite likely that if you can get organic dandelion greens or fresh sorrel, the likelihood of being able to procure Canterbury Bells or Peonies significantly increases.
Generally speaking, most of the flower selections in supermarkets tend to be commodities as the inherent purchasing process for supermarkets means being able to replicate one box lot for hundreds of stores, with the correct bar code and price attached. The flowers also need to be fairly hardy products as they frequently need to endure plenty of abuse. So the selection is going to be fairly predictable; roses, poms, carnations, limonium, asters, sunflowers, gladiolus, some lilies, and the odd seasonal selection such as peonies and hydrangeas.
(Side note: Incidentally, we will be seeing a lot of peonies in November and December for the foreseeable future because they are being grown extensively in Chile, a country with well established agricultural trading ties, and USDA located at the airport in Santiago de Chile, a cozy relationship not enjoyed by any other country in the world! The key here is that peonies have been rather extensively planted in the South American fashion, and due to the nature of the peony plants, production will increase exponentially over the next decade.)
Clearly, given that we are in a recession many brides-and-grooms to be will elect to buy flowers from their local wholesaler, farmers market, supermarket or, for the lucky few, from a flower farm. I imagine they may do it themselves or a friend will put the flowers together fro them. Likewise I suspect they may have friends take the photos and bake a cake. Many brides may elect to forgo the elaborate wedding dress due to financial constraints. I think we must have compassion for everybody whose dreams may be curtailed in these often gloomy times, but we must applaud and support their decision to become betrothed, and I for one wish all brides and grooms nothing but the best of luck and that they enjoy a happy life together. (I agree!)
Insofar as the flowers are concerned; can people buy satisfactory flowers at a supermarket? Absolutely!
For that matter; can people buy serviceable butter, flour, sugar, eggs and cream from a supermarket and bake a more than adequate cake? No doubt!
I imagine there are people who take cool and hip photos with disposable cameras and create neat little sushi appetizers and amuse-bouches, and all with products garnered from a supermarket.
Heaven knows, one-stop celebrations catered by supermarkets, from basters to bouquets, is already purchased in its entirety by many Americans at Thanksgiving!
Verdict: Good quality DIY Wedding Flowers can be enjoyed if the couple is flexible and willing to keep things simple.
However, I have a nagging suspicion that there are quite a few people these days who, when contemplating marriage, may not want to invest significantly in the occasion because they are not invested 100% in the emotional and spiritual components of a lifelong commitment to another person.
But for those people who believe that the “Wedding Day” is a sacred and profound and who have the economic wherewithal and desire to invest in this occasion, certain facts hold true: When two people join together and make a commitment to live together for the rest of their lives for better or for worse, then it is customary to celebrate this matrimony in the presence of both extended families and the couples closest friends. Many parents are extremely proud of their children and want to underwrite the vent or support it in a substantial fashion. To this end it is generally necessary to secure the services of a variety of specialists who can make that day unique, memorable, inspirational and maybe even divine.
Again, I must underline that prudence be employed when creating the budget and thereafter discipline in sticking to it is paramount to success of the wedding, not to mention the happiness of the couple!
Adding Value and Quality
Today, more so than ever, almost all citizens of the USA want to ensure they get the most value for their money, and that this holds true for all income levels. In these economic conditions people are searching for quality, and this applies equally no less for a set of tires than it does for floral arrangements. Therefore, it is plain commonsense that we provide the best possible quality products to our clients, and that we go as far as we can in providing the best experience for our customers as possible.
I would like to venture that there are some consumers have felt rather short-changed when looking at the products submitted for their wedding. Generally speaking, on the wedding day, most couples are experiencing an impregnable euphoria, so it is mother-in-laws, fathers, ushers, bridesmaids, friends and so forth who may be apt to criticize, especially if they have an inkling of the sums involved. And I am sure amongst these critics are perhaps a few who have felt that “they could do that”! This of course engenders even more DIY weddings. Thus, another level of economic pressure, the corrosive competition from florists who are not equipped to deliver value commensurate with the sums of money involved in nuptial flowers, provides yet another hurdle for the legitimate floral professional to surmount.
Consequently, the challenge is to be able to articulate and demonstrate the value-added products and services that one can offer to a couple considering your business as the purveyor of all things floral for their wedding. If you are able to do that in a professional and sincere way, maintaining an acute consciousness of the couple’s desires and allowing their ideas to resonate in your craft, then one will be able to continue to do business successfully. But people will expect “more for less” and it is the true, experienced artisan who will be able to prosper, displaying light, beauty and levity with less flowers, creating the illusion of mass and volume, substance and generosity with fewer ingredients. Certainly, the days of the crammers and jammers are a thing of the past(Jeff Leatham is an exception, it would seem! We mean no disrespect, Jeff! We wish you and your TLC show - Flowers Uncut! much success!) and economy, good taste and grace must surely prevail.
Unique Value Proposition
In concert with this, and what struck me about Nancy’s emphasis on the need to be profitable, is that we all need to account for our costs, and pay ourselves a living wage. It is imperative to be ever vigilant that you are attributing the costs of doing business properly. Incidentally, one aspect of retail flower cost estimates I have never understood is the method of marking up flowers three times or four times, adding the cost of hard goods, the cost of labor and any drayage, plus taxes.
As I understand it the profit is captured in the mark-up on the flowers, but this method seems to leave the true profit in the realm of the occult. Whereas most conventional businesses add up all the costs of production, plus allocate a pre-determined percentage to cover all fixed costs, and then mark up this total to arrive at a price that includes the profit, which is therefore a known quantity. Knowing all your costs, fixed and variable, as well as your estimate of the profit will allow you to properly prepare a quote, and if your customer indicates this is higher than they care to pay, you are in a position to advocate downsizing, changing ingredients and so on. If, after you have tried to accommodate the client, they still find your price beyond their reach then you are on a sound footing to decline the assignment or accept, but with lower (but known) margins. I have witnessed many talented persons fail because they do not allocate nearly enough money to cover fixed costs, or a reasonable salary plus profit for themselves.
The floral professionals who have a sound financial footing, who are assured and confident of their unique value proposition can move forward in securing profitable engagements.
Beyond Flowers: Fashion and Beauty
Now I shall focus on the third component of our industry to be considered which provides a powerful advantage over the competition: Fashion. Unbeknownst to many people in the floral industry is the concept that we are in a “fashion industry”. But we are. Colors, textures, shapes and sizes influence our business just like clothing, furniture, kitchen components and so forth. To further put distance between ourselves and the competition it behooves us to be conscious of what is happening in allied industries. Certainly, much of fashion seem frivolous, but trust me it is all about the bottom line. Therefore is extremely important to be open to what is happening in the world around us, and especially to the younger generations, no matter how alien there ideas may seem at first. As one’s sensibilities become keen, anticipating floral trends, or even being in a position to create them can really set one apart and above the competition.
The company that I work for prides itself on sourcing the newest rose varieties, unique flowers from around the world, off-crop products from the Southern hemisphere as well as forgotten heirloom varieties from our won back yard. It is part of our business model that we strive to differentiate ourselves from the competition, although we have competitors around the country who also do an excellent service. And yes, the cost of some of these items is high, but this is unavoidable. To stay on the cutting edge incurs expenses not apparent to many people, such as the research, the education, the travel and the expertise to track down new products, not to mention the cost of freight, handling and so on. But with unique items featuring unusual shapes and textures, of a limited supply, our customers can establish their unique and trademark designs, confident that they are in fact differentiating themselves from the crowd.
Incidentally, it follows that if peonies are filling up buckets at the supermarket, they will be featured less and less in wedding magazines, as editors and designers seek to find new looks, new flowers and new textures. Flowers that are much harder to handle, transport and keep hydrated, such as Sweet peas for instance, or sprays of phaleonopsis, will become more ‘fashionable’(or Iceland Poppies, I can never find them).
There is no way to change what is happening in supermarkets, with internet fulfillment, or the world-at-large. What each of us can control is our actions, our decisions, our desire to learn and our enthusiasm to share our lives with other people. And we can do it with flowers.
What I would like to share with you all is that at the end of the day, flowers may remind us of our spirituality. Of course they are “temporary décor”, temporal is how I would express it, but in the big scheme of things so are we. Flowers speak to this mystery, and have echoed these feelings in human beings since the dawn of time. Let’s celebrate this idea!
I would like to thank Nancy for the opportunity to express my ideas, and I hope they may spark some thoughts within you. I leave you with a couple of quotes from two great spiritual minds:
"Let him who hath two loaves sell one, and buy the flower of narcissus: for bread is but food for the body, whereas narcissus is food for the soul." by Mohammed
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they spin not nor do they toil; yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” by Jesus
David Dahlson has worked with Mayesh Wholesale Florist for over 25 years, and is currently involved with marketing and the development of the On-Line Shopping Portal of Mayesh Wholesale.
The ideas expressed in this article are solely those of David Dahlson.
Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Inc. does not necessarily agree with, or endorse, this article or any part thereof.
This is the final installment to the question that was so thoughtfully asked by a bride, Lisa.
She originally wrote...
Dear Nancy
...Not to be snarky, but can you please explain why my florist charged $250 for a bouquet of peonies when I found an eight stem bunch at Whole Foods that very same week for $12.99?
Lisa
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In the past week, we touched upon many issues, finished work v products, "flushing", pre order, perceived value, pricing strategy and many more. Today, I've decided that instead of writing another post, I'd post some of the responses from floral designers and add a few more thoughts.
Waste:
Flower Design Jane writes that, "I use peonies for wedding bouquets, the biggest issue is in fact the quantity you need to purchase in order to get say 15 open to the correct degree for use, you may need as many as 200 to get the required perfect 15. I hope this helps."
The reality is that most experienced and prepared designers, who have seen more than a couple of seasons of weddings, know what type of flowers will work in various situations, what flowers need more TLC(tender loving care), what flowers don't open easily, what flowers "wilt"...and on and on.
We know that certain flowers, we have to "buy" more. Peonies are definitely one of them. How can you not buy more? When you get a bunch, the blooms are sometimes at different stages of "opening". Some open. Some don't. Some are too overblown and others are just too darn "tight". It's nature and an imperfect product.
If you think peonies are hard to open at times, how about preventing garden roses from shattering!!!!
A few weeks ago, I blew $250.00 in yellow garden rose for just 4 bridesmaid bouquets. Of the many stems - only 15% were truly usable. And Gaby my poor assistant had to wire the good ones because the heads were "droopy". We threw out the ones that were not salvageable.
Now are you wondering....did I get credit for them? No. The vendor and I have a good relationship. I have to pick my battles. If every time something like this happened and I complained "loudly", no one would ever sell to me. This is not like Nordstrom's. My wholesalers, they don't always take everything back. You know why? They don't often get credit from their resources. My wholesale vendor has to eat it sometimes. No one wins. If they go out of business, I could be screwed.
Don't start blaming the wholesalers because they truth is...my sales rep, Sean at Torchio, often warns me about buying certain things(even when I know that garden roses can drop in a flash or that peonies are often too tight to open). But how am I suppose to tell that to a bride who has to have them? I don't. I fix the situation like every other quality floral designer. We learn. We get past these issues and that's why we need to price correctly so that we don't have to worry about ordering a little more to cover the stems not used.
Just in case you are wondering, I saved quite a bit for petals from that disastrous garden rose buy. We did our best to salvage what we could of a really bad situation.
(BTW, if you think this is just a one time thing, this is every week. Every week, we have a challenge that we have to fix!)
Big Picture:
Mary Lois writes, "Moreover...nature is well....nature. We don't know when the prices of flowers will skyrocket because of weather, cutting cycles, fuel costs of shipping. We have to cover the possibility of high prices for ourselves as well as our clients. If you don't charge enough, costs run high, then the client ends up with something less than what they hoped for.
Finally...I don't know about other designers, but if I price something high and am able to get a good price on it, then the surplus always gets applied somewhere else in the overall wedding budget". "
One thing that many people never talk about is the BTS(behind the scenes) and the reality is that smart and seasoned floral designers during the proposal writing phase know how to "cushion" for mishaps. And most deliver what they plan or even over deliver. (Yes, I said, over deliver!)
I recall this past year, I had a wonderful wedding at the Ferry Building. This wedding was all about small details and one of the flowers that this bride loved were "sweet peas". Is there really any replacement for this delicate bloom? Probably but for this purpose, not really.
The bride and groom didn't know that I purchased 60 bunches of Sweet Peas for their September wedding from a local grower and more from So Cal. 60 bunches of sweet peas which should have yielded 1500 stems did in fact yield only 400 usable stems. The rest we "tossed". Luckily I had double ordered this product and added other flowers to cover any problems. The other sweet peas which were needed for her beautiful bouquet and napkin details, we ended using the better quality blooms from the So Cal resource.
My wonderful sales rep drives up wonderful blooms from SoCal and made sure to include 10 bunches of white sweet peas just for this bride. We got 150 stems of the most perfect white sweet peas. The local grower's bunches were not as good as the SoCal ones, but in the end, the good quality ones at 3 times the price were well worth it. I didn't mind at the time that they were more because when you have a wedding in less than 72 hours, you will move mountains to get what you need.
Did I charge the client for having to replace her bad sweet peas?
Absolutely not! We actually lost money on the napkin details but overall, we made it up in other areas. Why didn't I charge when I could have?
On this particular wedding, I worked with an amazing wedding planner, you know who it is, JLE. She is one of the few planners who knows that I will "spend" what I need to make the wedding perfect. In return, she educates the bride during the proposal writing phase. She rarely sends a client to me that doesn't understand the importance of why I charge what I charge.
This planner knows that I will do my very best on each wedding project. I rarely get questions on the detailed pricing of each item. Usually, it's..."nance, do what it takes!". No questions asked. Because the wedding planner understands that when I get a bad bunch of stuff, I replace it, she feels confident in working with me. She knows that my original quote has some allowance for "waste". It's a happy relationship in which the bride gets the best. And the weddings come out - picture perfect. End of story.
It's been a long and wonderful week. I've made new connections, new friends. For those reading these posts, if you are a wedding vendor, please - it should never be us versus them. After all, we as business owners cannot exist without other people, especially our clients.
Bottom line: What I take from this is that we have to ask ourselves what makes our designs art? What makes our products/services such that people have to have us?What will make our designs so enticing so that we are like the Apple of the computer industry? What can we do so that we don't have someone ask, if Peonies are $12.99, why is my bouquet $250.00?
If you haven't noticed, my little blog has had a Make Over thanks to the ever patient and delightful, Kelly De Luca of Blush Ink. My Brown Bag is updated and better than ever. Don't you love the "Chanel" inspired brown bag icon!
Like a new hairstyle, I am feeling pretty again.
I'm sure you want to know more about this design diva. Kelly is a Montreal-based graphic designer extraordinaire who speaks French as well as she designs (which is really well, if you were wondering)!
How did I meet Kelly? Well, via twitter and another wedding blog. I found her designs remarkably witty, sweet, and stylish. Instantly I went to her blog, Glamour This! and through the magic of emails, I hired her. And I've been so happy. She has transformed not only Nancy's Brown Bag but also The Pink Blossom List. Though we are still making changes to the Wedding Floral Academy's website, I'm sure in the weeks to come, you will see the progress that Kelly's made to make all our "brands" - unique and different.
For some fun background information on Mrs Kelly, some of you might know her as Mrs. Flamingo from Weddingbee, where her love for weddings came to life while she blogged her entire planning process, from place cards to thank you cards! Oh My!
Kelly brings projects to life or in this case, back to life, at the drop of a hat by meshing chic colors with vintage-inspired imagery. Some of the things that Kelly adores include all things Parisian, typography, stylish décor and, as if you hadn’t noticed by now, weddings!
Start from Kelly, "if you were to try to find my aura beneath my fashionable attire and flawless makeup, it would reveal itself as pink and turquoise, with a touch of grey. After all, who says an aura can’t be more than one color? ".
...Not to be snarky, but can you please explain why my florist charged $250 for a bouquet of peonies when I found an eight stem bunch at Whole Foods that very same week for $12.99?
Lisa
_____________________________________
A couple days ago, I started to answer the question to Lisa's question. Of course I wrote about Perceived Value and Pricing.
Today's issue centers around why local grocery stores and warehouse stores are able to carry flowers at or below wholesale. For the wonderful answer, I have consulted the wonderfully talented, Amy Marella of Hidden Garden, for insight.There are several issues going on
1) Bulk Quantities - Flushing It is not uncommon to find Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco with a wide assortment of flowers. These wholesale warehouses and grocery chains buy their flowers in "bulk" and/or buy flowers that are "flushing" from the growers. I had never heard this term before Amy used is. Amy was kind enough to help define the term. "Flushing" occurs when flowers are coming in great abundance and the grower is willing to get rid of them quickly/cheaply because they have a very large quantity.
Amy states, "this is not to say that the flowers at these locations might not be perfect but they are not hand picked by the buyers". Given that - each week these outlets have differing stock. There is never a guarantee of what you might see at your local grocery store like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Safeway. These large corporation have the buying power to purchase in "bulk" therefore offering consumers much lower prices than a local floral shop who doesn't buy in the quantities that a large, national grocery store could.
2) Precision - Pre Orders As a floral designer who specializes in weddings, often a proposal is set months, weeks in advance. I don't have the luxury to "randomly" select flowers for my wedding clients. Amy and I both realize that we have to "pre order" our flowers. Many and we assume the florist in this question probably pre ordered the peonies way in advance. I prefer to write my orders about 2 weeks. Sometimes I have to give a month notice. Pre ordering ensures that the "exact" flower to the color and to the stem count is ordered. Floral designers all want the right amount of flowers and the best blooms though often there is no guarantee because flowers are natural and perishable products. You can't just go get a peony whenever you want.
Given that floral designers are ordering in advance, you don't get a price break. In many instance, a florist actually pays a slightly higher premium to guarantee that the flowers they need for a wedding are EXACTLY what they want.
Amy's company, The Hidden Garden, does exactly thing. She says, they " might cost a little more across the board but with that comes piece of mind for the bride". Obviously, considered floral designers want to delivery what a client ordered so you can't just take a chance that the right quantity, color or flower will just "show" up at the market. That's way, banking on a Whole Foods for your wedding flowers - not a good way to go. I don't think it's fair to compare the peonies that a floral designer can get with the price of flowers at a local grocery store. Because if you can't get it consistently in the color, quantities and quality, why do it?
A floral designer especially one who is doing a bridal bouquet, cannot afford to put their hopes into finding a random "special". I also agree with Amy and many other floral designers that you want to select the best. You want to find the best "bunch" amongst the entire bulk order. You are selective.
3) Hand Crafted Finally, and probably the most important thing. I can't imagine comparing a finished beautiful hand crafted bouquet with a bunch of peonies. They just aren't the same. One is a work of art. One is just a bunch of flowers.
Would you go to a restaurant like Florio(see their lovely menu below - yummy) which has a wonderful Rib Eye steak and frites for $62 for two and expect to pay $11.99 a pound as sold at Whole Foods for a rib eye? Right?
Florio Classics
Totten Inlet Mediterranean Mussels steamed in White Wine, Garlic, Thyme & Mirepoix, Lemon Aioli 13.50
Le Hamburger: House Ground Chuck served open faced on Grilled Batard with Caramelized Onions 14.
Fulton Valley Roasted Chicken, Caramelized Summer Squash, Spring Onions & Garlic, Roasted Poultry Jus for one/ 24 or two/ 46.25
Hanger Steak Frites, Sauce Bearnaise 27.25
Bone-in Rib Eye Steak a la Bearnaise for Two, Pommes Frites & Sauteed Spinach 65.25
You can go to Whole Foods and get all the ingredients for a cake or you can buy a beautiful one in their bakery. A finished, hand made item is not the price of its parts.
Bottom line: Higher costs come with being selective. It's part of the artistry of floral designers. If you want to deliver the best, you order the best ingredients from the get go. And you simply cannot compare a commodity with something that is a finished, hand crafted, and custom made design.
The theme for UE's wedding magazine issue #5 was Back to Basics.
Instead of featuring a typical wedding ,we decided that it was more charming to feature a wedding rehearsal dinner because after all a wedding celebration starts with the many parties leading up to the magical day.
When I grew up, the wedding rehearsal dinner was a big deal. Unlike the formality of the wedding reception, the wedding rehearsal dinner was filled with relaxed laughter, silly toasts, light hearted games and comfort food that was made by friends and family members. The familiarity of backyard bashes, favorite family recipes, and fun but unpretentious details feels so right(so right now!). Emphasis on a family style dinner, picnic bench seating, Grandma's hand me down flatware, and hand crafted details is not a return to basics but return to something beloved.
Anne and I had so much fun not only doing the styling and the background story but we also divided the catering duties. Corn on the cob was grilled by Kevin. The strawberry shortcake made by Anne and strawberry lemonade by yours truly were both semi homemade. Biscuits were made the night before in my kitchen. And Anne's beautiful hand writing was on that chalkboard.
I hope you enjoy this Strawberry Shortcake Rehearsel Dinner shoot that makes me want to "spread the love".
(That's my dog, Chin Chin getting into the attention!)
Hi, I'm Nancy Liu Chin and I welcome you to my floral design and wedding advice blog, titled, Nancy's Brown Bag! I'm calling my blog the Brown Bag because it's like the huge handbag I carry, it's filled with small pieces of my life.
On Nancy's Brown Bag, you will find wedding ideas, insights on the busy life of a floral designer, flower do's and don't, and all things a floral designer might need to know. Come with me on my journey through the ups, downs, ins and outs of working in one of the most fascinating businesses - the business of creating INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE wedding & events.
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