About Nancy: The End of Ask Nancy

Dear Brown Bag Readers...

After much thought, I've decided it is time to move forward and I've decided to say good bye to a dear friend, the Ask Nancy posts.

The reasons are vast.

Mainly I think change is good and nothing should last forever.  For some I'm sure it will be a relief to see new things.  For others, I know I will disappoint you as readers are always looking for quick, focused, and valuable answers.  Mostly, I thank people for giving me the chance to tackle your issues whether our answers were good or bad., challenging or just darn silly.

It's been challenging answering questions at times. It's taught me a little about myself.  For one thing, I'm not a perfect person and I know at times my answer didn't sit well with people and I'm sure a few of you thought I was a little "snarky" and it's alright if you were "put off"  by my attitude or philosophy.  But hey -  that's what makes for good conversation, right?  If during the course of the Ask Nancy, you felt slighted, insulted or even dismissed, that part, I'm sorry...being human, it happens!

Remember, there isn't one way, one answer, one path at times.  And certainly, no one person should have such power to give black and white answers when it comes to floral and event design.  Plus, I don't like it when answers get stale and I think over the past few months, the answers aren't as clever and it's really me that I blame for that. 

Yesterday was my last Ask Nancy post and I hope that Ms. PP was able to appreciate the answer.  In fact, I thank Ms. PP for helping me come to the conclusion that Ask Nancy has reached its rightful end.   The answer to yesterday's question was actually a challenge and like that challenge, I'm giving myself a chance to test new things for this blog and I can only do that when I let something go. 

Thank you fans....

Ask Nancy: Seasoned Pros...

Nancy,


Truly enjoying reading your blog daily ....can you give me your wisdom regarding Peonies!! I am going to be doing my first Peony bouquet - need advice!! How far ahead should I pick up Peonies from my wholesaler as I am sure they will be tightly budded....I have heard that you should expect not all of them to open...which is fine but I want to be sure there are enough White and Sara B's to create a lush bridal bouquet. Have also seen advice to plunge them head down into water to help remove sticky sap as well as doing a long cut and using quick dip prior to putting them in water with preservative..... Should they be stored in the cooler or left in room temp once they open???


Thanks!
PP


__________________________________________


Dear PP


Well, I usually do answer most Ask Nancy questions, but this time instead of answering your question, I would like to ask my own question and talk about another issue which is the heart of your question, working with uncertain materials.


My dear PP, you are a floral designer and getting paid by a client to do a peony bouquet. I understand that it's your first. There is a first for everyone. The first time I did a lily of the valley bouquet, boy did I learn things. And yes, I'm learning every day about things. One of the things as a floral professional that I do and I highly encourage you to do this as well is -


Test flowers


Test concepts


Test materials


Yup, I just said "test" which isn't new to most large companies. Companies have been doing that for years, it's called Research & Development.  Are you doing your own research and development?


If you don't how long it takes for a bunch of peonies to open, then buy a bunch and test it out for yourself. I know what you are thinking, it is so expensive to do this. But hey, that's part of the learning curve and that is why you can tell your client that you are worth what you charge because you take the guess work out of the equation(I've just given you something more valuable - a tip for your value proposition!!!!). It's part of the process that we floral designers have to take.


Don't you think Apple tests it's products? Don't you think that chefs try their recipes out first before serving dishes to their guests? Don't you think that I make samples for myself to see if I can do a certain new design? When you don't test things out, boo boos are bound to happen.


And if you read a few of my previous posts on Peonies, you are 100% right that not all stems open, that's why we have to overbuy flowers like peonies as well as roses, rananculus., anemones..should I go on?


The key is that as a designer, you have to set aside time and money to do research.  You can't develop and grow as a business without R&D.  We should all understand that. We should test out "leaky" wooden boxes. We should test out tall pieces to see if they will balance in the wind. And on and on and on.


If you are not certain of something, you should take the first opportunity and test it out.  Period. Trust me, the best thing you can do is practice your craft and not during the week of the wedding unless you over have the extra time and the patience to stomach the stress.
 As for plunging peonies in the water to remove sap, my advise is try it for yourself. See if that works.  Don't wait for my answer or ask other designers, go for it, jump in and take the plunge.  Find out for yourself what works.  


Bottom line: You have to constantly test things until you find a system that works for you.


Good luck PP!

Industry News: What Brides are really thinking - DIY discussion

A couple days ago I got an email from a good blogger friend and she asked me to read an article that has been generating lots of comments on 100 Layer Cake's March 25th post titled, Unruly Things: DIY flowers.  As you know, 100LayerCake.com is a wonderful and inspiring wedding blog that features alternative, edgy, diy weddings as well as very creative, detailed real weddings with personality.

Without going into details, if you are a floral professional and you want to learn what's going on in the minds of brides, I think it's one of the best discussions on the mentality of clients or as I call it - the state of wedding affairs.

Beware, some of it won't be easy to swallow as many brides believe that florists are overcharging and just not worth it(this isn't new so don't get too bent out of shape).  To defend the brides, I think I understand where they are coming from as many floral designs are starting to look a bit "too simple" and "too DIY doable".

If you are a bride, I think it's a great read and it definitely will help you if you happen to be on the fence and contemplating DIY flowers.

Having said that, I'll repeat what I've often said on my blog.  I don't mind if anyone does DIY.  It's a choice and if people like it - go for it.  Personally, I'm not a huge DIY person.  I don't make my own dresses(can't sew), I don't make gifts for friends(tried that and failed), I don't even laundry or iron our work towels(our warehouse/processing guy does them or we send them to our local cleaners), and I certainly am not one of those who makes their own furniture(tried sanding an end table and it stayed in my house for 1 year before I had to throw it out). 

Am certainly not like my sister in law, Sharon, who home schools, makes her own ornaments, bakes her own breads, and creates her own albums(Oh Dear!).  I'm probably the antithesis of a DIY, I like going to the cleaners to pick up my drycleaning, I prefer buying a loaf of freshly made bread from La Boulange, I enjoy running my car through the car wash because it's sort of fun sitting there in the car contemplating life for 2 minutes(because I rare have time to think without background noise), and I hate the idea of making DIY presents as much as I dislike getting them(I don't mind saying this because Robert Downey Jr hates gift cards for the same reason I detest DIY presents - they never seem personal or take into account the receiver).

It's not that I don't know appreciate thoughtfulness and creativity but I just don't know what to do with a upside down globe made from a sundried tomato jar with photos that are slowly fading and that leaks ever so slowly drop by drop on my modern Design within reach furniture.  ( I can just hear my brother calling me on the phone to yell at me for saying these things).  Neither my mother in law or I know what to do with our annual DIY ornaments since we don't decorate Christmas trees because we have no space in our small SF condos to put live trees.  And not to kil this point further, what the heck do I do with a beaded necklace in jade green that's sort of Santa Fe inspired with an asian tapestry that is made with crochet yarn?  How am I suppose to wear that when I'm so modern, American traditional to the core. 

Don't get me wrong, when I get a beautiful drawing from my nieces I melt.  That's really special because little Jordan(my niece) made it especially for me.  That's unique and I keep these in a special place to remind me of how precious my little ones are to me along with the many friendship bracelets and crafty jewelry that my niece and nephews have made for me when they are here for the summer.

I just think DIY has a place and not that it isn't elegant - many DIY things (like the beautiful knit scarves that I have received) are indeed very beautiful but in general though the thoughtfulness is there, it's the execution at times that doesn't quite go as planned and thus when it comes to DIY(not DIY invites or flowers per se) I'm just not a fan of. (Though I recently put together some Ikea furniture - so I'm adapting to the DIY movement in my own way).

To me, if you are going to DIY your invites or weddings flowers, just make sure it fits with your style and that you can execute it well.

And if you DIY gifts for friends, don't forget to think about the receiver(as I once gave my now husband KC a bottle of oregano infused olive oil for Christmas without thinking that he doesn't enjoy cooking!)

Ask Nancy: How much to charge?

Dear Brown Bag Readers

Yup, you guessed it - I'm still on the beach so I've asked another vendor friend to fill in for me while I am in Mexico.  Today, we have Nicole Lisanne of Nicole Lisanne Weddings & Events by Design answering questions for "Ask Nancy" column.

Thank you Nicole for helping me out.

__________________________________

Dear Nancy:

I was reading your blog which I absolutely enjoyed.   I have a small business in event design & decorating.  I have my first wedding, beach theme but I don't know what to charge for my service.   I surfed the net but only can find pricing for wedding planners, florist, but not one precisely for wedding design/decorating.   Please advise!!!   I need some sort of base that is both accurate and competitive. 

Hope to hear from you soon,

Carmen M

Dear Carmen,

Hi! Nancy has asked me to share my wisdom with you on this topic! My name
is Nicole, I'm a Wedding Designer and owner of Nicole Lisanne Weddings &
Events by Design here in Campbell, CA.

There are a few key things to take into consideration when pricing out
your design services:

1.Who is your target market? If they are the high end affluent Bride and
Groom, your prices should be top of the market. If they are mid range,
same thing, and so on.

2.What are you comfortable charging based on your experience? If you only
have a year or two of experience, you can't charge top prices yet, and you
want to be comfortable and confident with the numbers you are telling your
customers.

After you've explored these two questions, you should have a good feel for
whether you should be charging a high price, medium price, or lower price
than others in your market.

You also need to know how to structure your fee for selling your design
services. Here's my advice:

1.Charge one flat rate for your design services to all clients.

2.Provide the same design services to all clients who hire you. i.e.Offer
the same process for design for each client to ensure high customer
service and a good outcome. There's no sense in counting hours spent,
etc...if you have a process you are comfortable with, stick to it!

In our market here in the San Francisco Bay Area the three price points
you'll find for a flat rate fee for design services are around $6-9,000
lower range, $9-12,000 mid-range, and as high as $12,000 and beyond high
end.

Since you are a newer event designer, you should be around the lower range
price point, but if you aren't comfortable with these numbers, lower them
and gradually build up through the years you gain more experience until
you have confidence touting a higher price point.

I hope this helped!

Thank you Nicole for your insight.  Nicole Lisanne runs a successful full service wedding planning and event design business from Campbell, California.

About Nancy: Wedding Designer Showcase

As many of you know from attending Wedding 360's Academy for Planners + Designers, we were asked to do a design for one of their Designer Showcase rooms.  Many of you loved the cake that was designed for us by the ever talented and uberfabulous, Shinmin Li of I Dream of Cake.  

We're thrilled to share with you the image of the "Floating Cake" taken by yet another uberfabulous vendor, Michelle Walker via Two Bright Lights.  Our "Floating Cake" was a tower of white deliciousness, multi-tiered square layers with 3 floating circular "lollipops" - a cake within a cake.  Each layer had a unique circular, bubbly design set atop an acrylic cake stand.  Both modern in design yet classic.   The cake stood almost four feet high and rested on a New Parsons table from Hartmann Studios.  (More about our design room later.)

For more of Shinmin's fabulous designs, you can go to her gallery like studio located in North Beach on Grant Street in San Francisco.

Ask Nancy: Can you say No?

Dear Brown Bag Readers

I'm very honored to have Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros as a guest blogger this week. Many of you know that I've been answering questions via the Ask Nancy posts but I am in Mexico doing a little research(wink wink).  Thought it might be refreshing to hear from one of my esteemed colleagues. So today, instead of me answering questions, Michelle has offered to answer yet another one of these questions for us. Thank you Michelle!

_______________________________

Dear Wedding Pro,

I’ve been in business for a few years and have great relationships with other wedding vendors.  I consider myself to be pretty generous to other pros.  I like to share and help out when needed.  Recently, I’ve had a few wedding planners ask to borrow props or if I can just “whip up” something for an event or to help them with a design.  I’m feeling a little burned out and taken advantage of.  How can I say “no” without burning bridges?

Frustrated Florist

Dear FF,

What a conundrum!  If you continue to say yes, you are going to get runned over, burned out, and increasingly annoyed.  If you say no, you risk hurting the feelings of that colleague.  So, we have to do this gently.

Why you must say “No”:

• This is essentially work that you are doing and not getting paid for.  Time is money.  Borrowing (repeatedly) is renting without compensation.  You MUST be PAID for what you DO and for your ART.
• People in our profession burn out every day.  Working for free causes people to burn out.
• You will be known as the vendor who always gives freebies to vendors.  You will be barraged by requests.
• People are often clueless.  They may not know that they are putting you in a tough spot.
• Your art (and sales) will suffer if you are giving it away for free.  They won’t buy the cow if they’re getting the milk for free!
• Your reputation will not be tarnished if you say “no”.  If you have built yourself as a trustworthy business, your reputation will remain intact.

How to say “No”:

• Why not charge a “vendor rate” for colleagues who want to borrow equipment or a sample for an event?  This is akin to offering a “family discount”.  By offering a “vendor rate” it has the appearance of giving a deal, but you are being compensated for your effort.  You won’t feel like you were walked over.
• Consider a trade.  When you are asked for something, let them know that many vendors have recently approached you and that you are only trading for items or services.
• If you are being asked for “design help”, consider teaching them or coaching them. Vendor: “Oh hey – can you help me?  Those daffodils you arranged were gorgeous.  How’d you do that?” You: “Oh that?!  I offer private tutorials on arranging daffodils, come on in to the studio.” My personal approach is that you get one freebie (usually this freebie is in the form of information – answering a quick question in an email).  With that first freebie I give the disclaimer, “If you want to talk more, these are my rates…”
• If this vendor is someone you know and trust, speak with them frankly.  If they are good friend, they will understand.  They might be a little embarrassed.  Let them know that you would never ask them to give their services to you free of charge and that you honestly feel taken advantage of.

All in all, regardless of whether it’s a client, a friend, a colleague, or a family member… justify the time and money you spend providing them with goods and services!  And, don’t be afraid to say “no” when they can’t respect that.

Respect yourself and your work!

Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros

Sage Wedding Pros is dedicated to creating sustainable businesses in the wedding industry. Visit www.sageweddingpros.com to learn how to be sustainable!

Real Wedding: Julie & Nathan's San Francisco Ferry Building Wedding

One of last year's most memorable wedding.  A short film clip from my good buddies, Justin and Georgina of Weddings on Film.

Tell me what you think of Julie & Nathan's San Francisco Ferry Building's Wedding from Justin Ferar of Weddings on Film on Vimeo.

Ask Nancy: How to Figure How much Flowers you Need....

Hi Nancy: I was wondering if you know how many mini carnations or mini roses it takes to cover a 6" round ball. I want to make a kissing ball. Thanks!

Karen the Florist

___________________________________

An excellent question Karen...

To figure it out, you'll need to break out your calculator. What you need to find out is 1) the Surface area of a ball and 2) the size of the flowers 3) you take the area and divide by the size of the flower 4) build a little cushion 5) figure out how many in a bunch and presto - you got what you need!

How do you do that....well, a little math at this point should help us.  

Surface Area(A) = 4pr^2

A = 4 x p(pie) x r(radius) to the 2nd degree

For example = A 4 inch ball's surface area would be 50.24 inches

4 inch ball's Area = 4 x 3.14 x 2 x 2

If you don't know what a radius equals, then just take the diameter and divide by 2.

(PS....Now you math wizard, if I screwed this up, will you tell me!!!)

Now, take the measurement of a mini carnation or mini spray rose which should be around 1.2 inches. You are looking roughly at 42 blooms.  

Take 42 blooms and divide that into the number of blooms per bunch and it looks like you will need 2 bunches because you can't buy then in 1/2 bunch increments....

(Each bunch is solid in 10 stem bunches.  Each stem has roughly 2 open blooms of equal size, sometimes more but I would say 2 bunches is a minimum).

For a 10 inch ball, it looks like 13 to 15 bunches.  Do the math yourself for a 6 inch ball(clue: You need to cover 113.04 inches of surface area)
  

News: Rustic Collection

We thought we would share another collection from our Signature Collection line.

This one is Rustic and Charming.

News: Nancy's Signature Collection is here

A couple weeks back I spoke about our new Signature Collections.  I am so excited to announce that we have 4 collection that range from Tailored Classic to Modern Simplicity to Cool & Colorful to  Rustic Charm.  Each collection is great for that bride on the go who doesn't need the fuss of a customized proposal but doesn't want to compromise on a polished look  Its very much designer quality at a great value.  Each collection is perfect for a wedding that's between 70 and 120 but can be scaled for larger weddings.  These collections are for brides and groom's that don't have a checklist of needs and are flexible and open to what is in season.  And of course, they appeal to someone who doesn't have to have a specific flower but trust us to create designs that best reflect the style they have chosen.

We like these collection because it offers

*great design at great value
*polished and focused style
*seasonal flowers
*easy and convenience
*delivery and tax built into the Collection price
*simple to order and easy to manage

All collections do not have meetings included so it really is also great for couples planning a destination affair.  To find out more details, please give us a ring or email us!

Industry News: Bailey & Blum

This weekend is bailey & blum.  We wish two of the industry greats our warm wishes.  And for those attending, what joy!

Real Wedding: Classic Coral

Well, Style Unveiled, you managed to pick good weddings, let me say, great wedings. There's no question that this wedding resources is a perfect one for Northern California couples.

Thank you for featuring it this week and I'm just HONORED.

If I haven't said this yet, I love Coral.  Some people call it pink, others strawberry or grapefruit, and some might even venture to label it salmon.  No matter which way you call it, it's one of my favorite hues.

And there is nothing as beautiful as Coral Peonies.

This beautiful wedding has it all.  And despite the weather(boy was it foggy that day), I find it rather warm and inviting.

One of the things I remember most about this wedding was how calm the bride and groom were(Audrey and James - what a pair!).   Even though plans didn't go exactly as they hoped, they just rolled with it.  And how can I forget Tom(dear Tom Henderson of Thomas John Events).  What a hero.  His team switched the setup at the last minute and didn't the reception look good indoors?

Thank you to Todd Rafalovich for the images and Janece Shelloue of Every Elegant Detail for planning a most memorable of events!

Real Wedding: Sneak Preview

What's coming tomorrow...

The Real Wedding of Audrey and James...from Style Unveiled.


Here's a peak.

Image by Todd Rafalovich.

Inspirations: From Photo to Reality

As a floral designer, your clients put a lot of faith and trust into you and your work. Some hire us prior to meeting us and others are planning from afar that we don't meet until the day of the wedding.  Can you imagine the pressure but also the joy of having someone truly believe in you?

One such lovely and recently bride ordered her bouquet and boutonniere without ever meeting or speaking with me.  The luxury and convenience of the internet has made it possible that you can share information.  Though I'm a little old fashion (I like talking to people), I certainly cannot complain that we can conduct business over emails.

Through our short exchange of emails, we transformed the bride's inspiration into her bouquet of flowers.   Sometimes words fail us because it's hard to explain all that you want but I feel privileged and honored that people believe in us in such a way that they know that whatever we design will embody the spirit of what they hope for.  The key is understanding the spirit and style!

From inspiration to the reality!  Here's the bouquet....in hues of purples, raspberry, deep magenta, jewel tones

Behind the Scenes: Intern - People are #1

Many of you have enjoyed our  Behind the Scenes: Intern series by Michelle Chang.  However when I wrote this note in a previous post..."Will Michelle survive....", I had no idea that my words were going to actually come true.

This morning, our fantastic intern, had a little(well, medium) accident and she is now at home recovering.  Before any of you think it was on the job, it wasn't.  It happened in her own apartment.  Michelle was already a little under the weather so this accident was the result of a combination of things.  I won't get into the details but...

Our love, thoughts and prayers are with you.

Michelle suffered a fracture in her eye socket.  During the process, Michelle, like the trooper she is, was more worried that she wouldn't be able to get her blog posts done in time for all you then her poor eye and fact.  There's an ache in my heart because a blog post isn't as important as her poor eye and face.  PERIOD.

Her worrisome nature reminds me that many of us in this business put the job first even when we are rushing to the ER!  Oh My Goodness!  It's true.  Rarely am I sick but when I am, I am concerned about my clients, the workload, and all these little things that in hindsight don't matter in the big picture.

I'm sure many of you will agree.

Not sure if our intern will be back.  As I said to Michelle this morning as she was in pain, "you are the priority!"  Don't forget everyone, people and the relationships that we make are the priority.

Real Wedding: Sneak Preview

 "I left my heart in San Francisco" says it all...doesn't it?  Thank you Jennifer and Garett for letting us design your wedding event and flowers.  To see more images, please go to Kevin Chin's blog.

Image by Kevin Chin