9 Planning Tips
You don’t have to have all of the details figured out
We're here to help sort through the options together and provide our point of view and guidance. Most people have never done this before and will only do this once in their lives! You don’t know what you don’t now. This is our wheelhouse and we do this on a daily basis so we have lots of advice.
Trust your florist
Your florist has put her heart and soul into learning her craft. If you like her book of work, trust her to do right by you.
Weddings are a celebration of you two.
Above all else, they are meant to be fun. If at any time planning your wedding feels overwhelming, look for a way to simplify things. Reach out to us for advice on how to do that. The planning should be enjoyable and not a total drain on your energy. Take a break and get a massage, go to the movies, or take a walk. A fun idea is to go visit a local flower farm and see what inspires you!
You’re engaged!
Enjoy all the little moments along this journey! When the inevitable decisions get you overhelmed, head outdoors and reset!
Be open with us about your budget
It’s all about the budget
You can spend as little or as much as you like. As florists, we love to sell big and bold in your face floral elements that transform a room. If it’s just a few personal floral items you’re on the lookout for, we offer our A la carte menu for genuine shopping ease.
When we know, we can help you make the best decisions. We're happy to provide guidance on which elements are worth investing in and how to make the most of your floral budget. When it comes to your budget, invest in a few, select signature items and don't worry about the rest. We’re strong advocates of putting the bulk of your budget into large statement pieces that will have an enormous impact and you’ll remember for years to come because they will live on in your wedding photos!
Flowers can add a delightful personal touch
Be uniquely you
Bring your favorite van and dress her up for the occasion or on a more conservative note, just play around with more interesting colors and wedding wear. It’s your day, the world is your oyster and you’re in charge!
Don't shy away from considering colors and tones that are beyond your broader wedding color palette to add depth and interest. Consider your personality and really let that be your guide! Are you a big personality who likes to let her bold audacious style be known to the world? We can design flowers to reflect this style. Or are you more of a buttoned up engineer type? We’ve got ideas for this style as well! We’ve also got the ethereal old souls out there covered with our love of English and French country gardens that we draw a lot of inspiration from.
Think no 'rules' when it comes to wedding flowers
Make it stand out
In the old days, brides often did what their mother’s did before them. I love the nontraditional weddings that people dream up in this day and age.
Use your wedding day as an opportunity to focus on the pieces that are the most important to you two, rather than feeling you must do x, y, and z. Just because Aunt Edna had corsages for every woman in the family back when she got married in 1962 doesn’t mean that is what you have to do. You don’t even need to have your bridesmaid’s carry bouquets if you’d like to put that money elsewhere. But like we said above, the signature, statement items will be the most memorable for you and your guests. But if you don’t get excited about that idea, leave that out too!
We’re at the mercy of Mother Nature with flowers
This is the PNW
No rain, no flowers! That’s the saying! But, as we all know, Oregon and Washington gets more than it’s fair share of rain and sometimes it can be too much! Flowers are finicky and sometimes we have lose some of the best crops when we need them the most!
Iconic wedding flowers such as Peonies are only available for a few weeks in the year. To get the most out of your design team, leave the final decision on individual blooms to us. Your floral designer knows the best options to sub for any beloved flowers if and when they aren’t available at the time of your event. If it’s at all possible to do so and you have a dearly beloved favorite flower, I recommend planning your wedding at the optimal time that it is blooming but that is unrealistic for most people. Not to say that you wouldn’t be able to get more flowers shipped in from overseas, it isn’t friendly to the environment, it is extremely costly, and the flowers just won’t be as delightful as the seasonal local ones that you’ve come to know and love!
Floral design is an art
Flowers as an art medium
Besides flowers having deep meaning in historical marriage ceremonies, this medium has the unique ability to end up as an genuine masterpiece of art once the floral designer has had her way with them. You’re personality can really be put on display through the flowers.
Be open to the designer and avoid being overly prescriptive in terms of specific flower varieties to use. We find it's best to provide a small collection of 5-6 reference photos to help you communicate your likes and dislikes. Your local floral designer has spent hours upon hours of time perfecting her craft and loves to bring your vision to life with her signature flair.
Adding candlelight shouldn’t be underestimated
Candlelight brings a true sense of romance to any event and creates a level of intimacy not found elsewhere. We love candles and lots of them! Inside, outside, wherever! You can create such a dreamy setting with candles alone that you might not even need flowers, although we wouldn’t recommend that because who wouldn’t want flowers!
Don't believe everything you see on Pinterest
It’s quite possible that some of the most popular wedding photos are from another part of the country or even could be overseas. Seasons and flower availability can be quite different. If in doubt, ask us and we can talk about locally grown solutions. Here in Washington State we have unique locally grown offerings 12 months of the year. We’re nerds about that kind of thing and we make it our business to search and source the local botanical scene every month of the year even if it means responsibly foraging through the woods and public lands!
